Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi review

Your say

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 140 Titanium X Road Test

Test date 13 June 2007 Price as tested £23,395

For Handling and ride, sophisticated feel, quality, comfort

Against Unadventurous styling, touchy brakes, poor rear visibility

While premium family car ranges from BMW, Audi and Mercedes sell in ever greater numbers, sales of cheaper rivals from Ford and Vauxhall have been finding ever fewer buyers. But that doesn’t stop these brands from having repeated cracks at this shrinking market. The numbers are worth chasing if the investment is spread across multiple models and you can tempt premium buyers by offering well kitted cars developed to the point of offering irresistible value.

That’s the theory, at least. The new Ford Mondeo instantly offers value by providing more metal than your BMW 3-series as well as a level of finish, kit and sophistication that gets closer to what a BMW offers, for thousands less. It’s a combination that Ford hopes will at least allow the Mondeo to maintain its sales momentum, if not build on it.

The original Mondeo replaced Ford’s Sierra, whose Citroën-esque styling initially proved a sales deterrent. The Sierra’s advanced looks hid rear-drive underpinnings that Ford abandoned with the front-drive Mondeo, which was also intended as a world car.

It succeeded in Europe but not the US, despite gathering a fine reputation for handling, sophistication and convenience, if not style. The 2000 version was better looking and still more sophisticated, but never crossed the Atlantic, and neither will this 2007 edition, despite its greater size.