New Mondeo anyone?

[BlackLS]

I wanna see someone do an E-series style auto to manual conversion on these cars.

[zetec]

Originally Posted by BlackLS

I wanna see someone do an E-series style auto to manual conversion on these cars.

In about 2,000 years when they're used, dumped on superlows and have fully hectic sounds systems in them, they'll be available on the used market.

[Piotr]

Does anyone know the towing capacity on the mondeo?

[Whopper]

G'day All,

I was at first dissapointed by the only auto option for the Mondeo, except for the XR5. But, after looking at Ford UK and another European Ford website, it showed they too only use the 6sp auto for the 2.3l and 2.0l diesel. So, it's engine related and not Ford Oz. Now, my only complaint is that there is no wagon option!(yet!).

Regards,

Rob

[Mick K.]

Originally Posted by Whopper

G'day All,

I was at first dissapointed by the only auto option for the Mondeo, except for the XR5. But, after looking at Ford UK and another European Ford website, it showed they too only use the 6sp auto for the 2.3l and 2.0l diesel. So, it's engine related and not Ford Oz. Now, my only complaint is that there is no wagon option!(yet!).

Regards,

Rob

Not sure about that - http://www.ford.co.uk/spg/images/3_2...ist_011007.pdf says there is a manual for each model and each engine spec. Given that harly anyone drives autos in UK / europe, not surprising.

MK

[Whopper]

Originally Posted by Mick K.

Not sure about that - http://www.ford.co.uk/spg/images/3_2...ist_011007.pdf says there is a manual for each model and each engine spec. Given that harly anyone drives autos in UK / europe, not surprising.

MK

Not according to this:

1.6 Duratec 110ps, Durashift 5-Speed Manual
1.6 Duratec 125ps, Durashift 5-Speed Manual
2.0 Duratec 145ps, Durashift 5-Speed Manual
2.3 Duratec 161ps, Auto (6 Speed)
2.5 Duratec 220ps, Durashift 6-Speed Manual
1.8 Duratorq TDCi 100ps, Durashift 5-Speed Manual
1.8 Duratorq TDCi 125ps, Durashift 5-Speed Manual
1.8 Duratorq TDCi 125ps, Durashift 6-Speed Manual
2.0 Duratorq TDCi 130ps, Auto (6 Speed)
2.0 Duratorq TDCi 140ps, Durashift 6-Speed Manual

The 2.5, 2.3 Petrol and the 2.0 130PS Diesel are the engine choices for Oz.

Regards,

Rob

[phoonfan]

Originally Posted by Piotr

Does anyone know the towing capacity on the mondeo?

Towing capacity is 1600kg (braked) for the diesel and XR5

1200kg (braked)for the petrol models.

[Piotr]

Im 99% sure the 2L diesel has a manual box, it has 103kw or something though

[csv8]

I prefer an auto in the city, you just concentrate on driving. Not worrying about what gear you are in. Just steer and drive. If you live inthe country, manuals are ok.
When the Mondeo is a sales success, the manual will come in. But I would have thought the base Mondeo would have been a manual with auto option. The ZETEC auto with manual option. I am going to FORDS Mondeo test drive this saturday.

[Noddy]

Originally Posted by csv8

I prefer an auto in the city, you just concentrate on driving. Not worrying about what gear you are in. Just steer and drive. If you live inthe country, manuals are ok.
When the Mondeo is a sales success, the manual will come in. But I would have thought the base Mondeo would have been a manual with auto option. The ZETEC auto with manual option. I am going to FORDS Mondeo test drive this saturday.

Where is the Mondeo test day you speak of??

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by Noddy

Where is the Mondeo test day you speak of??

Hey noddy i am going to the brissy mondeo preview test drive from ford on saturday, its at victoria park golf course, same as csv8 i assume. I was signed up on the mondeo minisite for info about mondeo from day one (big fan of all euro fords) and got an email a couple of weeks ago offering me a preview drive - rang ford and got allocated this saturday.

Probably be the youngest guy there at only 22 but my dad and a few other people i know are seriously interested in one - given he is from far north of the state - lord knows when they will ever get one to test drive up in those boonies

Anyway hoping it is going to be useful since while i am a falcon man unlike some others it seems i'm not really worried about the whole 'mondeo stealing falcon sales' thing - ford only reckon 500 or so a month, so how big a dint could it really make in falcon sales anyway. Besides, that is really a different type of buyer. Just means ford will have to really deliver on orion to make an equally good proposition for large car buyers- and so they should! :

Anyway, if i can find the time i might post a bit of an amateurs opinion on the car after the drive if anyone is interested.

[Polyal]

Originally Posted by Mick K.

Not sure about that - http://www.ford.co.uk/spg/images/3_2...ist_011007.pdf says there is a manual for each model and each engine spec. Given that harly anyone drives autos in UK / europe, not surprising.

