Read the full 4Car Road Test
2002 Top Ten position
All UK car sales: 8
Fleet car sales: 3
Family car
Introduced: 1993, major facelift 2000
Bodystyles: Four-door saloon, five-door hatchback, estate
Price band: £14,645-£22,745
NCAP crash test rating: 4
The Mondeo is...
consistently one of the best cars in its class, dynamically still one of the best mainstream models to drive, and all-round good value. Its biggest disadvantage is its Ford badge - it's not a prestige choice - but it's still smart and respectable, and comes in high-specification trims as well as standard repmobile spec. The estate is cavernous, and carries on the grand tradition of the much-loved Cortina and Granada estates as good old-fashioned, no-pretensions family transport. The quickest Mondeo is the ST220, though it's not an all-out Sierra Cosworth successor, and the TDCi diesels are strong, economical and torquey, if not as quiet and refined as the adverts claim. The Mondeo is the modern Cortina - a nation's favourite - but a lot more fun and much more comfortable.
For
Refinement, comfort, handling and driving dynamics, good standard safety kit.
Against
Mondeo Man/repmobile image, loads around, cabin quality not that great, high depreciation.
Sum-up
An extremely good car with only minor niggles, let down by its uninspired looks and its blue-collar badge.
Engines, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
Petrol:1.8i 16v (125bhp): 36.2mpg, 187g/km
2.0i 16v (145bhp): 31mpg, 192g/km
2.5i V6 24v (170bhp): 27.4mpg, 238g/km
ST220 2.9 V6 (226bhp: 27.7mpg, 245g/km
Diesels:2.0i 16v TDCi (115bhp): 37.7mpg, 152g/km
2.0i 16v TDCi (130bhp): 36.2mpg, 164g/km
Spec rundown
Entry-level LX versions have air conditioning, ABS, driver, passenger and side airbags, central locking and alarm, electric windows and mirrors and a CD player; ESP (electronic stability programme) is optional. Zetec and sportier-trimmed Zetec S models add alloy wheels. Ghia models have upgraded interior trim and Ghia X versions have leather seats, cruise control and an electric sunroof. ST220s have kit including electronic stability control, metallic paint, 18-inch alloy wheels, a full leather sports interior with Recaro front seats and a six-disc CD multi-changer, as well as a sports front grille, unique front and rear bumpers, a rear 'lip' spoiler and twin stainless steel exhaust pipes.
Market info
As the Mondeo is bought in huge numbers by company fleets, there's loads and loads around at the independent retailers, some with minimal mileage - no need to pay full new list price at a Ford dealer's. But by the same token, they don't hold their value very well, though the estates are popular amongst private family buyers. Look out for special offers from Ford though: dealers often do low-interest and 0 percent APR finance schemes, and recent special editions have included the Mistral (from £12,995).
