Tuesday 12th April 2022

Ford Mondeo ST220 Estate | Spotted

Just when you thought all the great fast Fords were too expensive...

---

The humble performance estate is not the fast car staple it once was, and we all know why. Credit is due to Ford, then, for sticking with the idea - the current Focus ST estate is the best one yet, and a great alternative to the Cupra Leon if you don't need four-wheel drive, but do want a manual gearbox. There are even silly colours available, for if you've been taken out of the lairy hot hatch, but the lairy hot hatch hasn't been taken out of you...

Though inevitably less than iconic, there have been more than a few notable fast Ford wagons over the years. The Focus story actually began with an ST170 estate, a real curio that promises to be worth something in years to come through sheer rarity. Its lack of success meant there wasn't a five-cylinder Focus ST estate (what a car that could have been), though the variant did make a torquesteering return with the Ecoboost engine in 2012. Add that to a canon which features various Sierras, Granadas, Scorpios and so on, and you get quite the Blue Oval back catalogue.

Arguably, though, it was the Mondeo where the fast Ford estate really came good. The ST200 had shown just what could be achieved, so the ante was upped for the Mk2's ST220: the V6 was now 3.0-litres instead of 2.5, meaning 155mph was possible, and buyers were spoilt for choice with all three bodystyles again. We've never seen an ST220 four-door, but apparently they do exist...

Truth be told all versions were comparatively rare, because UK buyers preferred their 3.0-litre sports saloons with a German badge on them, however favourably reviewed the Mondeo was at the time. The estate is especially hard to come by nowadays, not least because an ST TDCI joined the Mondeo range just a couple of years after the V6. By keeping the look but boosting torque and reducing running costs, the oil burner proved much more popular.

This is definitely the ST220, however, and what an example it is. As a 2007 car it's from right at the very end of Mondeo Mk2 production, and has covered less than 80,000 miles since then. Even more encouragingly, it's been in the hands of just one owner (after some time as a Ford demo) for all those years, with 15 services to back that up. The selling dealer has acquired the Mondeo after it was traded in for something new elsewhere (presumably an old V6 Ford estate isn't a good look next to rows of plug-in SUVs).

Looks superb to us, though. Yes, the pics are rubbish - at least wipe the pen off the window, guys - so it's hard to make definitive judgements, but the Performance Blue paint still retains some lustre, and the wheels aren't a mess. We've all seen worse looking 15-year-old Mondeos, that's for certain. What can be seen of the interior is encouraging, too.

With all that in mind - this is a rare, critically acclaimed and seemingly cherished fast Ford, in the best colour - you would expect a price tag to be extortionate. We live in the world of the £150k Escort Cossie, don't forget. But the Mondeo, still relatively young and without a motorsport connection, is many miles from that - this is up at £7,995. Even allowing for punchy running costs (less than 30mpg and more than 250g/km is really going to hurt right now), that looks like a lot of fast Ford for not very much. Even if most people will just assume it's a diesel minicab...

---

SPECIFICATION | FORD MONDEO ST220 ESTATE

Engine: 2,967cc V6 petrol
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 225@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 207@4,900rpm
MPG: 27.2
CO2: 254g/km
First registered: 2007
Recorded mileage: 78,000
Price new: £23,565 (hatch)
Yours for: £7,995

See the original advert here

[Turbobanana]

Looks good, but at that price and with £585pa road tax to pay, I think it's one for the serious Ford beards only.

[wpa1975]

Sorry but £8k for a 14 year old Mondeo with big RFL would not be my choice.

Seems well overpriced to me.

[cerb4.5lee]

I've always wanted the hatchback version of this(I've had a ST24 and a V6 Ghia X over the years), and I love their spec/colour/engine/Recaro seats etc.

I knew a chap who had one of these and he was really happy with it, he said it was just so handy for moving big stuff around in and he loved how practical it was. Most of them tend to be the STD(stop giggling at the back!) version though, because not many want to stomach the tax/fuel costs with these I'd imagine.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

Had a choice out of one of these or an E91 330i about 8 years ago and definitely felt like I went for the right option with the BMW. I have owned an ST though (albeit a TDCI) and did a lot of miles in it in the 18 months I owned it and it was a great car. Comfy and wafted along effortlessly.

Is £8k a lot of money now for something that whilst being "just a Mondeo" is a little bit special? The aforementioned (decent condition / low mileage) E91 330s are now that kinda money and are arguably far more mainstream.

The one thing that in my mind is a major mark down is the build quality. We ran our ST alongside a 2001 VW Polo and the Polo was far, far, far better built/solid feeling. When the ST went, its replacement was a mk2 Octavia VRS and that too was head and shoulders over the Mondeo in terms of build quality. The Mondeo just felt "light" and tinny when shutting doors etc.

All that said, I'd love another.

[Trikster]

Had an ST24 as a co car in the late 90s when all my colleagues were whizzing around in base BWM 316's - think I made the right choice there, and really have a soft spot for the quick mondeos

Was following at ST220 estate on ebay a couple of weeks ago, looked in good nick but higher mileage (130k) - failed to make reserve, bids only went up to £1500 which I think gives a fairer indication of the value of these cars - especially with the road tax as has already been mentioned

[cerb4.5lee]

Trikster said:

Had an ST24 as a co car in the late 90s when all my colleagues were whizzing around in base BWM 316's - think I made the right choice there, and really have a soft spot for the quick mondeos

I'm very similar to you with this as well, and I'd much rather have a higher spec Mondeo with a higher capacity/cylinder engine under its bonnet...rather than a low spec BMW with a weedy engine under its bonnet.