MK

Yeap...of course there is a manual option on all of them, its a European car! Most of them are not lazy fat a$re aussie/americans.

Anyway, they had better come out soon enough, I cant see the reason for waiting as its hardly a meal ticket for them.

[ajay1940]

Ordered my TDCI hatch in Tonic today. Can't wait.

[Noddy]

Originally Posted by ajay1940

Ordered my TDCI hatch in Tonic today. Can't wait.

What sort of delivery time did they quote you and if you don't mind me asking what did it roughly end up costing on the road?

[ajay1940]

Originally Posted by Noddy

What sort of delivery time did they quote you and if you don't mind me asking what did it roughly end up costing on the road?

A couple of weeks, $42,000 with tow bar, carpets etc. Which is a fair bit less than I paid for my Liberty 4 years ago.

[winkle]

Saw a TDCI in the dealership this morning in Ballarat. This was a silver hatch with the auto box. A beautiful car to look at, both internally and externally. The hatch has an absolutely huge boot.

All in all, a very impressive looking car. Might take it for a spin in the next few weeks - my sales guy offered to make a test drive booking even though he knows I won't buy one (the Territory is only 8 months old). Ford are apparently very keen to get people into the vehicle and talking about it.

[MAGPIE]

Originally Posted by winkle

The hatch has an absolutely huge boot.

All variants have massive boots, bigger than B series Falcons

[davocol]

That is fantastic news, always good to hear when the blue oval is doing well. I might come down in few weeks to take a diesel for a spin, more than likely will be my next car. Looking forward to it.

[Polyal]

Thats great to hear, hope its the same around the other dealerships. It would be fantastic for this to go well, Ford need it and the Mondeo deserves it.

[csv8]

Swordsman88 Yes it is me, at the FORD Mondeo preview. The TDCI is awesome !! plenty of get up and go, would give my V8 a run. You can hardly tell its a diesel. The diesel noise is there, but not annoying. It drives, steers and brakes very well. The fit and finish is BMW class. Definetly on my shopping list. FORD should sell a shipload(s) of MONDEO's, if not thier marketing dept deserves the boot.
If Ford can build the ORION to the same level as the MONDEO then FORD are back big time. FORD MARKETTING PLEASE DON'T STUFF UP A GREAT CAR!!!!!!!!!!!

[kocho]

Went and had a look and I'm very impressed. Extremely well finished, quite big inside (Falcon like leg room), looks great from the outside aswell, dont like the dash that much though.

Overall, very impressive. Clean lines etc etc.

Worth a look.

[Swordsman88]

Originally Posted by csv8

Swordsman88 Yes it is me, at the FORD Mondeo preview. The TDCI is awesome !! plenty of get up and go, would give my V8 a run. You can hardly tell its a diesel. The diesel noise is there, but not annoying. It drives, steers and brakes very well. The fit and finish is BMW class. Definetly on my shopping list. FORD should sell a shipload(s) of MONDEO's, if not thier marketing dept deserves the boot.
If Ford can build the ORION to the same level as the MONDEO then FORD are back big time. FORD MARKETTING PLEASE DON'T STUFF UP A GREAT CAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Couldn't agree more csv8!

Just got back from the test drive boys and girls and OMFG! A mate and myself had a descent fang in a tdci for a bit over an hour - and boy does she go! I had previously driven the focus diesel (same engine though manual) and knew it had power and bucketloads of torque, but was a bit worried in the much heavier mondeo it would be blunted - well it is but not much. I turned up in my humble EF and i can say the diesel would be right with me by the feel of it.

Very well built, tonnes of kit and very easy to use. In the flesh it is even hotter than in the photos, and the rear end looks great (wasn't sold on if rom the photos). Got heaps of looks from the general public, probably wondering what a bum like me was doing in such a hot car! Very solid feeling car, heavy doors etc. and very stiff chassis by the feel of it. Smart touches in design in many places, very comfy seats/easilly adjustable driving position and plenty of room (HUGE front leg room for the driver), with big boot.

I took the car up Mt Cootha area of Brisbane with some windy stuff and hills, and despite the presence of some cops with a radar gun and slow people (one in a white camry - talk abou irony!), was able to find some room to give her a fang. Diesel overtakes like a petrol falcon, and pulled myself, my mate and the dude from ford (we must have weighed at least 1.8 tonnes all up) straight up Cootha with ease - hit 90 km/h before i knew it, lucky i slowed down, cops right around the corner in a 50 zone! :

Stearing is heavier than falcon but great feel with no kickback at all, will weight up a bit when hard acceleration but no torque steer to speak off. Very quiet in side with some tyre roar on really rough surfaces, bit of diesel sound at idle but less than the focus, nice smooth meaty petrol-like sound under acceleration. Great ride with only a 'thunk' sound from things like cat's eyes etc. Auto is great, very smooth though best in 'sport' mode to get good performance where holds gears longer etc. - manual mode works in right direction, and holds at ludicrous RPM, quick shits too (not quite as fast as ZF in falcon, but close). When pushed the front will 'push' wide as the tyres give up, but very neutral and takes very high cornering speeds to get this to happen, will actually do a nice slight 'tail waggle' oversteer effects on the exit. Despite my best efforts never saw the DSC light come on or felt it at all. Brakes are good, much better bite than local stuff and good feel.

