RE: Shed of the Week: Ford Mondeo 2.5 Ghia X

[njw1]

Car-Matt said:

steve1965 said:

I've got a Mk3 Ghia X sat on my drive now (2006, 100k, paid a grand for it two years ago), also ran another one a few cars back for about four years. They are good handling cars for sure, but not a patch on a similar age 3 series in my opinion (I've had three 3s).

Subjective

See the vid posted where the 143bhp mondeo trounced the 146bhp e36 by 2 seconds?

Over the last few years I've owned a few e39's, an e46 and a couple of mk3 Mondeos and found that the Mondeos handled every bit as well as the BMW's, if not better.

[RobEB]

Guessing this must be the au-pair's car, there's much better metal in the background in one of the pics

[pablouk]

Just like to add. I have this engine with the auto gear box and it is the worst engine gear box combination i have ever had the misfortune to drive. Its so under powered you will thrash the engine until it crys just to make the car get up to any resemblance of traffic speeds. Honestly this combination is complete and utter pooh and whomever at ford released this should have been shot.
There are not enough swear words to decribe just how bad this car is to own.

[Car-Matt]

steve1965 said:

I've got a Mk3 Ghia X sat on my drive now (2006, 100k, paid a grand for it two years ago), also ran another one a few cars back for about four years. They are good handling cars for sure, but not a patch on a similar age 3 series in my opinion (I've had three 3s).

Subjective

See the vid posted where the 143bhp mondeo trounced the 146bhp e36 by 2 seconds?

[muppet42]

Someone buy this 3-litre manual in the dealership near where I live and change the bloody alloys...
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2018...

Funnily enough, they have the ubiquitous ST TDCi version of the same mk in the usual Performance(?) Blue parked opposite.

[ZX10R NIN]

sgtBerbatov said:

Agree. They build cheap cars for those who want to look like they've made it. Case in point, all of those clowns driving around in Focus/Fiesta ST's where the engines are so silly they have to pipe in engine sound to the cockpit to make it sound better.

This is a turd of a shed, especially for the new money limit. That said, I'm not sure you could've wrote the "back in my day" speil if writing about a Lexus or a Honda. So that just about saves this article.

Pump sound in? You mean like a Golf R M3 etc

[nipsips]

I had a 2001 MK3 2.0 Duratec Ghia - at the time a friend also had a 2004 VW Passat TDi Highline. The Mondeo drove a lot better than the Passat, even my friend admitted it. Didn't have the diesel grunt, wasn't quite as quiet as speed but show it any road other than a motorway and the Passat felt every bit a large car and the Mondeo just didn't.

I also don't understand the comments about the build, mine, and every other MK3 Mondeo I've driven always felt reasonably screwed together. Again - maybe not quite as well as the Passat in terms of NVH, but the Passat looked very tired and showed its miles, with its soft touch coating rubbing off and the Mondeo not really suffering with much of that, other than the window switch surrounds on the drivers door - easily replaced.

I remember changing a door latch on both, the Mondeo was simple, door card off, inner membrane pulled down, 3 bolts on the door, a cable, exterior handle and a connector. The Passat - door card off, all the wiring connectors for speaker, lock, window etc, cable, exterior handle, window from the regulator, entire inner door panel out to find it bolted to the door with stupid spline bolts that I haven't used since, along with clips to the motor itself to hold it to the inner panel.

Given the issues I've got with my Saab at the minute I'm tempted just to find another MK3 Mondeo!

[optimal909]

Interesting, that in this age of downsized diesel engines, a good ol' v6 can induce so much hate.
We have a well maintained Mk2V6 manual that is lately a garage queen, it is not fast by today's standards, but still quite brisk, especially for its image.

Alloy block and a healthy torque curve, it is great for all driving styles, also quite reliable and sounds good.

[Mr Tidy]

For many years I was a Ford fan, having had an Escort MK2 RS2000, Granada 2.8 Ghia, 2 x Capri Injection and 2.8i Scorpio.

But how can you defend a 2.5i Mondeo with a pitiful 168bhp (my Capri had 160 bhp in the early 80s)!

My daily is a BMW 325ti Compact - 2.5 straight 6 and 192 bhp. (and still RWD)

Probably why I moved on!

[Zad]

Have you noticed that the people deriding the 2.5 V6 are the people who haven't actually driven one? Mostly people with a handful of postings.

No sound symposer on the Duratec V6s, just induction noise and exhaust growl. Even on the Mk 2, its a sweet thing that will pull from 25 to 145 in ye olde 5th gear. Ghia Xs weren't ever made to win drag races, but its a phenomenal chassis and engine combination on country A and B roads. Ford's chassis design department were well into their stride here.

[Wills2]

My old C6 Audi allroad 2.7 V6 TDi didn't have that much more (180hp iirc) and that was a great car, a bit more torque lower down helped of course.

It's not all about power, knocking on for 170hp is more than enough.

[culpz]

Mr Tidy said:

For many years I was a Ford fan, having had an Escort MK2 RS2000, Granada 2.8 Ghia, 2 x Capri Injection and 2.8i Scorpio.

But how can you defend a 2.5i Mondeo with a pitiful 168bhp (my Capri had 160 bhp in the early 80s)!

My daily is a BMW 325ti Compact - 2.5 straight 6 and 192 bhp. (and still RWD)

Probably why I moved on!

Yes, we know. You tell us almost every thread that you comment on.

