A car for an oil baron??? (Ford Mondeo ST-200 Estate)

Member Name: FlashHeart

Product:	Ford Mondeo ST-200 Estate
Date:	11/02/03 (2979 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Acceleration, Anonymous looks?, Gadgets

Disadvantages: Economy, Build quality, Depreciation

Let me start by saying that I'm very lucky, privileged in fact, to have a company car. But before we go any further, I have to clarify this point. I'm lucky not simply because my motoring is pretty much paid for, but because if I'd spent my own money on this car, the Ford Mondeo 3.0 V6 ST220 Estate, I would have been very disappointed.

Ok, don't get me wrong, the car does have a lot going for it. The engine is sweet, the ride is competent for an estate, there's high levels of trim and lots of gadgets. For a £22.5K Ford, you'd expect lots of toys and a big engine, so you won't be disappointed - well by those features at least.

So let's start outside the car. As a styling exercise the Mondeo is never going to set your pulse racing. It's pleasant enough in saloon form, and they've done the best they can with this estate, but it's still "average". Ford can 'do styling', look at the Puma for example. But the Modeo Estate is just their usual clumsy addition of macho styling queues to an already average box. The 18" alloys look the part, but then they would on any car! There's not a lot else you can say about it externally.

Let's go inside! The (leather) seats are comfortable on both short and long journeys, although the adjusters could be better placed & easier to use. The dashboard, well it's the usual non-descript dark plastic affair (and it does look 'plastiky'), but Ford seem to think that dropping an oval clock on to it will do the trink. Really? All the switchgear is in the right places, and works well enough, but it all lacks a 'solid' feel. But that's expected in a Ford. The stereo is good, a nice sound despite a somewhat 'boomy' ride. Also, the steering wheel (adjustable of course), has a centre boss that's just plain ugly - but that's a matter of taste. Unfortunately, after three months the interior has started to creak
& groan, but it's not as bad as some Fords I've travelld in. As for the rear accomodation and load carrying, it's all functional (although the storage space for odds & ends is a bit lacking).

Faults so far? The car has been back to the dealer to deal with 1) A faulty warning light, 2) Non-functional passenger electric window, 3) re-fitting trim and 4) a squeal from the heater fan.

Enough of this. If you're spending your own money on an ST220 Estate, the space and interior probably isn't what's driving your choice - it's that 217bhp engine! So what's it like to drive?

Well remember, this is an estate. A load carrier. Unless you spend the kind of money they want for an RS6, you're always going to get a compromise. Mind you, at £22K, the ST220 isn't cheap. Through the gears, you'll reach 60mph in a little over 7s. I've timed myself (sad eh?), and the best was about 7.3s - it feels faster, but that's about it. However, as you race to 60mph, you'll be gripping the wheel with white knuckles, not necessarily through excitement but because torque steer is very much in evidence. (Many manufacturers have got away from this problem, but not so Ford). Onwards and upwards you are rewarded with plenty of shove, and this makes overtaking a breeze (although my neighbours Golf GTI TD 150 seems to have no trouble keeping up in the mid-range stakes). That aside, there's plenty to get you away from the lights, and from the army of reps in lesser Fords, Vauxhalls & Beemers out there!

Yes the tyres seem easily deflected by irregularities, and the ride can be a bit harsh and twitchy, but that's the trade off for this cars straight-line squirtability. On country roads & twisties, the bulk of the car doesn't inspire confidence, but then arguably you don't buy a fast Ford estate for chucking around lanes, you buy the Focus RS or a Scooby!

Ok let's sum up the good points.
the 0-60 dash is quick, there's lots of trim and gadgets, and it's able to lug kids and kit with ease. Styling, ride niggles and average Ford build quality I can live with. So why do I grumble about owning this car??

In a word (well two actually) running costs. Let's start with fuel consumption. Ford say this is a 35mpg car on the 'extra urban' cycle. Rubbish! Manufactureres always manage to quote figures that are achievable technically, but not in reality. 27mpg on a long run (and that's without flooring it everywhere) is poor. 22-24mpg is more like it, and filling up at 260/270 miles a tankful is common. Get heavy with the right foot and expect these figures to get worse! Even the wife's sedate driving doesn't improve matters - THIS CAR GUZZLES FUEL!

The next point doesn't worry me so much as a company car owner, but as a private buyer I'd be really scared. Residuals! The 2.5 V6 Ghia retails at £21.5K, and can be picked up for just £11K after a year. I don't expect this model to be any different, and the books all reckon that it'll retain a maximum of 40% of it's value after 3 years. That smarts! Couple that with a maximum service cost of £1723 (again, according to the book) and this all adds up to very expensive ownership!! For those sorts of running costs, you'd expect something far more exotic that a Ford Mondeo Estate.

So why am I smiling now? I'm handing this car on to a new colleague! He's only been with the company two weeks, but he's due a car and I kindly offered to hand mine over (evil grin). I've placed an order for an Audi A4 Avant 1.8T Quattro Sport. I took a 5hr test drive and Audi have got it so right compared with the Ford. Styling and quality will always be ahead of the Ford, but the Quattro's ride is superb. Performance is only slightly behind the Ford, but it's so much more useable, and I feel so much safer with my kids in the Audi. The
dealer is giving us a great deal, so the price comes in under what the Ford costs. Running costs too will be significantly lower, residuals are 61% after three years (compared to the Ford's 40%!!)

Don't get me wrong. I wanted to like the Ford, after all, I chose it in the first place! Sure it goes fast in a straight line, but Ford can't make an icon by dropping a large engine in, stiffening the suspension and throwing lots of gadgets in - that equation has been tried before, and failed.

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