thinking of Mondeo wagon

irsa76 · 12-12-2010, 04:06 PM

OK, currently I have a Rav4 which does it's job well. Except we don't use it to it's full abilities and the wife can't use it for work as it's too tall. So I'm thinking about replacing it in the next year with a normal wagon. Unless Ford brings out an FG wagon the Mondeo wagon is on the list, well it's actually on the list what ever happens. My question is, does anyone have REAL WORLD experience with the Mondeo wagon, I'd be looking at the upper 2 specs with Diesel . Useage will be around town hauling 2 kids and a very big dog everyso often with some long trips as well.

AlanD · 12-12-2010, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irsa76

OK, currently I have a Rav4 which does it's job well. Except we don't use it to it's full abilities and the wife can't use it for work as it's too tall. So I'm thinking about replacing it in the next year with a normal wagon. Unless Ford brings out an FG wagon the Mondeo wagon is on the list, well it's actually on the list what ever happens. My question is, does anyone have REAL WORLD experience with the Mondeo wagon, I'd be looking at the upper 2 specs with Diesel . Useage will be around town hauling 2 kids and a very big dog everyso often with some long trips as well.

Hi irsa76, and welcome to this bit of the forum.

Can only comment based on 6 days with a diesel mk3 Mondeo wagon in the UK a couple of years ago. Impressed us sufficiently that we now use a mk4 sedan as our primary transport - returned an economy figure of 5.6 l/100km. I'm not sure why Oz uses the MA. MB, MC model descriptors, in the UK the MA and MB are mk4 Mondeos.

I think you will be waiting a while for a G series wagon as the falcon wagon seems to have been eliminated from the model line up at about the same time as the Fairlane met its end. Probably something to do with the long wheelbase models being financially uneconomical.

But recent use of a current Falcon XR6 allowed us to compare the MA Mondeo with the Falcon. The Mondeo won (subjectively) but not by much. If the Falcon had a diesel engine it would have been very close.

I would expect you will be happy with a Mondeo wagon, but there are other makes to consider. eg the Skoda Octavio (?) wagon took out the Motoring Clubs" (RACV, NRMA etc) medium car of the year award this year. Also 13 of the 19 categories were won by diesel engined cars.

Good luck with the purchase.

Cheers

jellybaby · 12-12-2010, 08:44 PM

We purchased an MB Mondeo petrol wagon 4 months ago. We went on a trip to Adelaide from Bendigo with 3 adults and two big teenage boys and 2 small dogs in the back.We also had one huge suitcase and a couple of smaller bags and an esky.Was a bit tight in the rear for the dogs but they had enough room to lie down without being on top of each other. The car went really well. Not really sure of the milage but I know we filled the car up when we left Bendigo and when we reached Adelaide the gauge showed we could travel another 180 km til empty. We used cruise control all the way and sat on the limit all the way. It went fantastically. Bad luck the kids werent as well behaved!!

RicOz · 13-12-2010, 10:36 AM

Firstly, for actual size, Mondeo is definately NOT a medium sized car, it has heaps of space in the back and in the boot. I have 1 baby seat and 1 booster seat and they fit in fine, however a third baby seat would be a bit of a squeeze. Penty of legroom in the back for older kids and not sure how big your dog is but I'd say they would be heaps of room in the boot.

Secondly, Mondeo drives really well, great handling, smooth and pretty quiet for road noise. I have a petrol but from all reviews the diesel is a pretty impressive engine, very fuel efficient too.

Thirdly, I like all the little gadgets like the HMI display so I can control my iPod, phone etc from the steering wheel. Also the voice control is pretty snazzy and will impress the kids! I love the fact its a European car too, the finish is more refined and personally I still love looking at it in the car park too.

apstar · 13-12-2010, 03:00 PM

Agree RicOz re:looks, it has to be one of the most attractive IMHO looking cars around and even after 3 years I still feel the same about it and yes that diesel engine is a very impressive engine just gets better with age

apstar

allanv6gt · 13-12-2010, 05:46 PM

Yes, would have to agree the wagon is pretty stylish and stands out as pleasing to the eye amongst the current crop of new (& mostly ugly) wagons available.

Pity the wagon didn't come out in normal 3-pedal manual with the 5-pot Turbo. Would have made my buying decision that much harder.

....from current owner of XR5 Turbo 3-pedal hatch in snoozy Moondust Silver.
....being a former owner of Subaru Outback Gen3 3-pedal series (mit goodies galore for era.)

And from what I am now hearing, that new 120kw diesel with Powershift auto is a real corker !!

irsa76 · 13-12-2010, 10:25 PM

Thanks guys. The Skoda is also on the list, as is the Citroen C5 of all things since the wife loved the first generation one we looked at early this year.

Dusty1 · 14-12-2010, 09:06 AM

I think the Octavia is smaller than the Mondoe wagon. They do have a good spec level as do the Citroen, but the Citroen is a bit kooky. I liked the Superb, but it was pricey.

Is availability an issue for you, as you might have to wait to get one.

csv8 · 14-12-2010, 10:08 AM

Superb wagon is similarly priced to a Titanium...

RicOz · 14-12-2010, 10:54 AM

What I also liked about the Mondeo was the fact it had a lot of standard features, I didn't need to add on many extra's. However, a shame there is no sat nav option if you are into that.

I looked at Mazda6 wagon, nice car but not as roomy. Also I considered waiting for the new Suburu Liberty, but I'm glad I didn't... not a bad car but it looks dead ugly.

Skoda looks okay (as long as you don't pick the wallnut finish interior), but I think its less roomy, plus less standard features and a less dealers.

I also like the fact Mondeo wagon's are a little more rare on the road, but that may change however since I've spotted a couple of business branded cars on the road recently.

NZ XR6 · 15-12-2010, 05:25 AM

If you plan to carry things and people, there's not much better than a Mondeo wagon. For example, it has a much roomier back seat than a Falcon or Commodore and a larger load area than just about any other wagon, especially the Sportwagon. I'm over 6' tall, and can comfortably sit behind an equally tall driver.

I use mine for work, and my measure is how many ambient gas analysers a vehicle can carry (think of a large, heavy metal box 19" wide and over twice as long). It's very easy to get 4 into a Mondeo with the back seat up and I'm sure I could fit 6 in if I tried. I certainly couldn't do that with a Mazda 6, Accord wagon or a Sportwagon.

We had an Octavia liftback in Scotland a few years ago. The Mondeo has far more room.

Ford are total muppets for not making a SWB Falcon wagon. Just look at the sales figures for the Sportwagon.