Faults:

Endless wheel bearing failures, front and rear, cheap trim dropping to pieces, several design faults, airbag fault, ABS fault, climate control fault, corrosion on alloy wheels, alternator fault, cooling fan fault.

General Comments:

I owned a Mk2 Mondeo previously, which was a good looking, well built car; it was reliable and lovely to drive. I thought I was doing the right thing by upgrading to the Mk3 model, but how wrong I was!! Apart from the horrible build quality and the hollow, cheap sounding door cards and trim, this car has given me no end of trouble... I read that this was productionised entirely by the Germans, which explains everything to me, as all four German cars I have owned have been terrible too!

I'll stick with either French or Asian cars from now one; other European ones are overrated and too much trouble!

Faults:

Sub frame bushes replaced at 55000 miles.

Brake pads at 65000 miles.

Wiper blades at 50000 miles.

Battery (original) at 74000 miles.

Screen washer pump at 65000 miles.

General Comments:

Economy is excellent for the age of the car. 55 mpg in a solo run, 35 mpg towing a caravan.

Handles well.

Plenty of power; a lot more than I require.

Could do with more storage space in the cab area.

Faults:

Exhaust fell off at 66000 miles.

Alternator at 69000.

Handbrake issues including cables and lever.

Rear subframe bushes.

General Comments:

Love this car.

Returns 40 MPG around town, 50 MPG on a run.

A bit boring, but a pleasure to drive.

2.0 TDdi engine, slagged off by a lot of people, but it's a very good engine, with a 0-60 time of 9.3 seconds; this is pretty good for a 2 ton car!!!

Faults:

Suspension replaced due to wear and tear.

Water pump leaked.

Heater matrix burst.

Coil pack and leads replaced due to misfire.

General Comments:

Comfortable well mannered reasonably reliable car that is a joy to drive.

Engine is smooth and had a good spread of power all through the rev range.

Auto box is smooth and easy to control using the throttle and switch on side of selector lever.

The brakes are OK, but they could be better, especially for an Automatic where engine braking is limited.

Headlights could be better, but with high efficiency bulbs has improved.

Interior is well put together and is as tough as old boots. The seats are comfortable and support the back and legs well.

The Air con works well and keeps the car cool in hot weather. It also keeps the car condensation free in the winter.

The boot is large and the hatchback allows easy access to the boot, but the wheel arches do reduce the effective width of the boot floor.

The split rear seats could be better designed, with the rear seat cushion split along with the east back.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

A very enjoyable car to own and drive.

Big comfortable seats with plenty of legroom. A spacious cabin with a quality finish and quite a luxurious feel. All the gadgets (air con, electric windows & seats) to keep everyone comfortable.

Quiet on the road. Handles well and gives excellent performance.

For the money I paid (under £4000), I just don't think I could have got a better car from any other manufacturer. Thanks, Ford.

Even though the car was five years old when I bought it, it still looks in excellent condition and there are no signs of major faults.

Only small niggles - e.g. air con 'on' light almost impossible to see on a sunny day, slight clunky suspension over bumps.

Faults:

The clutch had to be replaced because it was worn out. This was only the first time it had to be replaced. According to the dealership a clutch will normally only hold for about 150.000 kilometres. This one had done 250.000!

All four doors had to be repaired (under warranty) because of corrosion.

The car had always been serviced by the local dealership. They’ve showed me the car's service history; no serious repairs had ever been necessary.

General Comments:

Even with a very high mileage, the engine runs very smoothly. Although the 2 litre engine only has 20 bhp more than the 1.8, it's much faster and smoother. It's even a bit more fuel efficient.

The handling of the car is very good. Especially when compared to the handling of the previous Mondeo model.

When using cruise control it's even quite fuel efficient.

The interior and boot space is big enough for a family, even when you're going on a holiday.