Ford Mondeo XR5 2008 Review

Road Test

Overall rating: 4.0/5.0
Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 4.0/5.0
Price, Packaging and Practicality: 4.5/5.0
Safety: 3.5/5.0
Behind the wheel: 4.0/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

About our ratings

One of the hardest things about writing the review of the Mondeo XR5 is working out which competitors should be listed against the Ford.

Priced in the low $40K bracket, it's a lot of car for the money. And, any would-be competitor must come accompanied with a qualification… Yes, there are a handful of European cars that come close to it in price and offer similar levels of torque -- but they're diesels.

Some Japanese cars actually undercut the Mondeo on price and develop similar levels of power (hello Honda Accord Euro), but lack the turbo Ford's torque.

The two cars that come closest to posing a real threat to the Mondeo -- for that combination of performance, dynamics, packaging and value -- are both locally manufactured and both rear-wheel drive. Take a bow, Holden's Commodore SV6 and Ford's very own Falcon XR6.

It's some testament to the Mondeo that it comes within striking distance of deposing what are arguably local manufacturing's finest examples yet.

Just in case you're prepared to write off the Mondeo for its front-wheel drive layout and Volvo-sourced, turbocharged five-cylinder engine, this is a very accomplished package which offers the sort of performance and dynamics which could shame a lot of cars, including the two big 'uns.

The Mondeo's handling, which is close to neutral in the tight-and-twisties, combines with high levels of roadholding and excellent steering turn-in to provide an overall character that is what rear-wheel drive cars are supposed to be like, but frequently aren't.

So the Mondeo is lively to drive, not just by comparison with other front-wheel drive cars. Part of that can be attributed to elements other than the car's cornering ability.

The engine of the Mondeo is plenty responsive and stands by with torque available from quite low engine speeds for exiting corners. Add to this the swift-shifting of the transmission and the powerful brakes, and you have a complete package for sporty motoring.

Power delivery strikes a nice balance. The engine will ration the torque in a trickle if you're in slow traffic, or just generally dawdling, but it unleashes the grunt in a flood as soon as the turbo spools up.

It's quite responsive and those who find turbo lag an annoyance will probably find the XR5 something of a pleasant surprise. Granted there's lag there, but it's not unbearable.

At times (such as a standing start) the engine can deliver too much power on demand and the driver who wants a fast start may end up with 'squealspin' thrown in for not-so-good measure. It's fun, but also a bit embarrassing if you don't want to draw attention from the Constabulary.

The engine sounds like a typical five-cylinder, but with a sort of bass and electric guitar note when it's in full flight, leading the Mondeo to sound like it's powered by two engines.

For those of us who grew up watching the Audi Quattro trample all before it in international rallying -- and listening to it also -- the XR5 is an aural treat. That said, the engine is also extremely quiet when it isn't being kicked up the bum.

It will handle higher gears from as low as 1500rpm without complaint and at freeway speeds, is utterly inaudible.

As for that transmission... The gearshift is one of the best in recent times. It's an absolute pleasure to use, even though there's a fair amount of travel between the gates, but it's light, quick and virtually tester-proof.

After the recent spate of Tremec six-speeders in our test fleet, the Mondeo's box is like heaven-on-a-stick, if you'll pardon the expression.

With some qualifications (see below), the XR5's steering is probably the car's greatest virtue. At highway speeds, the steering provides mountains of feel and the car is easy to hold on course in even gale-force side winds. With power-off, handling is closer to neutral than you might expect from a front-wheel drive and, even with power applied, the car does understeer more, but not in an unpredictable way.

There's bad news though: the suspension is tuned to a pretty firm ride, not attenuated at all by the low-profile tyres. This will deter some buyers, but if you don't do much driving on potholed roads it probably won't pose that much of an issue. They're a bit noisier over coarse bitumen too, but are otherwise quiet on the open road.

The fact the low-profile tyres 'tramline' a bit at times and steer the car away from the straight and narrow if there are channels in the road is arguably less forgiveable. This is the price you pay for such crisp turn-in, it seems.

Despite the Mondeo's resistance to cross winds, the wind remains the most prevalent source of noise in the car at higher speeds -- but even that's moderate at worst.

However, the Mondeo generates extraneous noises which are more apparent than they would be in a less refined car. These include a little more vibration from the transmission in fourth gear on the overrun, squeaks and creaks from plastic fittings, a bit of noise from the clutch when released and an intermittent whirring noise that couldn't be traced back to its source, but we suspect was a thermatic fan working overtime.

None of these were too troubling, but the squeaking from the interior plastics was backed up by visual evidence of not-quite-right build quality, with the internal cover for the D pillar (adjacent the tailgate) not properly aligned and displaying an obvious widening gap near where it joined the headlining. Similarly, the plastic cover on the passenger side A pillar was also adrift at the top, near the headlining.

Styling of the interior is pleasantly modern -- not a hint of 'retro' anywhere. There's a mix of bright-finish metal-look appliqués on the steering wheel spokes -- where the controls for audio and trip computer are located -- there's mock-brushed aluminium veneers on the centre fascia and subtle use of piano black lacquer around the centre console.

Seats are trimmed in a good looking and apparently durable black-patterned perforated alcantara with side bolsters in Napoli leather.

The driving position is excellent, with the seat both snug and comfortable, providing plenty of support and adjustment.

Ford's designers have placed the handbrake close to the driver's leg and the cupholders close to the front passenger's leg, so Ford has got that the right way around.

If there's one minor whinge from us, the driver's elbow and the crook of the arm is fouled by the armrest when using the handbrake. It's a problem we've also encountered with Volkswagens and Audis.

With the Volkswagens and Audis, you can flip the armrest up out of the way if it's really annoying. That option isn't available with the Mondeo.

In respect of control and instrument placement, Ford has established the right sort of relationship between steering wheel, view of the instruments and seat position for the driver. It's fairly rare to find a vehicle that allows drivers a clear view of the instruments with hands set to the ten-to-two position, yet comfortably so and not feeling like the driver is hanging onto the wheel for grim life. Indeed, even with the seat height raised to the full extent, the instruments were still unobstructed by the steering wheel rim and there remained plenty of headroom.

Although the instruments are highly legible and provide attractive graphics, the engine temperature gauge and fuel gauge are a bit on the small side and not easily interpreted at a glance, since the calibrations are effectively upside down and not equi-distant.

The remote controls placed on the steering wheel are relatively intuitive to use, but as with any moderately sophisticated information/entertainment system, it's easy to get carried away with it all and take your eyes off the road.

The six-stack CD audio system will play MP3 CDs and we have it on good authority that there's an input jack in the glovebox, although we didn't actually stumble across that during our time with the car.

Despite the fact that the Mondeo's rear seat legroom is shaded by that of the Holden Epica, there's still plenty of room for passengers of all sizes. The rear seat folds down in a 60/40 split and is easy to use. There's a folding centre armrest in the 60 per cent section, which is on the passenger side of the car.

The boot space is huge. It's on par with the luggage compartment of the Saab 9-3 SportCombi we recently tested, but the Mondeo is a hatchback.

Therein lies the essential virtue of the Mondeo. It balances the practical with the aspirational in a car that acquits itself well as a family hack, but still provides the fun factor for drivers who didn't stop enjoying driving just because they became parents.

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