Category: Large Family 
Price Range: No data available
Great drive, good quality, value for money, lots of luggage space.
Auto's low-speed clunkiness, poor fuel economy and emissions.
What the Estate lacks in cleverness it makes up for in space.
For a car that has, since 1993, sold itself on offering a class-best drive it would be a disaster if the new Mondeo's on-road abilities didn't at least match its previous incarnations. Thankfully, it does that and much more.
Like the saloon and hatch, the estate adopts the new wider-track chassis adopting the rear suspension from the much-praised S-Max. Both contribute to greater straight-ahead stability and superior grip levels through cornering.
For the estate version, Ford recommends ticking the option box for the Interactive Vehicle Dynamic Control (IVDC) and the Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD). Both are said to improve and maintain balanced handling no matter what load you're carrying. The dampers monitor and adjust every two-tenths of a second to reduce pitch and the chances of a skid.
Our car did without, instead coming with larger 18-inch wheels that still seemed lost in the Mondeo's huge wheelarches. Sport suspension (£150) was also fitted on our test car.
Thanks to the combined effort of bigger wheels and more tied-down suspension, body control is impressive and grip levels are high. There's little feedback coming through the steering wheel but it's accurate and keen on turn-in.
Our car had the 128bhp 2.0-litre turbo diesel mated to a six-speed automatic. The smooth diesel offers a wide spread of power and boasts 236Ib-ft of torque that peaks at a low 1,800rpm with a momentary 251Ib ft overboost function for overtaking. It's a fine engine offering a decent amount of thrust and will take the Estate to 62mph in 10.8 seconds and then all the way to a top speed of 121mph.
On the road the auto Mondeo doesn't feel quite so well sorted. The automatic gearbox blunts performance, while gearchanges are sometimes erratic and, at slow speeds, jerky. In manual mode it changes gear at the right moment, rather than shifting up too early. That's useful for towing and enthusiastic drivers, but we think it's worth waiting for the new dual clutch six-speed automated manual.
The Titanium X model we drove had the optional active cruise control that uses radar technology to maintain a distance with the car in front. In this application we found the Mondeo too easily upset by corners and passing vehicles, braking the car unnecessarily.
