New Ford Mondeo is well worth the wait

THE fifth generation of the Ford Mondeo was a bit late coming to Ireland, but I think it has been worth the wait. The new car has been available in the US for over two years, but Ford’s European production schedule was disrupted as they had to switch their manufacturing plant from Genk in Belgium to Valencia in Spain.

So while the cat, in this case a very big cat, was away, other car companies have been busy trying to make inroads into the saloon market. At the launch of their new 508 a few weeks back, Peugeot’s marketing people made no secret of the fact that the Mondeo and VW’s Passat were their main rivals. Peugeot were very bullish, saying that their new car offered a better spec than both of their rivals.

But really this is a cat fight between Ford and VW. Having also driven the new Passat recently, I think I’m in a good position to give my opinion. Basically the Mondeo is chunkier looking and probably more comfortable on a long journey, but the Passat, which was recently named European Car of the Year, is more stylish to look at.

However, Ford fans can rightly claim that the new front grille on the Mondeo resembles the Aston Martin, which was used by James Bond in Casino Royale. All new Ford cars will eventually get this new-look grille.

My test car came in white, which was unusual for a Mondeo. And boy it’s massive. There is so much leg room for front and rear passengers and the boot is enormous. Power was supplied by a 1.5 EcoBoost petrol engine, which is not as frugal as the 1.0 EcoBoost in the Focus.

On the road this is a really comfortable motor to travel in. At first you will be amazed with the sheer enormity of the car, but like most things in life you get used to it after a few days.

My grand children were home the week I had the Mondeo and they loved the

‘Ski hatch’ which opens from the back seat into the boot. They had fun pushing toys into the boot, but it would take an awful lot of toys to fill the huge boot and the good news is that you get a

‘mini’ spare wheel. The Passat offers a full-size spare.

Prices start at

?¬28,995 for the Mondeo, while the 1.5 EcoBoost version I drove starts at

?¬32,470. The Titanium version I drove had lots of extras, so remember that I am giving you only the starting price; it’s up to you as to what you can afford after that. It’s also available in 1.6 and 2.0 diesel and a 1.0 litre Eco-Boost petrol version is coming soon.

It’s a hard call between the Mondeo and the Passat as they both start at around the same price. I was reared on Ford, so I am probably biased. In the old days purchases often depended on what type of cars your local garage sold, but nowadays people are willing to travel for a good deal. The theme song from the James Bond movie

‘Casino Royale’ is

‘You Know My Name’ and the name is Mondeo or as Ford fans might claim

‘Bondeo.’