[Car-Matt]

Mr Tidy said:

For many years I was a Ford fan, having had an Escort MK2 RS2000, Granada 2.8 Ghia, 2 x Capri Injection and 2.8i Scorpio.

But how can you defend a 2.5i Mondeo with a pitiful 168bhp (my Capri had 160 bhp in the early 80s)!

My daily is a BMW 325ti Compact - 2.5 straight 6 and 192 bhp. (and still RWD)

Probably why I moved on!

Because 168bhp at the time was completely on a par with its contemporary's (eg BMW E46 323i 168bhp), certainly within its price range and dictated by demand.

Do you really think Ford couldn't get any more power out of it.....?

As for 'moving on' to a BMW Compact..........debateable

[culpz]

WJNB said:

s m said:

Personally if I wanted the space and pace of a V6 Mondeo with the Ghia X trim I'd go for a 6-speed manual 3-litre version with 200bhp. Still as anonymous as the 2.5 v6 but you'll certainly notice the extra 33bhp and appreciate the extra cog plus it's barely any thirstier rather in the manner of the BMW M52/54 sixes as you go up in capacity
Still in shed budget, a bit newer, if more miles




https://www.gumtree.com/p/ford/2005-ford-mondeo-gh...

That's one very smart looking motor, almost timeless in looks. Car badge snobbery in reverse - love it. Red paint not faded either which is unusual. Rather have that on my drive than any BMW.

The issue with the comparison with a BMW is the the running costs. I suppose there's also exclusivity and image but i reckon it's the cost bit that many people forget.

Running an equivalent Beemer will be a more expensive affair and the 3-Series, that took over the spot of the Mondeo, definitely has it's fair share of expensive upkeep.

[Fastdruid]

culpz said:

The issue with the comparison with a BMW is the the running costs. I suppose there's also exclusivity and image but i reckon it's the cost bit that many people forget.

Running an equivalent Beemer will be a more expensive affair and the 3-Series, that took over the spot of the Mondeo, definitely has it's fair share of expensive upkeep.

Very much so. I don't think there is much disagreement that a BMW would be a nicer car...but it comes at a substantial cost both in purchase and running costs.

Also the Mondeo has grown so in terms of size the nearest BMW to the current Mondeo would be a 5-series... this is either a good thing or bad thing depending on if you want the size or not!

Incidentally it seems that the "D" segment where the Mondeo sits (Large Family cars) is dying... Down 25% in 2017 with "crossovers" on the up. OTOH the "Compact Executives" where the 3 and 4 sit were the only other segment to grow. Source : https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/winner...

Maybe it's time to let the Mondeo retire, let the Focus grow a little bit more to the size of the first Mondeo and bring in a new model under the Focus the same size as the original Focus!

[Limpet]

I much prefer the way the mk1 and mk2 drive compared to the mk3. Although the mk3 has a nicer interior. A nice mk2 V6, should such a thing still exist anywhere, would still be a fine car to smoke about in.

[w824gb3]

I had the 2.5v6 in an X type. Jag managed to get about 25bhp more out of it than Ford with cam timing trickery. That said it was slow unless revved and changing speed on the motorway when going from 50 - 70 in roadworks etc took an age unless you dropped a cog or two on the manual box. Very poor on fuel.

Swapped it for a 2.2 diesel 6 speed X type which was much better in every way.

[toon10]

I loved my old W reg 2.5 GhiaX. It was cheap, comfy, well specced and sprightly in it's day. I replaced it with a 2002 2.5 Zetec model and I hated that. Same engine but none of the toys and a horrendous crashy ride.

[s m]

w824gb3 said:

I had the 2.5v6 in an X type. Jag managed to get about 25bhp more out of it than Ford with cam timing trickery.

Don't forget though that Ford had a roughly 200bhp version of the 2.5 V6 around in the Mondeo in 99, a couple of years before the X-type was out.

Truth is manufacturers will often 'ebb and flow' the power outputs of a particular engine capacity to fit in with other engines in the range or to suit model characteristics.

As said, BMW did a 192bhp 24v inline 2.5 litre six in the 3-series from 1991, then a few years later the 24v inline 2.5 litre six in the 3-series offered 170bhp to maintain a gap from the 193bhp 2.8 litre 24v inline six they also offered.
Then when the more powerful 3litre 24v inline six was available in 2000, the 2.5 litre 24v six offered 189bhp, a similar power output to that offered by an earlier engine of the same capacity a decade earlier.

So in 1999 a Mondeo with 2.5 litre six had more power than a 3-series with a 2.5 litre six - go 5 years either side of that and the BMW would be offered with a more powerful version than the Ford.

For sure, Ford could have fitted this Ghia auto with a 200bhp 2.5 V6 but probably chose not to at that time as the sporty ST220 would have only offered about 17bhp more, a refined V6 burble, rather than all out power, was all that was required for the Ghia version.
Once the ST220 model had 'bedded in' then a detuned 3-litre version could be added to the non-ST models

[s m]

Limpet said:

I much prefer the way the mk1 and mk2 drive compared to the mk3. Although the mk3 has a nicer interior. A nice mk2 V6, should such a thing still exist anywhere, would still be a fine car to smoke about in.

Here you go Limpet







https://www.gumtree.com/p/ford/ford-mondeo-st24-v6...

Shed money plus a nice drive back through Wales


Of course, if you want the extra 30bhp an ST200 will cost you an extra few hundred and you're limited to blue or white

Edited by s m on Tuesday 30th January 08:24