Power house with plenty of space

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), June 20, 2008

FORD do not take the term estate lightly with the latest Mondeo.

Unlike some other makes in the past, which have compromised space for looks, the Mondeo provides a cavernous space without ruining looks and legroom.

The Mondeo is the pride of Ford and a powerhouse of the latest technology, so why hasn't this latest model rekindled the old Cortina fervour?

It's all down to price. The original Mondeo model pushed the price over pounds 10,000 and the new car has carried on this upmarket swing in an effort to take on premium German, American and Japanese marques.

You have to remember that Ford has no specific luxury car in its range so Mondeo has a wide market to satisfy. This car, a Titanium X Estate, fitted with a 2.0 TDCi diesel engine linked to automatic transmission tipped the scale at pounds 24,655, but a raft of extras including a DVD navigation system and advanced Bluetooth hands-free and voice control system pushed it up to pounds 28,110.

So at this price it comes down to what you want. And this is where some people will pull up short over choosing a Ford over a BMW or Audi.

On the road, it is a refined and sophisticated performer with little noise from its diesel powerhouse and even when driven enthusiastically can return not far off 40mpg.