1998 Ford Mondeo LX Estate review from UK and Ireland

Starter motor occasionally fails to engage. I believe this is a common problem. Will be repaired under warranty.

No other known faults, but I've only had it 6 weeks.

Fantastic value for money. Being on a tight budget, I set out to purchase the most car for the least money. I paid £3295, which I think is an absolute bargain for a car just over 4 years old. I pity whoever paid £16k for it new though!

The ride and handling are a revelation compared to my previous car. You hear bumps rather than feel them. On 'B' roads it goes exactly where you point it. I've not reached the limit of adhesion (yet!), even on wet roundabouts. Feels very nimble for such a big car.

The driving position is spot on, mainly thanks to the rake and reach adjustable steering wheel. The seat gave me back ache to begin with, but is fine now. No lumbar support adjustment on the LX.

Very impressed with the Zetec engine. Plenty of power and incredible flexibility. Fuel economy seems good for a 2 litre. Not measured it accurately as yet, but seems slightly better than the Cavalier it replaced. I've read some reports critizing the engine for sounding 'gruff' when pushed. In my experience, in normal driving you can hardly hear it; open the taps and it sounds quite meaty!

Interior seems well put together. Very nice switch gear. Seat fabrics look as though they may not be very durable in the long run, but fine at the moment.

Equipment level is reasonable. It is a late '98 model, so it has air con, CD player and heated windscreen. Also has front fogs, which I've yet to see on another LX.

It lacks some of the little touches my Cavalier CD had, such as electric mirrors and rear windows, lumbar adjustment, wood door trim, rear head restraints, but the air con, CD and heated front screen compensate. Swings and roundabouts, really.

Lovely colour (juice green), but seems to scratch very easily.

Massive load area. With the seats folded it's like a small van.

Over all, I am very pleased with my car. I've always been a 'Vauxhall man',but although I don't believe the Vectra is as bad as made out (saying that, I've never driven one!) there's no doubt in my mind that the Mondeo is the better car. I think the comments on this site bear this out. It's just a shame there's so many of them on the road!