Item: Used Ford Mondeo Estate 2015-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/superb/estate/used-review/n916">Skoda Superb Estate</a> offers an unbeatable mix of space and value in this class. It’s absolutely massive inside with plenty of room for five. It’s well priced and well equipped, too. It’s the car to beat in this class.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/passat/estate/used-review/n917">Volkswagen Passat Estate</a> is huge, too, with masses of room for passengers and a huge load bay. It’s well built and good to drive. On top of that the interior’s of an excellent quality.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/ford/mondeo">Find a used Ford Mondeo Estate in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Some owners have reported problems with vibrations through the steering and chassis. These should have been fixed under warranty.

Other owners have experienced electrical glitches with the Mondeo Estate, mainly to do with the climate control system; there's a Ford technical bulletin in place that provides a fix for climate control systems behaving erratically.

At the time of writing, there are two recalls in place on the Mondeo Estate; one is a fix for headlamps that may turn off without warning, affecting almost 10,000 cars. Check that the car you’re looking at isn’t affected using the DVSA vehicle recalls website, and if it is, make sure that the work has either been done already or get it booked in at a Ford dealership once you get the car.

Yes it is. The Mondeo Estate finished in fifth place in the executive car class in our most recent reliability survey, with an excellent overall reliability score of 86%. Ford as a brand finished in a commendable ninth place out of 32 manufacturers.

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Estate

Ford builds some of the most popular cars in the UK, including the Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks.

This success is partly down to longevity and the fact that there’s a Ford dealer around every corner. However, it’s also because Fords tend to offer good value and be among the best cars in their respective classes to drive.

The company’s huge range also helps; it offers everything from the small – but surprisingly practical – Ka+ to the large and lavishly equipped Edge SUV.

Meanwhile, other highlights of the range include the S-Max and Galaxy people carriers, the Mondeo executive car and the Ranger pick-up.

FORD

MONDEO

The Ford Mondeo Estate provides masses of space and is a fine long-distance cruiser

Used Ford Mondeo Estate 2015-present

According to official figures, the most efficient model in the Mondeo Estate range is the 74.3mpg 1.5 TDCi Econetic diesel. The most popular model, the 2.0 TDCi 150 diesel, achieves up to 67.3mpg.

If a petrol Mondeo is what you’re after, the 1.0 turbo is rated at a creditable 54.3mpg, while the more potent 1.5 turbo gets 47.1mpg – impressive figures that place them as some of the more efficient petrol cars in the class.

In terms of tax costs, all Mondeo Estates registered after 1 April 2017 will cost £140 a year to tax. Tax costs for Mondeo Estates registered before then will range from £0 per year for the most efficient Econetic versions up to £220 a year for the most powerful petrol models. Reckon on paying £20 a year for the 2.0 TDCi and £30 a year for the 1.0 petrol, while the 1.5 petrol will incur a significant jump in cost up to £150 a year.

Servicing on the Mondeo Estate isn’t too costly, and parts will be cheap to buy if something does go wrong. Cars over three years of age will qualify for Ford’s Motorcraft servicing regime, under which an annual service at a Ford dealer will cost £149. You'll pay even less at an independent Ford specialist.

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The Ford Mondeo Estate provides masses of space and is a fine long-distance cruiser


Between £10,000 and £12,000 is the entry point to the Mondeo Estate. This will buy you a 2015 car in good condition with an average mileage for the year and a full history, probably from a trader or an independent dealer.

Up this to between £13,000 and £15,000 and you’ll find good 2016 cars with the same criteria applying, while in excess of £16,000 will net you a good 2016 car from a franchised dealer.

There’s an engine in the range for nearly everyone, and while the petrols put up a good fight, we think the best all-rounder is the 1.5 TDCi diesel found in later variants.

The Mondeo Estate is a handsomely equipped car, so there’s little point trying to seek out a higher-spec model. Our pick of the trims would therefore be Zetec, which adds electrically folding door mirrors, a heated windscreen, electric rear windows and a height-adjustable passenger seat to entry-level Style’s kit list.

Our favourite Ford Mondeo Estate: 1.5 TDCi 120 Zetec

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Huge boot and excellent practicality</li> <li>Plenty of interior space so you can carry passengers as well as luggage </li> <li>Strong engines to pull a heavily laden car</li> <li>Comfortable ride, especially on the motorway</li> <li>Low running costs for company car drivers</li></ul>

If you’re after bags of space but you don’t want to commit to the van-like dimensions and styling of an MPV, there are some great estate cars on offer that should do the job.

