30th May 2007, 22:19
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| Team-BHP Support  | Ford Mondeo 1.8 Edge Hatch Fab car to drive! A real drivers car!! Almost as good as a BMW!!! Ford are really going places!!!!  This is the press going gung ho about the Ford Mondeo Having had a lot of fun with Ford Focus’s (Focii?), I decided that I would go for a Mondeo this time around. Have always lusted at the Mondy over here, the low profile tyres and minimal looks have some appeal. Test route – Around Manchester and the Yorkshire Dales, then down to London and Kent via the Midlands. Almost the same route covered last time in the X5. Total miles covered – 600miles Picked her up from the airport. Somehow it looked dull. The tyres are a higher profile and the chrome bits made it look chintzy. Opened door and sat inside and got familiar. Driving position was spot on. The so called “Passat” beating interior was bleak – black everywhere, a whiff of eau de plastic coupled with the odour of citron de la rentacar (lemon deodorizer) permeated all over. Got familiar with the controls. The tactility was not there and I somehow did not think that the interior would last in India or any rough terrain. Snicked it into gear, no problem and took off back home. Car was easy to drive – it’s a ford!!!!! I was not pushing it until I was totally familiar. Also the “calling’ was not there !!! “Calling”? – yep, the minute you drive the Focus, it begged to be pushed, yanked and spanked. The Mondy – was a docile big brother - it begged for nothing. Picked up the women and drove to see a friend in the Yorkshire Dales – wonderful roads where I used to push my Peugeot and the occasional borrowed MR2. The X5 attacked with a lot of vertical mounted gusto. The Mondeo merely followed the line. My daughter remarked that I was not driving my normal style, and asked whether something was wrong? On the motorway, it cruised well. Overall returned 32 mpg. It was comfortable but a little soft for my liking. Steering is predictable but feedback was a bit off. Great boot – it took swallowed our luggage with ease. Performance was leisurely, the 1.8 Zetec was adequate, sound was not that inspiring. Handling wise, it held on but it had to work hard following a dotty old lady in a 10 year old Focus estate driving on narrow Kent roads. It barely kept up. Brakes were sufficient. There you have it, an well honed package for someone with average demands. It is not special as they say it is. Now I understand Steeroid’s perspective on his Mondeo. It can’t cut the mustard in a challenging situation or condition If so, the UK Police would be using Mondy ST24’s, instead, they used BMW 530’s (in London) and some Mercs!!! |
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30th May 2007, 22:54
| #2 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 453
Thanked: 22 Times
| Shame on you Ajmat for getting me all excited. I read Mondeo and New Indian Car Test Drives and was ready to call the Ford Dealer in India a place an order for a fully loaded baby blue exterior and tan interior.  In all seriousness, try and see if you can check out the NEW Mondeo MKIV in the UK. Those interioirs / exterior / prfromance and appeal will blow every Passat / Camry / Honda / Citroen and what have you out of the water. |
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30th May 2007, 23:04
| #3 | |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A
Posts: 7,046
Thanked: 2,751 Times
| Quote:
The Mondeo is a very ordinary car that was glorified by the Indian Automotive presswallahs. They made it sound like it was some kind of ultimate supercar. They raved about the diesel as though it were manna from heaven, and then people that bought the diesel found themselves saddled with troublesome motors that they couldnt find spares for, and if they did it cost half the car. The petrol motor however was reliable (fuel pump aside), but noisy. The FI pump would develop a whine every now and then, too. So the Autojournos called it 'nice and rorty'. They didnt have to spend hours listening to the 'rortiness', I'm sure. I had a Mondeo in Dubai when I blew up my money on a &(@*#)@!*& Alfa Romeo and couldnt afford another new car within 10 months. It did its job without complaining. The seats were fantastic as was the driving position. That was about it, but that was all I expected from it in a time when I spent hardly 8 days a month in DXB. After those two experiences, my Chevy and my Tata have only exceeded expectations. It is, and will always remain - a repmobile. Long live Chevrolet! PS: Ajmat - you should've taken the 2.0 at the least. It was the best motor in the range, even though there was a more powerful 2.4 and even a 3.0. Last edited by Steeroid : 30th May 2007 at 23:10. | |
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31st May 2007, 00:15
| #4 |
| BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 453
Thanked: 22 Times
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31st May 2007, 00:56
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| Senior - BHPian  | Quote:
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31st May 2007, 16:02
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1st June 2007, 02:19
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| Senior - BHPian  | |
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1st June 2007, 08:35
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| Team-BHP Support | Quote:
I think the duratec engine ain't as fun as the Zetec one, I found the focus a really hard car to beat, build quality aside. Funny enough, that 150 bhp car came out much before the previous generation Mondy did !!! | |
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1st June 2007, 10:26
| #9 |
| BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Pune
Posts: 166
Thanked: 5 Times
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1st June 2007, 13:35
| #10 |
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1st June 2007, 16:09
| #11 | |
| BHPian  | Quote:
Even the sales guys at the Ford service stations swear by the Mondeo. I love its looks. Last edited by RacingForIndia : 1st June 2007 at 16:25. Reason: Spelling mistakes and text additions (IN BOLD) | |
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1st June 2007, 16:33
| #12 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: unknown
Posts: 465
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