1998 Ford Mondeo ST 24 2.5 V6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A serious car, these will fall into the wrong hands

Faults:

Absolutely nothing.

This car is in sound condition and I am remarkably pleased with the way it has remained well screwed together despite the hard ride and mileage covered.

The only thing I could possibly complain about is the annoying squeaks that come from the drivers seat on bumpy roads. I've heard from other ST24 drivers that this is quite a common problem.

General Comments:

I paid £5000 for this as an ex-company car with Full Service History - I was a little concerned about the mileage, but this was unfounded. This car is as good a new (well, maybe not quite!)

Very hard ride perhaps too hard for use as a family car.

Handling is good, but not as good as you would like when pushed to the limit. This is after all a souped up family hatch.

Equipment is excellent nothing left out, everything you would expect.

Engine sounds superb and delivers a gutsy, torquey and enjoyable experience.

No sign of some of the engine problems reported by others this one is on song throughout the rev range.

Remarkably light on the petrol considering the monstering it gets. Normally returns over 28mpg (honestly).

Tyre wear is very light - I took advice and keep pressures at 33psi all round - I've done 6000 reasonably hard miles with virtually unusual wear.

This loves to be driven hard, but I find it tedious to drive around town.

Annoying engine management issue where engine revs don't die off between gear changes means you need to change your driving style to suit this trait. Probably a trade off of having air con and using the same mapping as for the auto version.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th March, 2003

17th Dec 2005, 17:39

I have a 97 ST24 and mine also has an annoying squeak coming from the area of the driver's seat. Can't complain though because those seats are very comfortable.

I also agree with your comment about driving around town. It can get very tedious when as soon as you get going you need to stop again because the car is faster than a quite large percentage of other cars. Its also quite hard to park sometimes due to the wide tyres and wider turning circle.

However, these are just small things. I love the car overall.

9th Jan 2006, 04:04

I have a Ford Mondeo ST24. It is a 1998 model, and yes the driver's seat squeaks. I have had this fixed on two occasions, but it keeps coming back.

Fuel economy 26/29 around town. A solid car with many extras.

I have had this car for 6.5 years, and it is registered as a taxi (this is my job).

If anyone is thinking of getting one, then you will not be disappointed.

20th Oct 2006, 12:19

It's a 2.5v6, not a 3.0.

29th Jun 2007, 06:35

How many v6's return 30+ mpg?

14th Jul 2010, 06:18

I owned a 1.8 Zetec on a V plate, but I replaced the interior with that of a ST24. The squeak is the leather of the side bolster rubbing against the centre console; easy to fix, just rub a small amount of Vaseline on the console rather than the seat; that way you don't get it over your clothes; solves the problem.

As for the holding of revs that some one mentioned; that usually signifies on a Ford that the clutch is starting to slip; not a cheap job on a Mondeo either.

1998 Ford Mondeo GLX 2.Oi from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A good family car except for some problems which should be sorted by the dealer under warranty

Faults:

Since I purchased it two faults have occured, one prompting a visit to the dealer. First of all I tryed to start it one winter and all that happened was that the starter motor turned over-nothing from the engine. The fault resolved itself about 2-3 days later.

The second being an excess of water coming in mainly from the rear light unit. I discovered it, at first in the spare wheel well. It got worse especially in heavy rain so I took it to the dealer, who resealed the unit and took one day over it. Other than this I have had no other problems with the car and it has been utterly reliable from day one.

General Comments:

I think the suspension dampers have been set up far too hard for comfort, although this adds to good body control in corners.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd February, 2003