Tricks to look out for include an electric tailgate&nbsp;that opens automatically when you wave your foot under the rear bumper; this is&nbsp;particularly handy if you’re trying to load in a heavy or&nbsp;bulky item. You should also look for handles in the side of the boot itself that can drop down the rear seats; these are much more convenient than having to walk around the side of the car to do it.

There are some terrific estates at most price ranges. The humble Skoda Fabia Estate offers cavernous space for not much cash at all, for example.

Further up the price range, another of our perennial favourites is the Skoda Superb Estate;&nbsp;it’s great to drive and as practical as most people should ever need. Meanwhile, for serious mile-munching ability and a premium, well-finished interior, it’s hard to look beyond the BMW 5 Series Touring.

Check the interior for scuffs, scrapes and other damage that may have been brought about by the rigours of family life. Keep in mind, too, that some of the materials used in the Mondeo Estate are lower-quality than those in more premium rivals, so might be more easily marked. Listen carefully for rattles, too.

The Mondeo Estate’s quite a big car, so check carefully around the exterior for scuffs and scrapes. Also keep a keen eye open for any poorly repaired accident damage.

Once upon a time, if you wanted a good-value and spacious estate in the large family or executive class, you went as a matter of course to the Ford Mondeo Estate, especially if you wanted one that was good to drive, too.

The same still holds more or less true today, although rivals have certainly caught up a bit since the days when the Mondeo was still a fledgling. This latest fifth-generation version is larger than ever on the outside, while inside it’s still large, practical and comfortable. Now, though, it finds itself up against a number of particularly good and notably spacious wagons, such as the Skoda Superb Estate and Volkswagen Passat Estate, of which some are equally attractive financially.

Things start well, though, with a large range of punchy and efficient engines. Diesels are the most popular, and these kick off with the 1.6 TDCi, which is brisk enough for relaxing everyday use. This was replaced in later models by a more efficient 1.5 TDCi. The 2.0 TDCi is available with two power outputs: the 148bhp version is satisfyingly quick in most situations and makes the 178bhp option hard to justify. It's also available as an Econetic version with even lower CO2 emissions.

There are three turbocharged petrol engines, too: a 1.0 with 124bhp, a turbocharged 1.5 with 158bhp and a 2.0 engine with 237bhp. All are really nice to drive, and any thoughts that the tiny 1.0-litre engine might not be up to the job of hauling around the huge Mondeo Estate will soon be dismissed once you’ve tried it.

All engines get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard, apart from the 2.0 petrol, which has a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

Trims range from entry-level Style, coming with dual-zone climate control, cruise control and alloy wheels, through Zetec, which adds electrically folding door mirrors, a heated windscreen and electric rear windows, up to Titanium, which adds sat-nav, automatic lights and wipers and larger wheels. Titanium X brings lots of high-end kit including adaptive LED headlights, a leather interior, and keyless entry, while luxurious Vignale adds a panoramic glass sunroof, a 12-speaker Sony sound system and a noise-cancelling system.

Being one of Ford’s 'world cars', the Mondeo was developed largely in the US, and on the road, it doesn’t actually handle quite as sharply as Mondeos of old. It’s more grown-up, certainly, but it’s no longer as rewarding a car to drive enthusiastically. That said, the steering is light and there’s plenty of grip. The ride’s good, too, with the Mondeo absorbing large bumps and road imperfections admirably. Added to that, refinement is top-notch, and there’s little doubt the Mondeo is one of the quietest cruisers in its class, especially on the motorway.

Inside, it has comfort to add to that refinement. The driving position is excellent, with good visibility in all directions, the seats are supportive and there’s huge amounts of room in the front and back, with plenty of head and leg room. The rear seats even come with a novel inflatable seatbelt design, adding an extra element of safety for if you have an accident.

Bizarrely, the Mondeo estate actually has slightly less room in the boot with the rear seats up than the saloon, but in truth there’s not much in it and in both versions there’s seemingly almost enough room to house a small aeroplane. There isn't a height-adjustable boot floor, but what you get is easily accessible and usefully shaped and, above all, huge.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/classifieds/used-cars/ford/mondeo">Find a used Ford Mondeo Estate in the What Car? Classifieds here</a>

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Used Ford Mondeo Estate 2015-present review

Alternatives

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