Give me a Ford over a BMW any day, argues Ben Whitworth
Much to my disappointment, my eldest brother doesn’t give a damn about cars. ‘They’re just tools, something to get you from A to B,’ he says flatly. ‘Nothing more.’ He drives a Mondeo. Before that he drove a Ford Probe. I rest my case. But the irony of his current choice of wheels is not lost on me. It may be the automotive equivalent of a fridge, but he’s driving a superb car.
The Mondeo is one of my favourite cars. I’m as tweaked up about the new one we’ve just driven as I am about any new Ferrari or Porsche. Honestly. The current Mondeo is a wonderfully complete bit of kit. Spacious, well built, soberly styled, and with plenty of safety and luxury kit for the money. But the clincher comes from behind the wheel. It rides and handles better than any of its rivals and with enough athleticism and poise to make models wearing far more prestigious badges feel like flatfooted dullards.
The firmly damped ride is wonderfully composed, the steering is accurate and feelsome, the chassis always alert and agile and the drivetrain – either the eager petrols or refined diesels – ever keen to play. All good in isolation, but the Mondeo’s trick is the way it dovetails these parts together to deliver something far better than expected – a car with real integrity and ability. Far more than you’d expect from a Ford.
And that’s its problem. Despite the BMW 3-series out-selling the Mondeo, having a blue-collar badge is an immediate turn-off for an increasing number of drivers who put car-park kudos first and driver appeal a distant second. Me, I’d rather have the formidable and fully-loaded ST220 diesel on my driveway – box fresh for £17,000 after a decent haggle at the local car supermarket – than an entry-level BMW 318d (£23,070) Mercedes C200 CDI (£24,555) or an Audi A4 1.9 TDI (£21,435).
Better-looking, better to drive, better equipped. And residuals? Sure, the Mondeo will never be able to hang onto its value with the tenacity displayed by the Germans, but with at least £4000 spare change in your pocket, you get a year’s free motoring.