1996 Ford Mondeo Ghia 16V review from Australia and New Zealand

The first problem we had was with the air conditioning. We were told the pump needed replacing, however the cost to do so would have been totally ridiculous because, as the mechanic put it: "the car was built around the air conditioning unit!" You have to wonder what Ford was thinking when to replace a common problem like air con, the entire dashboard and half the engine needs to be taken out!

We've also experienced many electrical problems with the car. The electric drivers seat slides back very quickly, but only sometimes goes forward.

The service (spanner) light turns on and off intermittently.

The coolant light is on all the time, even though the bottle is full. The Ford dealership does not know how to turn it off.

The transmission has been a real pain also. I don't know if this is a fault or not, but when, say, entering an intersection at about 20kmh, if floored the unpredictable auto will not change into 1st gear. This causes a labouring pinging sound, and very very slow acceleration. Not to mention how unsafe this is. I usually end up getting really frustrated and force the car to change down manually.

The boot will only sometimes open when released from the lever beside the driver's seat.

The lights are extremely dim. I have found that if I drive around with full beam on, nobody flashes me to turn my lights down!

The engine for no obvious reason (maybe head gasket) sometimes runs on 3/4 hot on the temperature gauge. So far this hasn't caused any problems, just a coolant smell when you step out of the car. However I am preparing for a large repair bill shortly.

Overall it is an OK car. If I was going to buy another Mondeo I would opt for the 2.5 V6 manual. I find the 2.0 doesn't have enough pull to safely overtake on the highway. The auto will change into 2nd and the Mondeo will scream its way slowly past the overtaken cars.

I find the level of equipment fitted to the Ghia is of a high standard. Our example came with a Pioneer 12 disc stacker as a factory option. The fake wood gives the car a classy feel and the dashboard is a good design.

The handling is good and the car feels very solid on the road. However, a good set of directional tyres is necessary to make the most of the handling.