Who owns a Mondeo ST220 / ST TDCI?

[mike gunnz]

Anybody know how I can find out the ampage rating for the alternator on my ST220?

 

[smr]

I own a 1.8 LX at the moment and have fancied the ST220 for a long time now. Bought my LX in 2008 at 69k and so far have got the clock up to 110k...

What differences would I see if I were to part 4k for an ST220 over my LX ?

 

[mike gunnz]

A stunning rise in petrol consumption for starters However the benefits more than make up for this. The 3.0 v6 Duratec engine is a high revving lump that sounds awesome and delivers most of its performance between 4000 and 6750 rpm. Pushing it over 5000 rpm in 3rd during my daily commute puts a huge smile on my face.

It handles really well and feels very planted though the corners although the brakes caught me out a few times in the first couple weeks of ownership as they are quite progressive and not over servo'd like some.

Full leather interior, excellent heated Recaro bucket seats, air con, cruise control, electrically adjustable seats, windows and mirrors. Parking sensors and xenons are a common upgrade and for 4k I'd certainly expect any examples I looked at to have both.

6cd Sony stereo comes a standard I believe in the facelift model (late 03 onwards).

Couple things to watch out for are rear sub frame bushes and a sagging rear bumper on earlier MK3 models.

After 6 months of ownership I have zero regrets about purchasing one. You get a stunning amount of car for your money and being a N/A Ford I believe maintenance costs are acceptable.

Howard did a comprehensive review of his ST220 after a year of ownership - there should be a link to it in his sig; its well worth a read despite the fact that he bought his in the wrong colour.

 

[Buckster]

looking for a replacement to my MB6 Civic VTI at the moment, and went to take a look at a ST220 - I really liked it - but on research afterwards - I was quite surprised at the fuel economy reported by owners

I'd have expected it to be a bit better than the Focus ST - not quite a bit worse

seems to me for a bit more initial purchase cost a Focus ST - if you don't need all the space - is a better buy ?

I was reading about sub 30 whilst Motorway touring ? and low 20s or worse around town ?

 

[Makhaira]

low 20s around town is accurate, but sub 30 on the motorway is rubbish. Most people manage mid 30s, some high 30s.

 

[Kaka]

They are both thirsty cars, so if mpg is a concern to you then perhaps they ain't the best choice for you i'm afraid.

For motorway driving, I get around 35. My daily commute with mostly A roads with a bit of town driving gets me about 23. I do sometimes get down to 18 depending on traffic or mainly going around town.

 

[Buckster]

thanks to both of you - maybe still on my list then I don't get much better (well prob not better at all) - with my 1.8VTI atm (180 to a tank round town, and 250 on a long run)

I've narrowed it down to an EP3 CTR, ST220, Focus ST or a 2.0TFSi Audi A3

basically it needs to fit my 2 kids int he back (4 and 8) CTR - surprised me how much room it had in the back, much more than the 4 door Subaru WRX (2006 plate) that I tried



don't you hate it when you set yourself difficult goals looking for something that can fit 2 adults and 2 kids with some luggage, has sporty handling (more important to me than raw speed), is warm hatch speed or better, and is not silly on mpg

my 1.8 VTI has fitted the bill perfectly for 8 years but is completely clapped out now but I still enjoy driving it every day

 

[Howard]

Howard did a comprehensive review of his ST220 after a year of ownership - there should be a link to it in his sig; its well worth a read despite the fact that he bought his in the wrong colour.

I did indeed. I shall quote it below (and edit it slightly). I've owned mine for two years now and still love it.

And no I didn't

When I was researching my next car, my main priorities were reasonable running costs and good reliability, obviously in proportion to the type of car I would be owning. I was of course expecting increased consumable costs, as you would when you go from a regular saloon (my old Accord) to a performance car.

I was considering a number of cars, namely things like the Focus ST, Mazda 6 MPS, Golf GTI, Leon Cupra R, etc.. Things of a similar ilk basically, in addition to the Mondeo, but it's always been the one I've *really* wanted. The rest are great, but things such as turbos, fuel consumption and reliability were all important factors to consider. I had also considered E46/E39 BMWs as well, but to be absolutely frank, they don't do much for me, and as is well-documented on these forums, the running costs are high, so I can't really warrant the increased costs to myself.

