![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I posted a similar question a number of months ago.
Now I'm actually in a position where I can buy my new car, I thought it was time to get serious.
Today I test drove two cars - a 2002 BMW 530i Sport and a 2004 Ford Mondeo ST220. Both were outside of my budget, but my aim was to drive two excellent examples to be able to chose which car to have. I thought some of you guys might be interested in my thoughts on how the cars compared - if you are not, the back button can be found in the top left hand corner of your browser.
Before I start - the Mondeo drive was far more comprehensive. The salesman threw me the keys and told me to come back later, so I was able to really drive the car. The guy with the 530i came with me, and whilst I did get to drive it and test the performance, hurling it around backlanes was not quite as easy to get away with.
On the face of it, you wouldn't suspect that competition for the £36,000 new BMW 530i Sport would ever come in the shape of a Mondeo - but due to the wonderful way in which depreciation works, they now both fall into the same price bracket. For my budget, I could get a 2002/2003 ST220, or a 2000/2001/2002 530i Sport.
Exterior
So how do they look? Well, both look great. They both sit on 18" wheels (The Mondeo as standard, whereas the BM ones are optional, but I'd be getting them), both have 'Sports' styling over and above the regular models in the range, and both are lowered on Sports suspension. The BMW just looks classy, especially with its Angel Eye headlights and LED rear lights, and although the Mondeo looks great, I'm not so sure its quite different enough from the rest of the range. The Mk2 ST's were noticeably different - the Mk3 not so.
One thing I LOVE about the 530i Sport is that it looks fundamentally exactly the same as the M5. I know, I know, but the M5 is my dream car and to have one that looks almost the same is something I find so appealing - and the side profile of the E39 is just one of the best saloon side profiles I've seen - I prefer it to the Mondeo and the E46 3 Series.
Interior
Here was the first marked difference in the cars. The Mondeo interior is nice - very nice infact, trimmed in leather, plenty of toys, everything you'd need - it's actually much better specified than the BMW - you get heated electric memory seats as standard - few 530i's have this as it was an expensive option. You get climate control, whereas the 530i has dual climate control. Mondeo has front parking sensors, BMW has front and rear.
The BMW had Alcantara sports seats - which were awesome. Easily as good as leather, so I now know that if I find one with Alcantara instead of leather, its fine.
So what of the actual interior? The Mondeo feels marginally more modern, but there are many aspects of the E39's interior that actually look and feel nicer - the way the dash curves around the doors, the way its all angled towards the driver. Then there is quality. Don't get me wrong, the Mondeo does not feel like a cheap car. It does, however, feel like a car half the price of the BMW. On the whole its very good but there are areas of cheap plastic and generally the interior does NOT exude the same sense of quality as the interior of the BMW - the BMW is just pure class - everything is totally solid and nice.
Seat wise - Mondeo has Recaro leather seats which look nice, but in reality are not really any better than the seats in the 530i - which has Alcantara Sport Seats as standard but most of them have leather.
Now onto the actual driving. Another unfortunate fact - the 530i was a Steptronic. I've yet to find a 530i manual to test drive - the closest I've got is a 525i manual. Noise wise, both engines sound absolutely fantastic. Seriously VTEC boys - try a nice Six. You dont know what you are missing. The Mondeo has the edge in this regard - on full song, the 3.0 Duratec V6 sounds absolutely awesome - whereas the BMW just sounds 'great'.
Performance? Both pretty much the same, which I gather will mean the 530i manual will feel faster. Neither are slow - infact, both are as quick as I need. Becuase both cars are quite refined (Road noise at speed was very low) it's quite scary how fast speed piles on without you noticing it.
The Mondeo was a joy to drive fast - I found a nice empty road with a nice selection of bends and it handled them all amazingly - really good fun to throw around. I only got to throw the BM around a bit - but each time I did, it delivered. It seemed more.. shall we say.. composed? Suprised that there wasnt a HUGE difference between the RWD and the FWD - but the BM did feel more stable under hard acceleration.
I suspect the limits of both cars are beyond the limits of my driving, so I don't think the handling of either will be a deciding factor.
I did an utterly pointless unrealistic fuel economy test and managed 36mpg out of the 530i on a 5 mile dual carriageway trip and 38mpg from the Mondeo over a similar route. Whilst this is far from a useful test, it gives me an indication - I'll be driving 21 miles each way to my uni placement so its handy to know.
