1998 Ford Mondeo Verona review from UK and Ireland

Sprung plastic trim above steering column fell off; Plastic shield around base of seat belt torn; Smell from air conditioning.

I am the person who previously had a 1995 Mondeo which caused me much grief including repeated central locking failure and surging during deceleration that sometimes made the vehicle difficult to control (see elsewhere on this site). I bought the present Mondeo after numerous test drives that convinced me that the engine in new Mondeos was now tolerably smooth, and because (a) it would have cost more to buy a similar car from any other volume manufacturer in the UK and (b) there is a dealer that has always given me good service nearby. There is also a dealer nearby that gives appalling service, about which I could tell a number of horror stories stretching over 16 years of Ford ownership, but I have now learned the hard way not let them touch my car with a barge pole! (or should it be a torque wrench??) I am glad I stayed with Ford, even though I had not intended to, as I am very pleased with my present car overall. It is very responsive unless the air conditioning compressor is working, in which case it's a bit sluggish; it's acceptably smooth; it handles well, and it's quite comfortable. It is also remarkably economical, in contrast to my previous Mondeo which was a real guzzler of fuel. The biggest disappointment is that the radio is greatly inferior to the one installed on the previous Mondeo in terms of performance in regions where there is a poor signal.