Just drove a Mondeo for the first time

[PMKeates]

I am. I really am. Why? I found it so very, very awful to drive.

I drove a 1999 2.0 Si.

It was all ruined by the driving controls being so very vague.

The clutch has absolutely no resistance and is perfectly consistent in reaction - when it's going to bite is a guess based purely on travel, rather than feel. Surely the brake pedal doesn't operate the brakes directly? It seemed like everytime I pressed it, the system went on a three week holiday and reacted upon return.

The throttle just seemed to operate a loudspeaker, as all I could hear was a fumbling roar as I soared off at exactly the same speed I was at previously. The gearbox felt so inaccurate and close. Close isn't bad, but the inaccurate feeling made it less than enjoyable to operate. The ratios are also far too short for a car of this size.

I actually disliked it so much, that I rate a 93 Cavalier that I drove for some time as vastly superior to drive and much more enjoyable - and that handled like a boat in treacle. A lot of people will be going "What the ****?" to this topic, but I thought I may as well write my opinion of the Mondeo's grossly uninteresting drive. It'll be nice to have it archived in case I ever get tempted to buy one.

 

[PMKeates]

I've been driving a year and a half now, during which I've gotten completely used to driving:

Mk5 1.6 Escort
Mk6 1.6 Escort
Mk2 Rover 214
Mk3 Cavalier 1.8
Mk1 Xsara 1.8

**Edit - Just thought of another two that fit in the above category:

Mk4 1.3 Fiesta
Mk6 1.4 Fiesta TDCi

I've driven for a reasonable length of time to become accustomed:

MGTF 115
Mk3 Fiesta 1.1
Mk3 Astra 1.6
72 Triumph Toledo

Driven a huge range of cars because of work and through friends etc., but none for more than an hour or so.

I might just be uncultured or something, having been used to an array of cars most would consider awful

 

[PMKeates]

It must be me. It seems I'm used to bad cars

I dunno. It felt like I was sitting aboard this plank operating some levers that told the car what to do, rather than actually control it. The Xsara feel the opposite to this - you can wheelspin it, lock the wheels, go sideways, lift off oversteer the thing and it always feels like you're actually driving it - the Rover was also similar to this.

Maybe it's just Ford's? The Fiestas were so underpowered, I don't think they ever went fast enough to use the brakes, so I can probably count my experiences of them out.

I could have sworn 60mph was touching close to 2750rpm, which was the same as the Rover and that had a revvy 1.4L rather than the 2.0L in the Mondeo. You could be right Fox - maybe they had a close/short ratio box on the Mk2 Si as well?

While I never really had a difficult time with the clutch, the pedal felt vague and slow because of it's linearity. Soft isn't bad - the Nissan Micra GP (You know, the Micra with the 350Z engine bolted in the back) thing's clutch was like trying to crush a brick - but the Mondeo didn't transfer much feel because it was so soft. This could well be an hydraulic/cable issue - I'm obviously much more used to cable.

I was considering the possibility of having one (This Si, in fact), as I'm without insurance at the moment and don't want to renew on the Xsara. I want a Rover Coupe, but my dad's sceptical of anything with "Turbo" in the name. I wasn't going to bother arguing with him, but after driving the Mondeo for a bit, I think I'll be doing the wrong thing by not going for what I want.

I'm 19, in full-time stable employment, have 100% disposable income and I was thinking of a 99 Mondeo. I must be mad. Or a wimp.

 

[PMKeates]

I've been assured that the car I drove was in fine condition, in fact "much nicer than most"

Oh well, I definitely won't be getting one now, anyway. It's a real tough decision for me, basically. I either get myself a Rover Coupe Turbo and go off to university in Sept, or get myself an RX-8/MX-5 and continue in the world of employment. The car isn't making the decision, but I need something v.soon, so a Rover is looking tasteful.