Conference terri::cars_uk

    
    
    
    	Whilst collecting my car from the local Ford garage after a
    service, I saw 10 Mondeos being unloaded and hurreidly driven into a
    workshop out of sight ! After enquiring I was told "unofficially" that
    they were to be Police cars.....they look "nice" but very Japanese....
    Does anyone know if there will be a 2 door version..that would look
    smart....how about a Cosworth version ?
    
    
    
    Graham.

    .1�    Does anyone know if there will be a 2 door version..that would look
    .1�    smart....how about a Cosworth version ?
    
    The cars that I saw around here had 4 doors, 1.6 and 2.0 engines, but
    be sure that there will soon be a whole family with 2 doors, diesels,
    plenty of valves, 4WD, ...
    
    By the way, the Mondeo is a big big departure from the Sierra in one
    area:
    
    		it's	a	FWD
    

re .-2

    If they were going to be police issue then normally they would go to a
special Home Office workshop for fitting out prior to delivery to the purchasing
force. The whole procurement operation for cars is done that way to ensure that
all the extras were fitted properly, especially the accurate speedo's etc.

So the comment my have been a bit of bull to stop any further awkward questions.
My thoughts are that they were for demoing to 'Top Fleet Buyers'. This has been 
backed up by someone I know who has worked a lot in a Fleet Organisation. This
is the make or break market for Ford.  Then have lost a lot of companies who
were exclusivly Ford until recently. Take the Post Office for example. All 
their company cars were Ford models until last year. Then they offered 
Peugeot cars. Now the part of the PO that I know almost all new cars are
Peugeot 405's.

Stephen d

    

    
    
    Yes, you could be right.......however that particular garage does do
    a lot of servicing for marked Police cars...and all the Mondeos were
    white..................who knows?
    
    	graham.

Last nights ITV news featured an item on the Mondeo launch in the UK.

Has anybody had a real date on when you can buy one in the UK (or order
one under fleet?)

-Mike-

    I read that Rover and Ford are due to launch cars in this class about
    the same time, May 93.  Rover 600 and Mondeo.
    
    DD

Today's Economist says that ford have spent $6B on their 'world car' - can you
believe it?!!!!! 

If they sell 10 million cars, then they'll have to charge $600 each to recoup 
the development costs. This, of course, ignores interest charges and the
investment they will have to put into model development.

I know they're going to sell it in the States from '94 - but even so....

Cheers

Steve

    Still looks like a Sapphire to me ! A wholly uninteresting car.
    
    Could have saved themselves $6Bn!

    IMHO the new rover 400 looks heaps better than the Mondeo

I agree. But the 400 is Orion sized. I think the note about the new Rover was
referring to the 600 - out later this year.


	Ian

	I heard that the Mondeo will be Re-launched in early Feb, with literature & 	
	prices being available. Later in Feb Test drives will be available. This will	
	be followed by customer deliveries starting (late?) March.			
											
	MAN.

    
    
     I've just been reading an article in the march edition of "what car"
    on the new Ford Mondeo.......they reckon it's a class winner, they
    tested it (1.6GLX) against Peugeot 405 GL 1.6i, Nissan Primera 1.6 LX
    and Cavalier 1.8i LS
    
    only point it didn't come out on top was handling and ride where the
    Peugeot excelled, but the Mondeo came a good second.
    
    Overall:
    
    Cavalier last with 3 marks
    
    Primera and Peugeot 4 marks
    
    Mondeo top with 5 out of 5 marks with the comment, "At last, a real
    winner from Ford. Mondeo can take on all rivals confidently. It's a
    great achievement.
    
    The article says it's available from march, in 1.6i 90bhp, 1.8i 115bhp,
    and 2.0i 136bhp (all 16v Zeta) engines, 4 door saloon, 5 door hatch and
    estate with a turbo-diesel avail. apr/may.
    
    STandard equip. on all models includes pas, rake/reach adjustable
    steering, central locking, deadlocks and airbag.
    
    No prices listed yet.
    
    Sounds quite impressive to me.
    
    Richard (young)

    
    
    There is also an article in "WHAT CAR" on the BX replacement the XANTIA
    it wasn't available for driving but from the information they have they
    also give it 5 marks with a comment in the verdict of "Could Xantia
    steal Mondeo's thunder?" avail. June
    
    Richard (young)
    
    Ps. I'll happily most more detail on the Mondeo or Xantia If anyone
    wants it.