Bad stuff - ah - convex driver side mirror annoying, rear visibility in hatch so-so, drive-by-wire throttle plus diesel engine can make initial progress seem doughy especially in normal auto mode - ah - that's it! Oh, and its hard to get your hands on one up here - dealer i went with just got his first demo today! (getting only XR5 IN QUEENSLAND when it arrives - it is still in Genk, Belgium!! Ford supply = : )

So, short answer - HUGE win for ford. I've driven the accord euro, and while it is probably faster you'd hardly notice. Doesn't handle as well or is nearly as big. Until the new euro/mazda 6 launch i would say best medium car by far. Still can't get over how solid and stable it felt - like a bank vault. I said it wouldn't poach falcon sales and i stand by it, since they are in different classes, but if you want to know the best car ford sells in australia -THIS IS IT! :

[autolover08]

Originally Posted by Swordsman88

Couldn't agree more csv8!

Just got back from the test drive boys and girls and OMFG! A mate and myself had a descent fang in a tdci for a bit over an hour - and boy does she go! I had previously driven the focus diesel (same engine though manual) and knew it had power and bucketloads of torque, but was a bit worried in the much heavier mondeo it would be blunted - well it is but not much. I turned up in my humble EF and i can say the diesel would be right with me by the feel of it.

Very well built, tonnes of kit and very easy to use. In the flesh it is even hotter than in the photos, and the rear end looks great (wasn't sold on if rom the photos). Got heaps of looks from the general public, probably wondering what a bum like me was doing in such a hot car! Very solid feeling car, heavy doors etc. and very stiff chassis by the feel of it. Smart touches in design in many places, very comfy seats/easilly adjustable driving position and plenty of room (HUGE front leg room for the driver), with big boot.

I took the car up Mt Cootha area of Brisbane with some windy stuff and hills, and despite the presence of some cops with a radar gun and slow people (one in a white camry - talk abou irony!), was able to find some room to give her a fang. Diesel overtakes like a petrol falcon, and pulled myself, my mate and the dude from ford (we must have weighed at least 1.8 tonnes all up) straight up Cootha with ease - hit 90 km/h before i knew it, lucky i slowed down, cops right around the corner in a 50 zone! :

Stearing is heavier than falcon but great feel with no kickback at all, will weight up a bit when hard acceleration but no torque steer to speak off. Very quiet in side with some tyre roar on really rough surfaces, bit of diesel sound at idle but less than the focus, nice smooth meaty petrol-like sound under acceleration. Great ride with only a 'thunk' sound from things like cat's eyes etc. Auto is great, very smooth though best in 'sport' mode to get good performance where holds gears longer etc. - manual mode works in right direction, and holds at ludicrous RPM, quick shits too (not quite as fast as ZF in falcon, but close). When pushed the front will 'push' wide as the tyres give up, but very neutral and takes very high cornering speeds to get this to happen, will actually do a nice slight 'tail waggle' oversteer effects on the exit. Despite my best efforts never saw the DSC light come on or felt it at all. Brakes are good, much better bite than local stuff and good feel.

Bad stuff - ah - convex driver side mirror annoying, rear visibility in hatch so-so, drive-by-wire throttle plus diesel engine can make initial progress seem doughy especially in normal auto mode - ah - that's it! Oh, and its hard to get your hands on one up here - dealer i went with just got his first demo today! (getting only XR5 IN QUEENSLAND when it arrives - it is still in Genk, Belgium!! Ford supply = : )

So, short answer - HUGE win for ford. I've driven the accord euro, and while it is probably faster you'd hardly notice. Doesn't handle as well or is nearly as big. Until the new euro/mazda 6 launch i would say best medium car by far. Still can't get over how solid and stable it felt - like a bank vault. I said it wouldn't poach falcon sales and i stand by it, since they are in different classes, but if you want to know the best car ford sells in australia -THIS IS IT! :

I totally agree with you.
From the time i got to have a good touch and feel of the new mondeo, this car should easily be the new class leader until the new Mazda 6 arrives.
The quality of the interior was a huge shock for me, soft touch materials are used all the way down the centre console and the feel of the leather seats and trim was great.
The size of the hatch was massive!
I'd have to take the diesel though, the base 4cyl just doesn't have enough guts for me and as much as i like the XR5, i want good launch feel with better fuel consumption.
The styling theme is conveyed much better in the flesh than any pictures and it has great detailing, something thats missing on the bland, slab sided VE commodore.
Ford Australia has done a very good thing by importing this vehicle.
In my opinion next years orion falcon will have to be a very good thing to compete even with the mondeo!