Mondeos gearbox was great - smooth, precise, a joy to stir. BMW gearbox was great for an auto but I longed for a manual. Tiptronic just isn't the same - I have to have a manual box.
Ride quality on both cars was excellent, actually. I was expecting a jarring, harsh ride given the M-Tech/Sport suspension and large alloys but it wasn't there - just decent damping and not too much bodyroll.
I got out of the Mondeo thinking it was absolutely awesome - I didn't so much from the 530i but then the 530i wasn't new to me - I already know just how good it is, and I didn't really get to properly cane it about.
Oh, one other thing of note is image. The BMW just felt 'good' to drive - I can't explain it, perhaps its a bit snobbish, but it just felt nice driving a BMW. You got that overriding feeling though that everyone thinks you are a ****. Not that much of a problem but an interesting contrast to the Mondeo - whilst this felt like I was driving.. a Mondeo, I pulled up at some traffic lights. Beside me were two Mk5 Escort RS2000's - the owners of which just sat there, checking out the ST220. Infact they were so engrossed in having a look they missed the lights changing (I was turning right so couldnt go) and had to be prompted by a toot from the car behind.
I thought that was pretty cool, and I doubt you'd get that in the BMW.
So, which one do I want? Well, it's a VERY hard decision and I've not TOTALLY made my mind up but I'd be suprised if it wasnt the 530i. It's just so... complete. So awesome in every way. I've driven the SE properly, and it was great, so the Sport can only be better. There are a few irrational things pointing to 530i as well - stuff I can't even explain. I just... feels right. I guess this is my heart talking rather than my head - I KNOW the 530i will be LESS reliable, cost MORE to run and be 2-3 years older but I just dont seem to care. On paper, the E39 is rubbish. In the real world, its... just great.
Oh, performance stats for those who care..
530i: 231bhp, 0-60 6.8 seconds*
ST220: 221bhp, 0-60 6.9 seconds
* Tested on wet track by Autocar.
But.. which would YOU chose, and why?
As a parting note, I was VERY impressed with the Ford dealer. I turned up, he spent a few minutes telling me about the car, handed me the keys, and told me to take my time. I did - he came over, asked if I was ok, and said why not take it for a drive. So I did. When I returned, no hard sell etc etc - just a thoroughly decent bloke.
Now I'm actually in a position where I can buy my new car, I thought it was time to get serious.
Today I test drove two cars - a 2002 BMW 530i Sport and a 2004 Ford Mondeo ST220. Both were outside of my budget, but my aim was to drive two excellent examples to be able to chose which car to have. I thought some of you guys might be interested in my thoughts on how the cars compared - if you are not, the back button can be found in the top left hand corner of your browser.
Before I start - the Mondeo drive was far more comprehensive. The salesman threw me the keys and told me to come back later, so I was able to really drive the car. The guy with the 530i came with me, and whilst I did get to drive it and test the performance, hurling it around backlanes was not quite as easy to get away with.
On the face of it, you wouldn't suspect that competition for the £36,000 new BMW 530i Sport would ever come in the shape of a Mondeo - but due to the wonderful way in which depreciation works, they now both fall into the same price bracket. For my budget, I could get a 2002/2003 ST220, or a 2000/2001/2002 530i Sport.
Exterior
So how do they look? Well, both look great. They both sit on 18" wheels (The Mondeo as standard, whereas the BM ones are optional, but I'd be getting them), both have 'Sports' styling over and above the regular models in the range, and both are lowered on Sports suspension. The BMW just looks classy, especially with its Angel Eye headlights and LED rear lights, and although the Mondeo looks great, I'm not so sure its quite different enough from the rest of the range. The Mk2 ST's were noticeably different - the Mk3 not so.
One thing I LOVE about the 530i Sport is that it looks fundamentally exactly the same as the M5. I know, I know, but the M5 is my dream car and to have one that looks almost the same is something I find so appealing - and the side profile of the E39 is just one of the best saloon side profiles I've seen - I prefer it to the Mondeo and the E46 3 Series.
Interior
Here was the first marked difference in the cars. The Mondeo interior is nice - very nice infact, trimmed in leather, plenty of toys, everything you'd need - it's actually much better specified than the BMW - you get heated electric memory seats as standard - few 530i's have this as it was an expensive option. You get climate control, whereas the 530i has dual climate control. Mondeo has front parking sensors, BMW has front and rear.
The BMW had Alcantara sports seats - which were awesome. Easily as good as leather, so I now know that if I find one with Alcantara instead of leather, its fine.
