New top-of-the-range diesel Mondeo makes a typically capable, but slightly coarse, family hatchback

What is it?

The successor to another victim of European emissions regulations. Our favourite Ford Mondeo, the 2.2-litre 173bhp TDCi diesel, has bitten the dust, and been replaced by a smaller capacity diesel offering lower carbon emissions and EURO V compatability: this is it, the new 161bhp 2.0-litre TDCI Mondeo.

In making it EURO V compliant, Ford has fitted its 2.0-litre diesel engine with new injectors and a higher pressure commonrail injection system. The engine’s inlet manifold and exhaust gas recirculation system have been redesigned for faster warmup and better turbo response.

The result in this the most powerful oil-burning Mondeo now available is 161bhp and 251lb ft of torque: outputs that look less than generous next to those of the old 2.2, which served up 173bhp and 310lb ft on overboost, but that are counter-balanced by significantly lower fuel consumption and emissions.

What’s it like?

On our test route, Ford’s new high-output 2.0-litre TDCi performed willingly when roused. At idle – below 3000rpm, even – it’s a quiet and well-mannered engine, and when called upon, certainly provides urgent enough force.

Less impressive is the engine’s vocal coarseness above 3000rpm, and its relative lack of torque at lazier crank speeds. You do have to work this engine quite hard to feel the benefit of its extra helping of power and torque relative to Ford’s standard 138bhp diesel, and its combustion growl becomes borderline intrusive as you do so.

Its fuel economy isn’t brilliant, either: the 33mpg average we recorded is a way from Ford’s 50.4mpg claim, but it may be partly excused because our test car had done fewer than 100 miles, and because our test route was mainly urban.

The rest of this Mondeo’s performance is familiar and impressive, however - with one caveat. It handles and steers with class-leading precision and fluency, despite being one of the biggest and heaviest cars in its segment – but the sport suspension of our test car removed some of the Mondeo’s trademark absorbency from this car’s ride quality; we certainly wouldn’t opt for it.

Ford’s Powershift twin clutch gearbox is worth opting for, though. It doesn’t make the Mondeo any more economical or lower on CO2 than an equivalent manual, but certainly shifts more quickly than a conventional auto, and every bit as smoothly, and effectively takes much of the drudgery out of town mileage.

Should I buy one?

If you must buy right now, yes, because the Mondeo remains at the very head of its segment in all the ways that matter, and although this one isn’t as silky and effortless to drive as the outgoing Mondeo 2.2, it’s certainly very good.

Still, if you can afford to wait until the autumn to splash your cash, we’d recommend it. That’s because this particular new diesel Mondeo has come along just a few months before Ford’s first mid-life facelift of the whole Mondeo range.

That means the Blue Oval is currently working on a revised version of this car, and you can bet your Christmas bonus that’ll be better-handling, more refined and more economical.

Which isn’t to say that this car isn’t worth your money: just a warning that, before too long at all, it’ll probably look slightly less worth it.

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Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 163 Titanium X

Price: £24,395; Top speed: 134mph; 0-62mph: 9.5sec; Economy: 50.4mpg; C02: 149g/km; Kerbweight: 1587kg; Engine type: 1997cc, 4 cyl in-line, turbodiesel; Power: 161bhp at 3750rpm; Torque: 251lb ft at 2000-3250rpm; Gearbox: 6spd twin clutch semi-auto

Matt Saunders

Matt Saunders Autocar
Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce PhantomTesla RoadsterAriel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren SennaRenault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.

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Rammy 5 August 2010

Re: Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi

beachland2 wrote:

you answered your own question, yes petrol powered HGV and electric trains. but there are other ways of combating them, just by banning them , thats the simple way. if it means people dont get what they want by road or train or by sea, so be it.

too many service expectations.

I don't see petrol powered HGV's being feasible economy or performance wise, compared to their diesel counterparts.

It's back to the old arguement about where electric trains get their power from, and being involved in the electricity industry I can tell you we rely on old coal power plants more than people realise.

There are many package boilers running on gas oil (red diesel) across the country that support hospitals and other essential services. Diesel fuel cannot just be banned from our daily lives as easily as you think.

Thats all off topic anyway.

As for the Mondeo, it's too expensive although I'm sure it's a good car.

crashbangwallop 5 August 2010

Re: Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi

eddyesi wrote:
not with the same spec there not, list price is a titanium X, once you add all that kit to the BMW or A4 you end up a lot more

The equivalent BMW has a 181bhp engine against the 161bhp Ford, better quality materials and is a much better car. Sales and residuals back this up. The Ford is poor value for money unless you have the nerve to walk in an offer the dealer £6 grand off this list.

My main point however is that Autocar pretends the Ford is in a class with the Insignia, Lagunas and others one class down, The prices actually pit it head to head with BMW, Audi and Merc which is probably why volumes are going down, with most sales to the heavily discounted fleet market.

Peter Cavellini 4 August 2010

Re: Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi

But, the residuals on the Beemer will be higher than the Mondeo purely because it's a Ford (inverted badge snobbery!), so you maybe won't get a discount on a BMW, but the difference in residuals wll be significant which should make up for not getting a discount in he first place!, phew!