Ford Mondeo goes the distance

Sat, 11 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Declan Colley

Now that we have all that excitement behind us, we can get down to some of the more interesting aspects of the Mondeo range, particularly in terms of the engine variants.

We were very impressed with the Mondeo EcoBoost petrol when we drove it over Christmas and I have to say that the same applies to the diesel version we have subsequently tested.

The engine is question is the 1.6-litre TDCI which is the smallest diesel ever fitted to a Mondeo and it is not a bad thing at all — quite the opposite, in fact.

It outputs some 115bhp — the same as that from the previous 2-litre version — has some 270Nm of torque on tap at 1,750rpm, will reach a top speed of 190km/h and hit 100km/h from a standstill in 12.1 seconds.

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It will also return a claimed 3.6 l/100km (a stonking 78mpg) and, with emissions of just 109g/km, fits into tax band A3 for an annual bill of €190.

Now some of those figures will greatly impress people and others will not, but you’d have to say that for people looking for a large, comfortable, and economic car, it will fulfil the majority of their needs.

I will say that it seemed to me this diesel was not as well balanced a car as the petrol.

This version of the Mondeo appeared to me to be a tad more floaty, particularly on minor roads, and the chassis did not appear to be as well tuned as its sibling.

It may be I was too demanding on the car, but I definitely felt the petrol option was better sorted.

The new Mondeo is huge; it looks big from the outside and feels even bigger once you’re aboard.

That is not to say it is an unattractive car — far from it — but Ford has certainly pulled off a decent trick here by firstly making a very big car easy on the eye and, secondly, making it a more than capable driver too.

Admittedly it is more suited to taking on long, arduous distances while leaving driver and passengers cosseted in what is an excellent cabin.

It will eat up the miles with ease and, because of the premium feel of the seating and the interior, leave you feeling good at the end of it.

I have to say, however, that one annoying thing about the dashboard design was that element which tells you what the speed limit is for any particular section of road you’re travelling.

Initially it was the sort of thing that makes you think, ‘that’s handy’, but after several hours of motorway driving, its telling you that the limit is 120km/h becomes rather tiresome. In fact, it is a €510 option I could certainly have done without.

The Mondeo we tested — in Zetec trim — was a five-door hatch with a massive boot that is also fitted with a handy auto tailgate system (a €400 option).

The net effect is that with all that boot space, there will be no problem here bringing your friends out for a fourball or getting everything necessary on board to bring the quintuplets on holidays.

On balance I probably preferred the petrol version as a better driver’s tool than this one. Having said that, though, there is not a whole lot between the two cars depending on what your exact needs are.

The diesel will best suit those racking up large mileage and who wish to do so with as much comfort as is possible in the ‘repmobile’ segment.

For those with less of a need to cover great distances, the petrol has to be the choice.

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