So what of the actual interior? The Mondeo feels marginally more modern, but there are many aspects of the E39's interior that actually look and feel nicer - the way the dash curves around the doors, the way its all angled towards the driver. Then there is quality. Don't get me wrong, the Mondeo does not feel like a cheap car. It does, however, feel like a car half the price of the BMW. On the whole its very good but there are areas of cheap plastic and generally the interior does NOT exude the same sense of quality as the interior of the BMW - the BMW is just pure class - everything is totally solid and nice.
Seat wise - Mondeo has Recaro leather seats which look nice, but in reality are not really any better than the seats in the 530i - which has Alcantara Sport Seats as standard but most of them have leather.
Now onto the actual driving. Another unfortunate fact - the 530i was a Steptronic. I've yet to find a 530i manual to test drive - the closest I've got is a 525i manual. Noise wise, both engines sound absolutely fantastic. Seriously VTEC boys - try a nice Six. You dont know what you are missing. The Mondeo has the edge in this regard - on full song, the 3.0 Duratec V6 sounds absolutely awesome - whereas the BMW just sounds 'great'.
Performance? Both pretty much the same, which I gather will mean the 530i manual will feel faster. Neither are slow - infact, both are as quick as I need. Becuase both cars are quite refined (Road noise at speed was very low) it's quite scary how fast speed piles on without you noticing it.
The Mondeo was a joy to drive fast - I found a nice empty road with a nice selection of bends and it handled them all amazingly - really good fun to throw around. I only got to throw the BM around a bit - but each time I did, it delivered. It seemed more.. shall we say.. composed? Suprised that there wasnt a HUGE difference between the RWD and the FWD - but the BM did feel more stable under hard acceleration.
I suspect the limits of both cars are beyond the limits of my driving, so I don't think the handling of either will be a deciding factor.
I did an utterly pointless unrealistic fuel economy test and managed 36mpg out of the 530i on a 5 mile dual carriageway trip and 38mpg from the Mondeo over a similar route. Whilst this is far from a useful test, it gives me an indication - I'll be driving 21 miles each way to my uni placement so its handy to know.
Mondeos gearbox was great - smooth, precise, a joy to stir. BMW gearbox was great for an auto but I longed for a manual. Tiptronic just isn't the same - I have to have a manual box.
Ride quality on both cars was excellent, actually. I was expecting a jarring, harsh ride given the M-Tech/Sport suspension and large alloys but it wasn't there - just decent damping and not too much bodyroll.
I got out of the Mondeo thinking it was absolutely awesome - I didn't so much from the 530i but then the 530i wasn't new to me - I already know just how good it is, and I didn't really get to properly cane it about.
Oh, one other thing of note is image. The BMW just felt 'good' to drive - I can't explain it, perhaps its a bit snobbish, but it just felt nice driving a BMW. You got that overriding feeling though that everyone thinks you are a ****. Not that much of a problem but an interesting contrast to the Mondeo - whilst this felt like I was driving.. a Mondeo, I pulled up at some traffic lights. Beside me were two Mk5 Escort RS2000's - the owners of which just sat there, checking out the ST220. Infact they were so engrossed in having a look they missed the lights changing (I was turning right so couldnt go) and had to be prompted by a toot from the car behind.
I thought that was pretty cool, and I doubt you'd get that in the BMW.
So, which one do I want? Well, it's a VERY hard decision and I've not TOTALLY made my mind up but I'd be suprised if it wasnt the 530i. It's just so... complete. So awesome in every way. I've driven the SE properly, and it was great, so the Sport can only be better. There are a few irrational things pointing to 530i as well - stuff I can't even explain. I just... feels right. I guess this is my heart talking rather than my head - I KNOW the 530i will be LESS reliable, cost MORE to run and be 2-3 years older but I just dont seem to care. On paper, the E39 is rubbish. In the real world, its... just great.
Oh, performance stats for those who care..
530i: 231bhp, 0-60 6.8 seconds*
ST220: 221bhp, 0-60 6.9 seconds
* Tested on wet track by Autocar.
But.. which would YOU chose, and why?
As a parting note, I was VERY impressed with the Ford dealer. I turned up, he spent a few minutes telling me about the car, handed me the keys, and told me to take my time. I did - he came over, asked if I was ok, and said why not take it for a drive. So I did. When I returned, no hard sell etc etc - just a thoroughly decent bloke.
Last edited:
