Ford Mondeo

Bought a Ford Mondeo 2.0 GTDI Titanium 4-door (A) a few months ago. Was looking for a mid-range 2.0L car to replace my existing one which was nearing 9.0 years. Read a lot of reviews before buying. Shortlisted three cars to consider: VW Passat 1.8TSI, Mazda 6 2.5L, and the Ford Mondeo 2.0 GTDI. Ruled out the Passat 1.8TSI first because on test drive, found the pickup from start rather weak although once it got up to speed the acceleration was OK. The Mazda 6 2.5L I liked quite a lot because it looked good, had excellent interior build quality/fit and finish, was good value for money, and had made-in-Japan reliability. However, engine was a bit vocal at some speeds and Mazda 6 road noise suppression has always been flagged as a problem in car reviews; Also the 2.5L only came with 19 inch wheels so ride quality would likely suffer. Finally settled for the Ford Mondeo because it had excellent reviews and my (short) test drive seemed to corroborate most of the findings of the reviews on first pass. It has been 3 months now and I am quite happy with my choice. The Mondeo has quite good styling, is powerful (237bhp, 345 NM torque) which translates to effortless acceleration, has excellent ride and handling, and has reasonable interior build quality (although not as good as the Mazda 6). But I was disappointed with two things about the Mondeo: 1. Road Noise. All the international reviews I read about this latest model of the Ford Mondeo said it was a very quiet car with very low road and wind noise. In fact, one review said that "Noise suppression is also extremely good". So I was quite disappointed to find that the level of road noise was no better than an average 2.0L Japanese car. On smooth roads it is OK but on rougher bitumen roads and on highways, tire noise is quite noticeable and certainly not something I would classify as "Quiet". 2. Fuel consumption. The reviews did say that the Mondeo 2.0 turbo was a thirsty car but I did not expect it to be so thirsty. I have averaged around 15.0 - 15.5 litres per 100km over these past 3 months (mainly in city driving as I live on CBD fringe). This is very high by modern car standards. Apart from these two issues, however, I am quite happy with my Mondeo purchase. Just have to lower my expectations about road noise and fuel consumption!... Read More

I own a Mk 4 2011 EcoBoost 2 litre. In terms of driving enjoyment, it is the best car I have driven - better than Mazda 6 and Camry. I took it on a 2000++ km road trip up north. Excellent power on NSHW (eat 3 series for breakfast and on par with 5 series). Near silent below 120 km/h. Wind noise suddenly set in at about 125 km/h but could be due to the rain guards I installed. Very comfortable seats. I feel like I could drive 12 hours a day in it (caveat: I only went about 6-8 hours each day for 5 days). Good buy at the depreciation of Elantra/Cerato, cheaper than Altis!... Read More