I tried a E61 520d Touring a few years ago, and a BMW just doesn't work for me when they have a weedy engine under their bonnet.

[pb8g09]

It’s not exactly ‘fast’ though is it?

All that tax and fuel to drive a barge that would struggle to keep up with a 20 year old Mini Cooper S, even on the straights.

[Limpet]

Trikster said:

Had an ST24 as a co car in the late 90s when all my colleagues were whizzing around in base BWM 316's - think I made the right choice there,

As long as you got shot before the CO2 based BIK came in 2002. A mate of mine was stuck with an Si 24v for almost a year into the 'new' rules, and got stung. He reckoned the tax bill doubled (to within a couple of quid)

Good days for a company car though, the 90s. If you did (or could make it look like you were doing) more than 18k business miles a year, the taxable benefit of a company car was a flat rate of just 15% of the list price on anything.

[cerb4.5lee]

pb8g09 said:

It’s not exactly ‘fast’ though is it?

All that tax and fuel to drive a barge that would struggle to keep up with a 20 year old Mini Cooper S, even on the straights.

You definitely make good points there I think, and certainly nowadays the performance of the ST220 isn't anything to right home about. However I'd still rather sit behind/use a 3.0 V6 engine...rather than a 1.6 4 cylinder engine for example.

[Howard-]

pb8g09 said:

It’s not exactly ‘fast’ though is it?

All that tax and fuel to drive a barge that would struggle to keep up with a 20 year old Mini Cooper S, even on the straights.

0-60 in late 6's isn't exactly slow, either, especially for the time. Don't forget these were in their prime in the days before everything had downsized turbocharged engines with 600PSI of boost, 4WD, 8-speed DCT gearboxes, and the ability to do 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. It'll happily keep up with a contemporary Golf GTI or BMW 330ci (source: I owned an ST220).

[alex.baker89]

As noted by others, this seems to be too big an asking price for this car, given the lukewarm performance, even for it's day. I'd find it hard to justify spending that sort of money on a 2007 Mondeo, especially considering the fact that right now, our money doesn't go as far.

[cerb4.5lee]

Howard- said:

pb8g09 said:

It’s not exactly ‘fast’ though is it?

All that tax and fuel to drive a barge that would struggle to keep up with a 20 year old Mini Cooper S, even on the straights.

0-60 in late 6's isn't exactly slow, either, especially for the time. Don't forget these were in their prime in the days before everything had downsized turbocharged engines with 600PSI of boost, 4WD, 8-speed DCT gearboxes, and the ability to do 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. It'll happily keep up with a contemporary Golf GTI or BMW 330ci (source: I owned an ST220).

I remember having a bit of fun with a ST220(hatchback) back in the early 2000s in my S14a 200SX, and its performance impressed me back then for sure.

The problem with the older school V6's like this and the 3.7 V6 that is in my 370Z, is that they tend to use a lot of fuel to deliver their performance I think. The 370Z I have makes a load of noise...but that doesn't always transfer into loads of forward momentum though!

I will still miss engines like the one in this when they've gone though for sure.

[Passeyfier]

The ST220 Mondeo still appears to be a relative performance bargain compared to the price of most used cars these days. I'm not quite sure why it hasn't caught on like seemingly everything else has but a few grand will get a half decent one. But £8k is yet another mickey take.

[Water Fairy]

Whether it's great or not is rather subjective.

Whether it's fast or not is a little easier to judge. It's not.

Defo a fanboy item

[Fastdruid]

While in theory I'd rather the v6, from a performance/£ perspective it has to be the later Mondeo 2.5T. While not NA it's a 5 cylinder turbo so at least interesting.

Nicer interior, far better on fuel, far cheaper on VED, just as quick standard and *massively* faster when remapped.

Downsides are the Mk4 is arguably too big, no "ST" badge and no v6!

[DaveyBoyWonder]

Seems to be about the right money if other cars on AT are to go by. Sure, half the money seems to get you into an older, higher mileage hatchback and this example is the most expensive out there at the min but 1 previous owner and what seems like a massive spec (from the grainy photos and lack of anything at all meaningful in the ad text but can just about make out the rear heated seat/entertainment buttons and the sat nav) is only a grand more than an older, similar mileage hatchback with a lower spec (albeit at a dealership who can be bothered to write an advert and take some decent pics).

The more I look at it, the more I like it and 8k for a massive load lugger that (subjective!) looks good, makes a nice noise, carries 5 easily and is one of those "they won't make them like that anymore" cars, doesn't seem massively OTT price wise IMHO. I'm in no way a massive Ford fan, in quite the opposite, but I really do like these...

[tomic]

They're charging a high rate of Fawd Tax here

[JD2329]

I like Mk3 Mondeos and the ST220 is (or was) an underrated car.
At this level of the market however a six pot 3 series Touring would still get my vote.
Top level RFL doesn't help the Ford either.

[emperorburger]

Feels about 4 grand overpriced.

[Drakey52]

This feels like half the price in the real world, which I think we are about to drop into sharpish with the NI rise and inflation really starting to bite. A reset of old car prices that aren't anything special at all, feels 2-3 months away at the most.
https://www.motortrader.com/motor-trader-news/auto...

Tipping point reached ?