    
    I test drove Mondeo last Saturday. Car seemed to be well built and
    solid. 1.8 litre engine has good torque. But one think bothered me:
    steering. It felt heavy in the middle but when turning it first
    didn't react but after that reacted very fast and kind of suprising
    the driver. 
    
    I was driving on iced narrow road and first thing that came into my
    mind was that this kind of steering could make nasty suprises to
    driver. Maybe it behaves ok on dry highways, but what comes to
    slippery roads, I would prefer the good old Sierra.
    
    
    
    Hannu

Ford Mondeo is on the new series of Top Gear tonight

Jacksons, the Ford dealer in Basingstoke, has one (GL?) on display and expects
to have literature and be able to offer test drives in a couple of weeks.

I'm interested in the SI, anybody seen any prices?

-Mike-

>Jacksons, the Ford dealer in Basingstoke, has one (GL?) on display and expects
>to have literature and be able to offer test drives in a couple of weeks.
>
>I'm interested in the SI, anybody seen any prices?
        
        Thanks for the tip-off, I went and had a look at lunchtime
        (it's actually a GLX). I have to say that it's not a bad
        looking car IMHO - this is the first Ford I've been interested
        in for a long time!
        
        I understand the prices are not going to be announced until
        after the budget.
        
        Ian.

    Just driven a Mondeo 1.8GLX as part of the 'Mondeo Day' at REO....
    
    As far as I'm concerned, all previous Fords were complete dogs, but
    this car will change your mind...
    
    Quick impressions, in no particular order:
    
    o  Unbelievable head and leg room for this class of car: Mondeo
    automatically goes to the top of my list because of this attribute! I'm
    6'2" tall, and with the seat right back I couldn't depress the clutch
    fully.
    
    o  Electric seat-height adjuster... on a 1.8GLX!!!
    
    o  General air of quality about the car -- esp. the way the doors shut
    
    o  Seat backs don't come far enough up my back for true comfort --
    shoulders don't feel fully supported, otherwise seats fine (and I have
    an ongoing back problem)
    
    o  Difficult to get at seat-recline adjustment... sculpted arm-rest in
    the door gets in the way
    
    o  Car generally very refined (although didn't take it over 4500 as it
    was still very low mileage)
    
    o  Feels swift enough for most normal use
    
    o  Gearbox very smooth and easy to use
    
    o  Car cruises easily and quietly at 70-80 indicated, although road
    noise was more prominent than I'd expected
    
    o  On the overrun, there's a disconcerting feeling generated by the
    fact the revs don't drop immediately and smoothly (due to the cat. and
    general anti-pollution measures, apparently); feels like you're driving
    an automatic...
    
    o  The car I drove didn't feel 100% happy in strong crosswinds;
    however, it was nowhere near as bad as the Sierra/Sapphire in this
    respect
    
    o  Power steering provided good feel, and was precise
    
    o  Ventilation/heating was very powerful, but I had no time to find out
    if they were linked
    
    o  Boot space on the hatch appeared better than on the saloon, although
    even the saloon was more than adequate
    
    o  There are remote releases for petrol flap and boot
    
    o  Handling and ride were very impressive, although unlike Autocar &
    Motor, I wouldn't have said they were quite as good as a Peugeot 405
    
    
    Summary: Quantum leap for Ford; shows what they can do when they try,
    although it's not perfect. Having produced the Mondeo, how can they
    have made a car as bad as the Sierra and previous Escort? I reckon Ford
    will really storm the market with this car.
    
    
    
    
    Regards,
    Stephen
           

	I drove both the 2.0 and 1.8GLX's and must say that I was generally
	un-impressed. As a current driver of a Cavalier 2.0i GL neither 
	Mondeo really grabbed me, although I would say the overall package
	was just about the same.

	A few points I noticed,

	1/ The ride and handling were superior to the Cavalier.

	2/ Brakes were excellent.

	3/ Boot space and access on both saloon and hatchback were not
	   as good as the Vauxhall.
	
	4/ The car was very quiet, but both engines seemed very harsh when
	   worked, but pulled right through to the red line.

	5/ Trim quality was ok, but again nothing special 

	6/ Niether car seemed to have any "get-up and go" which surprised
	   me specially on the 2 litre (134 bhp)

	7/ Geared alot lower (in 5th 3000rpm/70mph approx) than the Cavalier
	   (in 5th 3000rpm/85mph approx).

	Overall a nice car (both were), but performed exactly like the 
	Vauxhall and their wasn't much to choose between them.

Andy.

