They're a good car but more suited to motorway/country use than tight city driving. Very quiet and comfortable. The Mondeo is actually wider than a Falcon - heaps of room, especially in the back seat. The diesels drive much better than the petrol models, apart from the XR5 with the 2.5 turbo.
I'm from NZ so don't know all the details of the Aussie Mondeo specs. We get either a 2.0 petrol with a 5 speed manual or the 2.3 6 speed auto. They are Mazda engines (Mazda 6) made at a Ford plant in Mexico. Both have chain drives for the camshafts so no belts to replace. The diesel is a Ford/Peugot engine. The cars are built in Belgium.
The 6 speed auto is fine, doesn't hunt. Not quite as good as the ZF 6 speed in the Falcon, but very close. The seats may look basic, but they're very comfortable - IMO better than the seats in the Falcon XR6.
The base model has all the safety features but is a bit lacking in features, e.g. no climate air, steel wheels. I'd definitely go for a Zetec if you can.
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MB Mondeo TDCi wagon, sea grey, on MAK Invidia 16" wheels.
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