Ford Mondeo 3.0 Hatchback > Reviews (12)

After selling my Mazda RX8 last year due to high ownership costs and a few too many repairs, I was looking for bit of a compromise. I didn't have to look far.
A trip to my local Ford dealer and a test drive soon cleared the idea of any compromise. For a start there was the price, a pre-registered 07 plate with 15 miles on the clock and £10,000 off list price. It was a steal.
Running in took place over the next 3 weeks with a drive to Italy and back. 2,800 miles,averaging 31.5mpg and motorway cruising at about 80mph was pretty impressive. Even now it happily returns 27mpg under normal driving.
Performance wise it's a blast, the sound from that big 3.0 V6 as it revs effortlessly is fantastic and music to your ears. Admittedly the exhaust note could be a little more aggressive. The acceleration is good for a fairly big saloon and the top end is good too. Acceleration even in fifth or sixth gear is very rewarding.
Handling is good, but not the best(after the RX8 it would be difficult to better), there's just a bit too much body roll for my liking, but this is not a grip issue as the tyres are more than upto the job.
Talking of tyres, and the wheels. They do atract the wrong sort of attention. Only had the car three months and had all four wheels stolen(there must be money to be made in this line of work as they left some lovely brand new house bricks for my car to rest on). It's worth purchasing some high quality locking wheel nuts as the Ford ones are a bit poor.
Servicing can be done quite cheaply by taking it to an independant garage. As long as they fit genuine Ford parts it doesn't affect your warranty. I was a bit lucky here as my local Ford garage has just gone independant so the guys know their stuff. You'll still need to use an official Ford dealer for any warranty work.
The only downside is the car tax at £300 for the year, but on the other hand insurance is quite reasonable at around £370.

Overall this has been one of the best cars I' ve had. Extremely well specked with full leather, 6CD changer, electric front seats, air con, and cruise control to mention just a few of its many accessories. It really feels as if its built to last. The quick clear windscreen is worth the price of the car on its own, well almost.
If your looking for a good size family car with the thrill of a quick car then look no further.