2002 Ford Mondeo Ghia TDCi from UK and Ireland - Comments

Injector no. 2 replaced at 68000 miles at a cost of £387.

Injector no. 1 replaced at 70500 miles at a cost of £354.

Handbrake cable replaced at 71000 miles at a cost of £49.

Button in binnacle for resetting trip computer very 'iffy' - needs to be pushed 'just right' for it to work.

When the car is working it's awesome, the power delivery from the TDCi engine is fantastic, making for easy motorway entry and overtaking on all roads.

It's also quiet and refined so you can talk to your passengers at speed without too much intrusive road or tyre noise, although wind noise around the rear windows at 70mph or above is a bit high.

Round the twisty bits the car handles well, although mine didn't seem too keen on wet roundabouts! Perhaps I was a little overconfident as I was having too much fun! I would have to say that my previous car (2004 Vectra 1.8 Club) did handle better though - it just felt tighter somehow.

The seats are very comfortable and supportive, the cabin quality is good and the 6 CD changer gives excellent sound quality.

Mine blew 2 injectors in 8 weeks. These are extremely expensive parts and only Ford have the necessary software to calibrate them, a license to print money if ever I saw one!

When taken to Ford, the answer was 'it's just failed, it's one of those things'. Where would garages be without 'one of those things'? A catch-all statement to cover anything they can't or won't explain! Try as I might I couldn't get them to give me a reason for the failure.

I'd definitely recommend the driving experience, but I'd never ever buy another Ford diesel without a manufacturer warranty - the risk of injector failure is a gamble too far for me!

Mate the Mondeos are brilliant at handling, whereas the Vectras are dreadful. The chassis on them is one of the worst. If you have watched Top Gear with them on you would know, so no your Vectra is not as good at handling.

I'm sorry, but the above comments are not totally true. Yes the Mondeo is a sharper drive,. But the Vectra grips just as well and does without the fords crashy cheap feeling suspension. Its also a lot quieter and feels much more expensive. Just feel the fords light weight doors and look at that cheap headlining. Look in the taxi ranks and see what you find. Yes the early Vectra had is faults. But after 160,000 the Ford's ready for the bin, and the Vectra can do double that!

I am sorry, but you must be confusing something, ride with handling, steering feedback or something because the 2nd comment IS correct.

The modern vectra was a massive leap from the 1st one, but they have NEVER been as good as a mondeo to drive. And they still aren't. Sorry.

Whist magazine reviews do not give you any idea of the ownership experience, they are pro drivers, and nearly all reviews will back me up here.

As I said, the New shape vectra is said to be pretty decent, but the Mondeo has always been top of its class today, whereas the best that can be said of the Vectra, is that at least it is now in line with the class norm.

As the writer of the original review, all I can say is that I enjoyed driving the Vectra more than the Mondeo. I don't care what Top Gear or any magazines say; I felt more confident chucking the Vectra around corners than the Mondeo. It had more grip and better feedback to me as the driver.

THE END.

I would say that £700 or £800 pounds worth of work over 70,000 miles isn't too bad. It works out at about £100 per year if you do 10,000 a year. Not a lot compared to the depreciation.

I own a taxi company. I have Mondeos and I currently own one, and I have had Vectras. The handling is way better than the Vectra, the build quality is better, and reliability wise they are equal, but at everything else the Mondeo is better. It's comfier and just a better car altogether.

I know as I have had both of them at the same time to compare, but it's not on par with the Mondeo, the Mondeo is a class leader, the Vectra is not.

The mondeo has a better quality feel. Go on some review sites; they will tell you what I have just said OK.

This is Daveascibbe. The Vectra is way better than the Fix Or Repair Daily.

Yeah, Ford are crap, my mate has had one and it has had an EGR valve, a turbo pipe, a wheel bearing, the electrics are crap, the build quality is shocking.

To say they are better built, not as good as Volkswagens, even though Mondeos are built in Germany, they depreciate a lot, and the TDCi engines are the most unrefined engines in the class.

To say it's a modern car, yeah they have the looks, but everything else is awful. Fix Or Repair Daily (Ford).

Hahaha!!

04 Vectra 1.8 Club better handling than a Mondeo 130 TDCi Zetec?? Wake up and smell what you're shoveling :)