[csv8]

Swordsman88. I agree with you, the mirrors are strange at first,but you get used to them. Throttle seemed normal then I also have a FIESTA which has drive by wire throttle,so maybe used to it. No ,car is brilliant !!! Cann't wait for Wheels comparo with EPICA, betcha WHEELS says EPICA is better !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! did you get a free cap and beer ?

[Swordsman88]

Got the cap and a brochure - no bloody beer! :

Stingy buggers - maybe they ran out, i was at 4.00 pm!

As for the doughy throttle - am used to more conventional throttles but had no problem with the falcon electric throttle. Think it is moreso that response from petrols is better initially, had the same problem with the focus diesel - blamed that on throttle calibration but may just be the engine. Either way, i got the hang of it in no time so shouldn't have really complained - but i had to find something right!

All round though bloody hard car to fault i'm sure you woudl agree.

[jweb]

Originally Posted by csv8

Swordsman88. I agree with you, the mirrors are strange at first,but you get used to them. Throttle seemed normal then I also have a FIESTA which has drive by wire throttle,so maybe used to it. No ,car is brilliant !!! Cann't wait for Wheels comparo with EPICA, betcha WHEELS says EPICA is better !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! did you get a free cap and beer ?

The EPICA IS :togo: ,Enough said .But then again Wheels and Holden are :

[csv8]

Missus and I were there at 12 noon .FORD had a tab at the at bar and you could order a beer or 2 plus nibblies. DENMAC has 3 TCDI's in stock. one is silver colour and the other two are Thunder. Talking finance monday. We weren't thinking of changing from our AU3 Fairmont V8, but the MONDEO TCDI just blew the missus and I away. TCDI with leather,mud spats is $43650 drive away. Ambition is also a cool colour, we are looking at. FORD have a winner on there hands, as I said watch marketting stuff it up !!! Current Fiesta/Focus ad campaign is a shocker.

[BammasAUIIIXR8]

It's time for me to eat some of my words !!!

I questioned the extra expense of the diesel but I have just test driven one and am very impressed.

I still say that no-one should buy one based on the money they will save on fuel, but the drivability of the diesel with the 6 speed auto is outstanding. The gearbox is a gorgeous bit of kit and changes are indiscernible - whether in auto or manual mode.

The accelerator takes a little getting used to due to it's delay in action but this would be on of the few issues that I had.

Unfortunately, due to the wet roads, I didn't get to fang it too much but it was very capable for what driving I did. I managed to get the DSC to kick in once which left me in no doubt that the car was always under control.

The suspension was supple without being floaty and even my mate (the Jaguar Club representative) was very impressed.

I really wanted a wagon but feel that the room in the hatch is big enough.

The only problem now is choosing a colour - although I would still like to take an XR5 for a drive. I just have to keep remembering it's not for me so it doesn't need to be fast !!!

Peter R

[Swordsman88]

Good to see some others thought the mondeo was great! The interior really is a highlight i would agree autolover08 - and it 'feels' even better. When i first got in it took a while to adjust to the different location of everything and the numerous buttons the wheel was surprising but after a quick review of everything i grabbed the hand break to get going and was shocked of the feel of that alone! How come all cars don't have such a tactile handbreak that is grippy yet soft at the same time! I noticed later the inside of the seatbelt heads have a carpet like stuff on them to stop them scratching the centre console - smart. This is all a bit silly i know but it all adds up.

The car looks hot too - much better in the flesh which i always think is a good thing. If orion looks anywhere as hot as this car then 'move over VE'! :

Peter as i noted above i also noticed the delay in the accelerator, got used to it after a while. Shame your drive day was wet - mine was dry so i gave it a fang all right - at least you managed to engage DSC - i lacked the cahoones in the dry to engage it, at least as far as i could tell. Did a light or something come on and was it agressive/noticeable when it was activated?

Also, agree with you both that the diesel is worth the money, stuff the fuel saving for the drive. It pulls like the proverbial train!

[jweb]

Just received a copy of the New Mondeo Brochure,and let me tell you it is a bit strange at first.The brochure tells stories of golf etc and then introduces the Car's Features which are relevant to the story/example given.It is effective,but at first it catches you of guard because it seems a little bit unorthodox,There is talk about ministroni in the Brochure too .
The colours available are spectacular especially the light blue and tango red.There is a rear view of the car that sits inconqurously with its surroundings and seems obvious that it has been computer enhanced near the tail line and boot line,just above the Rear bumper.