What Car? Used Car of the Year - Estates

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI (130) Zetec
Price from £6750 Year '03/03

They may be deeply unfashionable, but estate cars have never been better value. The rise of the MPV and 4x4 has kept values down, helping the Ford Mondeo to become our best used estate.

It's hard to think of something this car doesn't do well. It's great to drive, with bags of grip and accurate steering, and while the ride is on the firm side, it's not uncomfortable.

There's good space for passengers inside, but most importantly there's a huge 540 litres of luggage room in the boot - and 1700 litres with the back seats folded down.

If you plan to load the Mondeo up to the gunwales, you'll need the extra grunt of the 2.0-litre diesel engine in our favourite model. It also makes light work of motorway miles, and stays quiet unless you work it hard.

However, it's still easy to live with at lower speeds, and you should get an average of 47mpg in everyday driving.

Our panel also preferred this diesel to the petrols because of the sheer number of models on the market and its slower rate of depreciation.

The people's choice
For this money, you should be able to afford the face-lifted model with its host of improvements inside and out and a six-speed manual gearbox. It's better looking, nicer to live with and should hold its value better than the old car.

The Mondeo's popularity with fleet buyers, company car drivers and private buyers means there are lots of cars to choose from, and our panel of experts felt that Zetec trim provided the best value for money.

There's no denying that there are cheaper estate cars on the market, but our judges were convinced that the Ford Mondeo is worth the extra money.

Buyer's guide
Power: 128bhp
Fuel economy: 47mpg (average)
Insurance: Group 9
C02 g/km: 158
NCAP rating: 4 stars
Reliability rating : 4/5
Service intervals : 12,500 miles

Also consider...

Up to £6000
Citroen C5 2.0HDI (110) SX
'03/03 £5000

Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec
'02/02 £4750

£6000-£12,000
Volvo V70 D5 SE
'02/02 £10,000

£12,000-£20,000
Mercedes E320 CDI Avantgarde Auto
'03/03 £20,000

VW Passat 2.0 TDI SE
'05/55 £14,500