I have no personal experience of Mondeo diesles but looking at customer reviews on Parkers many are complaining about them.
Are they Good, Bad Ugly? Is the newer 2.2 TDCI a better engine or just a larger model of the 2.0 TDCI.
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There have been a few issues with the Mondeo TDCi, injectors requiring re programming etc, I have done 109,000 miles in my 2002 Ghia X and have had one occasion where I needed an injector re calibrated by a dealer.
Good, Bad or Ugly? I have to say good, stonking torque, very refined by any diesel standards, particularly in higher gears you are just wafted along on a wave of torque where as, by way of camparison, the VAG 1.9s and 2.0s emit a distinct diesely gruff sound. Also economy is excellent and handling is sweet with a lovely crisp turn in.
The 2.2 is a larger version of the same, torque is limited in 1st and 2nd so it feels less lively off the mark though is everything the 2.0 is and more on the move. Some say the 2.2 is not quite as refined though others say the opposite.
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I have frequently got the impression that a signficant number of contributors to Parker's reviews are the sort of people who either
a) need their expectations managing a bit re. vehicle reliability in general, or
b) expect their cars to run faultlessly for 100k+ miles with no maintenance beyond slinging the odd tenner's worth of fuel in occasionally, or
c) submit their cars to the most appalling abuse and then get miffed when things break.
My perception (and I am happy to be corrected) is that there does seem to be a greater belief that maintenance is optional on Fords than is the case for any other make. All cars run better when properly maintained and I am still amazed by the amount of people who don't/can't grasp that simple fact.
The other thing to bear in mind is that given the sheer numbers of Fords around, there will (in terms of actual numbers) be more broken ones, but that taken as a proportion of the whole it is likely that they are no worse than some and better than many. You get lemons with all makes - look at Mercedes-Benz's recent history as proof of that.
I'd look at JD Power's survey results, or What Car? for a more accurate indication of reliability.
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I completely agree.
My parents are big Ford fans and I grew up being driven around in various Cortinas, Granadas and Sierras. Even today, my parents have a Mondeo and my sister recently bought a Ka. Between SWMBO and myself, we've had two Sierras, three Fiestas, a Mondeo and an Escort and my uncle has a mk1 Focus after owning at least one every shape of Escort.
There is a point to all this (honest!). While some have been better than others, none of these cars have been what I would call unreliable, and the Sierras and Mondeos were/are just brilliant, dependable well made workhorses. I would trust a well maintained Ford to run pretty much forever based on my experience, and not cost a fortune to keep on the road either.
Perception is of course another matter. My father-in-law hates Fords (he had a mk3 Cortina once and it was a dud), and has since never owned anything other than VW's. He makes cheap shots at the Mondeo whenever he has to go anywhere in it, but the fact is it's more reliable and wears its 117,000 miles better than his year newer (but similar mileage) mk4 Golf TDI PD.
Great cars, cheap to buy, cheap to run. Just don't buy a new one (depreciation).
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I agree with the point about optional maintenance.
Ford's are seen by many buyers as almost a type of disposeable vehicle, you buy it new, and buy it's replacement in two or three years, in the meantime it's not seen as particularly important to take care of the car. That's in my opinion anyway.
It's based on the fact that when I worked at Ford I brought a few cars in part-exchange that had never been serviced, the owners apparently just couldn't be bothered, it's only a Ford after all.
When I worked at Honda, a totally different class of customer was attracted, I think I only saw one car that had no history.
Funnily enough, the Fords that did end up with careful owners never seemed to have a problem, the ones that didn't could be a bit iffy. My gran's 51 reg Focus has never had a single fault in her ownership of it.
Blue
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I've got an 04 130bhp Mondeo Ghia Estate. I've had it just over a month and am fairly happy with it.
It replaced my Shogun Sport.
The Mondeo is great at maintaining high motorway speeds and I'm chuffed that I am now doing over 30mpg!
Takes a bit of getting use to having to use the correct gear at low speeds though ...
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I'm on my second Mondeo TDCi now. First one was an early 02 TDCi 130 Zetec which I bought at 2yrs old with 30k on the clock, ran it to 55k. Only problem I had was an injector went causing the car to go into limp home mode, which is not uncommon on the early ones. It was fixed under warranty.
Bought my second one in December - a 6 month old 2.2 ST TDCi. Been very pleased with it up to now, done 10k in it with no problems bar an annoying noise from the leather on the back seats. Performance is excellent and it will do 50mpg on the motorway if you keep around the speed limit. I love the handling and feel through all the controls and the suspension - it feels alive when you want it to but will cruise along sedately as well.
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need their expectations managing a bit
Brilliant phrase, I'm going to pinch that ! Perfect.
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Fords certainly have raised their game. An Escort 1.8 TD put me off them for years. Awful noisy thing.
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Well I drive an 04 tdci van(it's done 30000 mls) and it's reliability is poor.Left me stranded twice.Firstly it deposited it's pas fluid on the ground and secondly a high pitched whine it had had since new manifested itslf by leaving metal bearing shavings on the floor and a flat battery-one of the pulley bearings was shot.Now I have a clutch pedal that after use only returns half way and I have to hook my foot under it to bring it back up.Dealer says he can't find.......the usual nonsense.My brother has a 110hp tdci focus which has similarly been poor.Done 48000 and has just needed a new alternator(ca is an 03)cost fitted £460.It's suffered a fuel leak and two or three other faults so much so that it's cost himm £1100 in one year on repairs-car just out of warranty.Both of us agree it's a good engine to drive but I've got to say my Picasso has needed nothing not even a bulb changing in 3 years and 35000 miles.Who'd have beleived that?
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>>.My brother has a 110hp tdci focus which has similarly beenpoor.Done 48000 and has just needed a new alternator(ca is an 03)cost fitted £460.It's suffered a fuel leak and two or three other faults so much so that it's cost himm £1100 in one year on repairs-car just out of warranty.Both of us agree it's a good engine to drive but I've got to say my Picasso has needed nothing not even a bulb changing in 3 years and 35000 miles.Who'd have beleived that?
This is quite ironic, as the 110 TDCi unit and most of its ancillaries can also be found under the bonnet of a lot of Peugeots and Citroens.
I think Ford have recently dropped this engine in favour of the "old" 1.8 TDCi that was used in the mk1 Focus.
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An 03 Focus TDCi would be either of the 100 or 115 bhp 1.8's.
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need their expectations managing a bit Brilliant phrase, I'm going to pinch that ! Perfect.
The whole motor industry revolves round managing expectations (as do most businesses for that matter) hence why Skoda do better than VW in satisfaction surveys, same car lower expectations, and why the likes of Kia etc do well with average at best cars.
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Precisely why Mercedes have taken such a hammering in recent years.
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I've got an 04 130bhp Mondeo Ghia Estate. I've had it just over a month and am fairly happy with it.
Manual gearbox (I assume) and you are happy with over 30 mpg. You should surely be getting better than 40 mpg from a modern diesel?
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