Mondeo to end production.
Discussion
SkodaIan said:
nickfrog said:
Why would you insist on a Ford? If I wanted a saloon or an estate I would look at Mazda or Skoda.
Very few people have bought the Mondeo saloon (as opposed to the hatchback that looks like a bit like saloon) for some time. As an indicator of how rare the Mondeo saloon is, there are more than 4 times as many 20 reg Maserati Ghiblis (21) advertised on Autotrader as there are Mondeo saloons (5).I didn't even realise Ford still bothered making the saloon version, it's almost worth buying one to know you own such a rare car!!
I had a Mondeo MK4 and was a very good car. When I replaced it I looked to the MK5 but the seats were awful. So I went German. To get second hand cars on the market people need to buy new and why would they when you can get A6/5 Series for similar money. That's what killed the Mondeo. And of course people are moving to smaller cars
We owned 3 of them, a very early mk 1 which was a leap forward in safe handling from the BMW E30 it replaced, not to say much better equipped. This was the early 90s when E30s were routine saloon cars and wayward in the wet. A mk 2 which was a bit nicer to look at and a bit better sorted and eventually a Mk 3 V6 Ghia which had all the toys, was a delight to drive, swallowed 2 sets of diving kit and utterly reliable. Savage depreciation though, 22k to 3k in 5 years.
The thing that killed it off for us was the increase in size of the Mk 4, it became too difficult to park in local multi-stories which hadn't changed in size from the 60s. Too long, too wide. Until that time there was no debate, it was a go to workhorse.
Unfortunately a trend across manufacturers - I had a Mazda 3 MPS which was the same size as the Mk1 Mondeo, my current M240i is about the same size as the E30 series 3
The thing that killed it off for us was the increase in size of the Mk 4, it became too difficult to park in local multi-stories which hadn't changed in size from the 60s. Too long, too wide. Until that time there was no debate, it was a go to workhorse.
Unfortunately a trend across manufacturers - I had a Mazda 3 MPS which was the same size as the Mk1 Mondeo, my current M240i is about the same size as the E30 series 3
Bone Rat said:
The thing that killed it off for us was the increase in size of the Mk 4, it became too difficult to park in local multi-stories which hadn't changed in size from the 60s. Too long, too wide. Until that time there was no debate, it was a go to workhorse.
Unfortunately a trend across manufacturers - I had a Mazda 3 MPS which was the same size as the Mk1 Mondeo, my current M240i is about the same size as the E30 series 3
Yes, I borrowed a MK4 Golf last week. It seemed quite dinky yet compared to the MK1 is huge.Unfortunately a trend across manufacturers - I had a Mazda 3 MPS which was the same size as the Mk1 Mondeo, my current M240i is about the same size as the E30 series 3
The Mondeo has been replaced by the Focus which was itself replaced by the Fiesta.
I think the only car that has really bucked the size/weight trend is the MX5.
16v stretch said:
I don't think that 30k for a mildly optioned "Zetec" hybrid Mondeo is a very attractive proposition either, and at 34k for the fancy one, I'd rather spend my money at Lexus if I was looking for a hybrid.
Exactly. I looked at the fancy one (Vignale hybrid). Didn't like it. Looked too much like a tarted up base model rather than a genuine cut above. The leather inside was really nice but I could not find much else to differentiate it. And as mentioned before, the boot was a really strange shape.30k gets you a brand new Toyota Camry hybrid. Same size as the Mondeo. I bought one and IMHO it's what the Mondeo should have been. Yes it's beige motoring, but it drives well, it's surprisingly quick, the interior is really nice, it's super comfy, it has all the gadgets you need, it will run forever and it will take a beating.
34k gets you a Lexus ES hybrid which is IMHO better in every conceivable way than the Mondeo Vignale.
Others on this thread have raised good points - the market moved towards leasing rather than buying, which put "posh" brands into the reach of the mass market, and emissions began to play a bigger and bigger role. I know that at one point Ford were desperate to sell more Mondeo hybrids in order to get fleet emissions down.
AmitG said:
Exactly. I looked at the fancy one (Vignale hybrid). Didn't like it. Looked too much like a tarted up base model rather than a genuine cut above. The leather inside was really nice but I could not find much else to differentiate it. And as mentioned before, the boot was a really strange shape.
One of the odd design features of the Mk5 estate is that there is a huge exhaust silencer under the boot floor. The result is that the boot floor is quite high, reducing the height of the boot. the boot is also narrower than the Mk4's. The boot is still a useful size, but it seemed a strange "development". Why the Fusion wasn't packaged like the Mk4 I do not know.All Mondeo's I've used or driven over the years have been excellent. Handle and ride suburb, well build and solid. The perfect allrounder and in nearly every way better than an 3 series / XF / A4 etc.
But I never wanted one as they have always been more expensive to own and just not sexy.
But I never wanted one as they have always been more expensive to own and just not sexy.
CDP said:
Sir Bagalot said:
Saloon market is non existent in the UK but huge in other parts of Europe.s
Not just Europe and when I saw this in Mildenhall it was a bit of a surprise.
croyde said:
I have been looking for pics of a modern Mondeo saloon. Is there such a thing?
Or does it look just like the hatchback but only the metal lid of the boot opens, not the whole rear window?
There are some saloon versions, and the hybrid was a saloon, but the majority of saloon shaped Mk5 will be hatchback. Or does it look just like the hatchback but only the metal lid of the boot opens, not the whole rear window?
It seems odd seeing saloon mentioned so often in this thread, considering Mondeos have been primarily hatchback or estate for at least 20 years.
Wheel_Turned_Out said:
It seems odd seeing saloon mentioned so often in this thread, considering Mondeos have been primarily hatchback or estate for at least 20 years.
I think this is one of these moments where the term used is wrong but so commonly accepted that we'll have to continue to be wrong. Most Mondeos are hatchback but not the same shape as a Golf, a Civic, a Fiesta or a Corsa. Proportionally it's probably closer to a traditional three-box saloon even if the rear opening is wrong to qualify as one. The saloon and hatchback variants of the Vauxhall Insignia commit the same sin of looking virtually identical.I suppose the correct term might be something like 'fastback' but that conjures up racy images of Steve McQueen chasing baddies. Calling the Mondeo a saloon is probably wrong, but it's basically an accepted wrong.
My late grandad had one when they were first launched. It was a Ghia X and I remember how soft and comfortable the leather seats were. He had it until he sadly passed away 8 years ago. Unknown to me my Mum sold it to we buy any car for £1k the same year, think it had about 8k miles on the clock.
Levin said:
Wheel_Turned_Out said:
It seems odd seeing saloon mentioned so often in this thread, considering Mondeos have been primarily hatchback or estate for at least 20 years.
I think this is one of these moments where the term used is wrong but so commonly accepted that we'll have to continue to be wrong. Most Mondeos are hatchback but not the same shape as a Golf, a Civic, a Fiesta or a Corsa. Proportionally it's probably closer to a traditional three-box saloon even if the rear opening is wrong to qualify as one. The saloon and hatchback variants of the Vauxhall Insignia commit the same sin of looking virtually identical.I suppose the correct term might be something like 'fastback' but that conjures up racy images of Steve McQueen chasing baddies. Calling the Mondeo a saloon is probably wrong, but it's basically an accepted wrong.
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