[X-Machine]

Hey fellas,
One of my best friend recently touched the indian shores after a gap of 4 years and is on a lookout for a brand new car.He presently owns a City 1.5exi which he plans on replacing.After a lot of budget trimming he has short-listed on the Skoda RS or the new Mondeo.His requirements are:
1. Comfort : He is really keen on that.
2. FE : Daily travel will be from Worli(residence) to Andheri(office) and back.So take that around 60kms a day.
3. Power : He needs a peppy and a fast car,but no engine tuning at all.
4. Looks : One of the main criteria's.

He only wants a black car and does'nt want to compromise on it for any other color.The RS and Mondeo both look gorgeous in black.But the question is which one is a sensible investment.Is it worth buying the new Mondeo???
Or is the RS still the best as far as VFM is concerned.
I love both the cars but dont know which one to suggest.Infact the RS has some upperhand due to the FE factor.
Please give your inputs guys as he has to book the car by next week.
Thanks.

X

[Sahil]

I'd pick the RS.
It beats the mondeo most of the criteria's u mentioned besides the comfort. The mondeo is more comfy as the RS has sports seats and the octavia is non for its bad rear leg room which still persists in the RS.The feel of a turbo charger isnt something that mondeo can match up to. But if i were in his place... i would rather get an automatic accord (v6 if his budget permits or else the regular 4cyl) the reason i would pick an auto accord is coz he seems to be driving quite abit. If he has a driver to take him to office everday then its a diff story but if its self driven an auto is a boon in mumbai traffic.

[zulfikar]

i would perfer Mondeo any day...
it looks Royal and Classy...

[islero]

Both the cars have firm rides, but I still would pick the Mondeo.

If he gives power the maximum priority, then its the RS.

But since he dosent, its the Mondeo.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by X-Machine

1. Comfort : He is really keen on that.
2. FE : Daily travel will be from Worli(residence) to Andheri(office) and back.So take that around 60kms a day.
3. Power : He needs a peppy and a fast car,but no engine tuning at all.
4. Looks : One of the main criteria's.

The Mondy is a bigger car than the Octy and therefore in a different segment altogether.

Comfort: I dont know about the RS's ride, but the Mondy's ride is pretty harsh on anything but first class roads. It lets you know every little undulation on the road, and on concrete roads it will let you know EVERY little spacer on the way. That way its pretty irritating.

That said, the Mondy is much more spacious than ANY Octavia, the seats are among the best I've put my backside on - the lower back support is excellent - even in the backseats and there's very little to find fault with those seats.

I like black interiors, so I kinda like the Mondy's interiors even if isnt what you might call inspiring. Music system control from the steering stalk is a nice touch when you're driving and you want to shift channels or change the disc.


FE: I get about 10 on my Mondy here - a full tank lasts about 500km.

Power: The Mondy is very peppy, and since your friend is not bothered about engine tuning his need is for a standard car thats fast. The Mondy will do nicely here - no turbochargers messing around here.

Looks: Always liked the Mondy for its understated looks. At least it looks like a car as opposed to the Accord and the Camry which cant decide where they want to be.


Now the bad parts:

1. The suspension of the Mondy may give you trouble. Being a CBU, the trouble will be expensive to repair. However, I think the Skoda's spares are much more expensive.

2. The Mondy's fuel injectors are sometimes troublesome. With the quality of fuel you get back home, anything is possible.

3. Ford hasnt pushed the Mondeo well in India and it has sold in very few numbers. Local spares is almost nil since the car is manufactured in Belgium, and you will therefore pay through your nose for spares. I also dont think Ford have done any 'localisation' for the Mondy to cater for our conditions - its the same model thats shipped to other parts of the world.


I dont know much about the RS, but I do know that Skoda repairs or service is expensive. Sometimes you have to wait a couple of weeks or more for certain parts - from my cousin's experience this can go up to 1 month.

I would still recommend the Mondy between the two, but perhaps your friend should also looks at other options in the market before deciding. The Camry is extremely comfortable, powerful, fuel efficient but looks unusual. The Accord is probably his best bet.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

3. Ford hasnt pushed the Mondeo well in India and it has sold in very few numbers. Local spares is almost nil since the car is manufactured in Belgium, and you will therefore pay through your nose for spares. I also dont think Ford have done any 'localisation' for the Mondy to cater for our conditions - its the same model thats shipped to other parts of the world.

.

The older zetec mondyshave a chance as the zetec engine is in the Fusion but do you see Fusions ?

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by ajmat

The older zetec mondyshave a chance as the zetec engine is in the Fusion but do you see Fusions ?

??? I didnt quite get you

[normally_crazy]

Originally Posted by X-Machine

His requirements are:
1. Comfort : He is really keen on that.
2. FE : Daily travel will be from Worli(residence) to Andheri(office) and back.So take that around 60kms a day.
3. Power : He needs a peppy and a fast car,but no engine tuning at all.
4. Looks : One of the main criteria's.

Here are my answers ....as per the reqs

1) Mondeo - coz from question 3 im assuming he will be driving.

2) FE - Skoda

3) Power - Skoda has a wee bit more , mondy is 143 , RS is 150 bhp

4) Looks - Mondeo by the smallest possible whisker wins here


The Mondeo has pathetic ground clearance. Scrapes the smallest of speed breakers even with 3 people aboard. Skoda service is a bit expensive. Ride quality of the RS is slightly better than the Mondy while the rear seat space is better in the Mondy.

But as Steeroid says , both cars are from different segments. The Mondy a class bigger but.....if u really would ask me ...for the answer to question no 2 - where will the guy be able to drive a fast peppy car on that route ??

better still ask him to get a Skoda RS as a weekend car and get a nice small car like a Santro Automatic for the route from Worli - Andheri.

But if he wants to choose from the RS and the Mondy,

I say the Skoda RS, but remember the RS wont be even half as involving to drive as the Mondeo. The drivers seat in the Mondeo is a fantastic place to be in and that steering is the best i have ever seen. The Rs has better power.

Its your and his call now. Do test drive both cars on crowded roads and then decide .....

cheers

and yeah do let us know what you ultimately get.

[jesal]

would be interesting if it was the old mondeo and the RS. but its this so i pick the rs anyday. mondeo is too boring now with many feature cuts

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by jesal

would be interesting if it was the old mondeo and the RS. but its this so i pick the rs anyday. mondeo is too boring now with many feature cuts

As far as I know our older and newer Mondys are the same. The only visible diff is in the grille and in some of the features, but those are too minor to merit a discussion. And Mondys never had the Zetec engines - they always came with Duratec or Duratorq.

[navin]

mondeo is more in the class of accord and camry. the RS competes in size against the corolla, (and to a lesser extent) sonata and optra.

[GTO]

You havent mentioned whether the car will be chauffeur driven or self. But if its on the back seat, I dont want to be in a Mondeo or the Skoda for 60 city kms every day. The Accord fits the bill best.

Self driven - The RS anyday.

GTO

[GTO]

And yes, I do think the Mondeo is quite over-rated by some enthusiasts.

GTO

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by GTO

And yes, I do think the Mondeo is quite over-rated by some enthusiasts.

GTO

I completly well said

[jesal]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

As far as I know our older and newer Mondys are the same. The only visible diff is in the grille and in some of the features, but those are too minor to merit a discussion. And Mondys never had the Zetec engines - they always came with Duratec or Duratorq.

the xenons my friend the main thing i simply loved the lights thats what made it stand apart from the normal 20 lak cars a lot. some other changes as well. self driven yes the RS and with a driver a money but then again i hate drivers