[Ros5co]

Hi Ryeman,

There are a number of things I really like about driving the Mondeo.

Firstly I like the way it tracks as if on rails around corners, far better than my previous XF & AU. I have driven a later model Falcon (BF I think) & although it felt better than the AU I felt the Mondy is superior. A personal opinion of course.

I also found in the wet it is very stable & I feel much safer than I did in my previous Fords. Maybe it's the European based design?

The other big thing for me is the triple mode gear box. In "D" it drives reasonably sedately & gives excellent mileage even around town. Slot the gear lever across to "S" & it's a whole new car with the gear changes much higher in the rev range & giving a much sportier feel.
I find though that I don't often use it in this mode for long preferring to use the third option & change gears manually as I want.
I have seen this gear box described as semi - automatic which I suppose it is in a way.
I am disappointed that the new model coming will most likely change the manual selection to a rocker button instead of a gear lever action. This to me loses it's appeal & may well be a reason not to upgrade in the future. Had a loaner Focus with this when my stereo was being replaced & it really took the enjoyment away from manually changing gears.
Pity it doesn't have paddles, that would be fun!

To top it off you can drive this car pretty hard & it still remains very economical at the pump. I used to top up my AU once a week, this has changed to once every three weeks now.

Apart from the driving I like the finish & equipment level, switches feel solid & of good quality (my AU window & other internal switches were crap & kept failing to work unless used regularly - XF were better).

Over all a better quality package to my way of thinking.

Cheers,

Ross