	There's a write-up in the Daily Mail about them today,


	Drivers air bag, and power steering standard in all models.

	Cutting the dealers margin from 17% to 10%

	4-door 1.6 	11,400	
	5-door 1.8LX 	13,380		170 less than Sierra it replces
	4-door 1.6GLX   13,400		545        "
	4-door 2.0Si	15,550		375        "
	?      2.0 ghia 17,900

	Heather

    Any more info on the Mondeo?????      good/bad

    
    I've seen a few Mondeo Police cars.
    

    
    RE: .23 
    
    I've put 12,000 miles on my 6 month old Mondeo 2.0 Si. H/B
    
    good - build quality, comfort, easy to drive
    
    not so good - not quite as quick as equivalent Cavalier, mainly due to
    extra weight  
    
    bad - looks like every other car on the road 
    
    I've got no real complaints, I must be getting older,
    
    Andy

    I took delivery of my Mondeo 1.8GLX Estate on Friday.  So far I am very
    pleased with it.
    
    As a previous Ford driver, I find myself feeling very at home in it,
    but miss the power I had in the DOHC 2.0i engine in my Sapphire.
    
    The build quality, trim, paintwork and attention to detail are
    excellent.  There are lots of nice touches:
    
    	a net in the luggage compartment to stop small objects sliding
    	around;   
    
    	stowage space behind fastened panels (e.g. for First Aid kit); 
    
    	luggage eyes for tieing down cargo;
    
    	variable speed intermittent wipe in front; 
    
    	loads of cassette storage;  
    
    	all road lights on one control (incl. fog lamps);
    
    	drivers seat adjustments for height, reach, rake, tilt & lumbar
    	support.
    
    The ride is pleasantly smooth and quiet on most surfaces - my wife is a
    poor traveller but doesn't get sick in the back.
    
    The visibility is excellent (I have the optional front heated screen).
    
    Overall, I reckon it's probably as good as most of its opposition and
    certainly better than the Cavalier Estate ;-)
    
    Jon

Jon,

	As there is no such thing as a Cavalier Estate I'm not really 
	surprised.

Andy.

    
    I drove the Mondeo at the weekend,and I must admit that I wasn't that
    impressed.The car I drove was the 1.8 GLX.The interior (excluding the
    electrics) has everything that my Corsa has.The engine felt to gutless
    for the chasis,and the ride was average.There were a couple of areas in
    which the car impressed me and those were the gearshift,the low cabin
    noise and the exterior styling which I thought was very attractive.
    
    These are all my personal opinions,and i'll accept that I only drove
    one model so perhaps this wasn't a fair report,but i'd rather have a
    Xantia.
    
    Andy.

Well Andy, The Xantia Diesel IS quieter than the Modeo Petrol in the cabin!

				Malcolm.  8-)

	Well for what its worth....

	I've always been a Vauxhall man, 5 Cavaliers and 2 Astra's and I've no 
complaints.

	Over Xmas I had to collect my father-in-law from Hospital in London after 
having 4 heart by-passes. The ride in the GSi isn't soft by any means, and when 
you've had surgeons climbing all over your chest for 4 hours and then having your
ribs wired back together - it would probably of shaken him apart.

	So, I contacted a collegue who I knew had a Mondeo and reluctently 
swapped my pride and joy with the confidence it wouldn't have the nuts screamed 
out of it. 

	I was impressed the minute I sat in it.	Comfortable; quiet; smooth; 
pleasant interior; nice controls; nice to  drive, I could go on. This was a 
1.8GLX, your average family hatchback, and I found it hard to admit it was 
excellent.

	Vauxhall have got their work cut out to match this little gem, OK the 
engine was a little under powered but I did over 700 miles in all and even with
the air conditioning on for half of it ( optional extra ) it still returned 35mpg

	I understand that there is supposidly a new Cavalier next year though I
haven't heard anything for a while, but I will be seriously considering a Mondeo
next time around.

Andy

    
    what features does the 1.8LX have????? does it have electric
    windows,tilt/slide sunroof etc...???

    I had a 1.8LX as a hire car the other day and it had...
    
    Electric front windows
    Manual glass sunroof
    Central locking/alarm
    rds radio
    Manual mirrors
    fully adjustable steering wheel (up/down and in/out)
    reasonably confy seats
    
    
    
    
    I hate to say it but.... it's the first ford hire car I didn't hate..
    
    
    Still can't actually bring myself to admit it's not a bad car!!
    
    Dave B