Mondeo ST220 V6 vs ST220 2.2 TDCI

Mondeo ST220 V6 vs ST220 2.2 TDCI

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dowsett

Original Poster:

58 posts

124 months

Sunday 5th January 2014
quotequote all
done a search an couldnt find the anwser to my question.

Anyone own either of these? Im looking for real world running costs and MPG.

Ive been looking at the TDCI for my next car. Cheap to buy, cheap to run and seems quite quick - albeit not as quick or sporty as the V6.

Ive always had a petrol car as i believe they are cheaper to run for me. 5k miles a year, only few miles a day, if any. Motorway miles are 100m round trips once every few months etc.

Ive just done a comparison on running costs (which is a big factor for me) and this is how its turned out.

TDCI:

Tax - £170
Fuel - £698


V6:

Tax - £270
Fuel - 1146


Above is based on yearly costs but even monthly or 3 yearly, the diesel still wins on costs.

Is there anything else i need to factor in? servicing? parts?

At the moment the diesel is a strong pick for next car. Cheap to run and still got a bit of umph.

So, anyone can give me some real world experiences?

dowsett

Original Poster:

58 posts

124 months

Sunday 5th January 2014
quotequote all
SteBrown91 said:
Avoid the TDCi like the plague, especially at that mileage. Expensive parts like injectors, fuel pumps, injector rails, EGRs, DMFs etc are regular failures. If they havent been replaced recently the likelyhood is they will probably need doing in the near future. The early 2.2 tdci in the mk3 seemed to have a lengthy list of problems. At that mileage it will definately bring those problems on quicker as low mileage means the engine wont get up to temp, a common killer of modern dervs.

A good tdci will cost more to buy than a 220 due to people looking at the headline mpg and which keeps them in demand.

The Tdci also has less kit as standard, slower and has higher, more wallowy suspension on.

Someone I used to work with and had an ST220 which he kept about 2 years and loved, and only got rid as he was doing over 20k a year. He swapped it for a ST tdci, kept it all of 3 months and got rid he did not like it at all.
Thats interesting,

All the diesel STs ive seen have more kit than a standard 2.2 diesel. Leather seats etc.

also, i cant seem to find it anywhere, even on seller adverts... does the ST 2.2 diesel (TDCI) have a turbo? Ive just compared running costs and the ST TDCI is only about 50quid more a year on fuel :s Confused.

Ill admit, other searches have mentioned the problems u have with the TDCI.

Maybe i should just try to find a decent 2.2 diesel? all that'd be missing is the turbo?

dowsett

Original Poster:

58 posts

124 months

Sunday 5th January 2014
quotequote all
Ok thanks.

Doesn't the titanium x have the same engine, minus the turbo? My step dad has one (54 plate) and he's never had any problems apart from consumables kinda thing

dowsett

Original Poster:

58 posts

124 months

Sunday 5th January 2014
quotequote all
Ok thanks all.

I have a focus ST3 225 atm. According to paper figures, the mondeo ST drinks more than my focus st which i was a bit supprised by. Saying that, its an extra cylinder and more engine.

Now im more lost as to what car to get. Thought a mondeo diesel might of been the one.

Ive never owned a diesel - Are the injector racks more difficult to replace than petrol models? more expensive? If i remember right it was just one injector that went on a rail on a standard focus before which is located at the back of the engine. are they more expensive? harder/more complicated to get to on a diesel?

dowsett

Original Poster:

58 posts

124 months

Sunday 5th January 2014
quotequote all
Podie said:
Ah, missed you had a Focus ST!

Is the Focus standard? The Mondy is a slightly bigger car, but doesn't really feel it - you really can throw an ST220 about (assuming it has decent tyres).

To be honest I'm finding very little difference in terms of MPG between the ST220 and the Focus.

Everyone raves about the 5pot warble, but I prefer (and miss) the V6 howl (the JP exhaust helped that!)
Yes its standard (except for ford mudflaps to protect the underside of the paint) - no need to modify it! fast enogugh. If i was buying one then id be buying a standard, not a modded one - so i figure anyone else would want standard. It took me a few months to get used to it as i upgraded from a standard 1.6 focus. Plus once u start upgrading stuff, u need to start upgrading the rest of it. I.e intercooler etc. it can get expensive, but it can also be upgraded to be faster than an RS.

the 5 pot is a beast. Sounds really nice. i love it. Ive been around an outdoor car park in 1st gear (looking for a parking space) and i dropped the clutch to slow down from about 10mph and it was still popping biggrin

Cant comment on the V6. Im just trying to find something cheaper but still quite fun to drive and balanced as well as being a family car with a bit more range than 250 miles per tank

dowsett

Original Poster:

58 posts

124 months

Monday 6th January 2014
quotequote all
PaulD86 said:
This topic has been done to death on the Ford ST forums. The long and short of it is that the ST220 is the more reliable car, makes the better noise and will be a nicer car to drive if you are going to drive it hard/fast at times. The TDCI sounds like a transit (and shares an engine with one) and is not a great diesel engine. Pulleys rattling is very common, egrs and if unlucky injectors are a big cost.

VS the Focus ST my experience of the two (I did 60k miles in my ST220 and have driven a pile of Focus STs) is that driving sensibly the Mondeo is more economical, especially round town. At 50-60 in top gear on a country road run driving gently you will get a few more MPG from the Focus (I think the weight hurts the Mondeo).

If you are thinking of an ST220 the main thing to check is the clutch. These tend to fail between 65 and 85k miles (though this is obviously not set in stone). Mine went at 75k and cost £900 to replace along with the DMF. Ford main stealer will quote closer to £1300. Bear this in mind if you look at them second hand. The only other costs I had with the ST220 (I sold it at 110,00 miles) were wear and tear items (heavy on front tyres due to the power through the front wheels and heavy engine up front) and a couple of breather hoses - the breather hose to the upper inlet manifold is prone to splitting - this costs £34 to buy from Ford, can be changed in 10 mins and is the most common ST220 problem causing the EML to come on and usually a rough idle or revs hanging when changing gear.

ST220s should be reliable as long as well serviced. Avoid those with a dubious service history.

From the Focus ST you will notice much less torque and will need to use the gearbox more to get performance from it. The 220 also doesn't handle quite as well, though for it's size and weight handling is excellent. The Mondeo has a more luxury feel though and as standard is better equipped. One thing you will find after the Focus is that the standard Mondeo ST brakes (which are the same as every other MK3 Mondeo including the 1.8) aren't great. A common upgrade is to swap to Focus ST front calipers, pads and discs - I did this on mine and the improvement was huge. Also, as others have mentioned the V6 can be made to sound great with a new exhaust. I had a Miltek on my 220 and the noise was utterly fantastic. Best bit of the car I think.

At 5k miles a year, if you want a Mondeo ST then the 220 would be a no brainer IMHO. MPG wise I averaged 26 during my whole period of ownership. Low 20s round town, 33 on a motorway run and teens when I was having fun. That gave a range of on average about 320 miles per tank though bear in mind this is bigger than in the Focus.

A Mondeo ST won't feel as 'fun' as your Focus. Plus side is the space is great. I used to throw my mountain bikes in and out of mine and love the ease I could get them in wheels and all still attached. Hope some of that helps.

Edited by PaulD86 on Monday 6th January 14:51
Big help. Thanks for your input.