Anyway, to cut a long explanation relatively short, I decided the Mondeo ST220 was the best combination of performance, handling, comfort/equipment, running costs and reliability. The engines and MMT6 transmission are proven to be solid, and the mk3 Mondeo is an excellent and reliable car. I like the idea of a simple configuration, i.e. a high capacity naturally aspirated engine with no unnecessary complications built on a proven platform.

So off I went to look at one, for sale at a Ford dealer in Farnborough. Now I'll admit I'm a little impatient, but after a test drive, this one ticked the boxes - was in excellent condition and at the time, the price was good, especially from a main dealer. I was also smitten by how it drove. I'm sure I could have found one for a few hundred cheaper if I had waited months and travelled half the country, but like I said...


So a year and almost 15,000 miles on, what's it like? Well, it's been excellent. It's been faultless, aside from the issue with the clutch that materialised when I bought it, which was replaced under warranty, so no big deal there. Since then, I've had nothing but pleasure when driving it. Last month I had it serviced by Ford, a painless experience, and it passed its MOT without any advisories, and I've not yet had to replace anything but the front tyres; last year a set of Continental SportContact 3s went on, and there's still plenty of tread left. I'm looking forward to trying a set of SportContact 5s when they're available and I need them.

I still find the performance excellent. You do have to wind the RPM up a bit to get the most out of the engine, but low-down torque is still plentiful and it will pull happily from idle speed in all gears, meaning trudging around town is about as un-stressful as it gets. Give it some beans through the gears up toward the redline though and the engine makes a wonderful howl and it has plenty of shove. The shift action, while being nowhere near the rifle-bolt action of the MX5's gearbox (and neither is any other car I've ever driven) is smooth yet positive, and has just the right amount of weight and feel to it. It produced 226bhp on the EuroSpec rolling road where most other runners were disappointed, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the Powerstation rollers have to say.

In terms of fuel economy, my long-term average is 26.9MPG. On a run it'll achieve 34-37 depending on traffic and overtaking etc, and on my commute which is a mixture of town driving with a bit of motorway in between, it'll average 26-27.

The handling, for what it is, is also excellent. The feedback, grip levels and sharpness of turn-in are brilliant for a heavy front-wheel drive car. Power it through some twisty lanes and the front really digs in, understeer being minimal, and the chassis is very adjustable in this respect. Simply let off the throttle a bit if understeer occurs and it'll tighten up nicely and with no fuss. Wet grip levels are also excellent, mostly in thanks to the tyres, although obviously understeer is a lot more apparent when pressing on.

Comfort is also excellent, I really cannot ask for more. On the motorway wind noise is minimal, with only a little bit of intrusion from road noise but this is surface-dependant and it's a lot quieter than my old Accord. I can happily sit back in the lovely Recaro seats with music playing and the journey will be comfortable and stress-free. Oh yes, the stereo. People seem to moan about the standard-fit speakers and whatnot, but if you fit a quality head unit with decent amplification, the speakers can be made to sing quite nicely. I have however upgraded the front speakers to a set of direct-fit Focal coaxials and they have much improved the quality and eliminated some of the harshness of the stock speakers. It has more than enough equipment for me. I love the climate control, and I love the fully electric heated leather Recaros. I've got no gripes with the interior build quality; most of it feels nicely finished, certainly to me. Some elements can't be compared to that of 'higher quality' marques (rear bumper, standard finish of the alloy wheels, jacking point covers and whatnot) but compromises have to be made, right?

I still think it is a really handsome looking car, and I still look back at it occasionally when I've parked it. Everything just sits right.

In summary, it has absolutely lived up to my expectations of what I was hoping it would be like, and I'm pleased that I did the research and made an informed choice.

Future plans? I can't see me replacing it any time soon. I am simply going to ensure it's kept in as good a condition as possible, and if circumstances allow in the future for me to upgrade to something better, so be it! I doubt I'll be modifying it any time soon, although it has a new knob thanks to SoliD and if a fruiter exhaust system should one day accidentally become attached to where the standard system used to be, then well that would be a shame wouldn't it..


I think that's it. Thank you very much for listening, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, refreshments are served over at the back there, and please take a leaflet on the way out.

 

[Makhaira]

And no I didn't

<panto voice>
Ohhhhhhhh yes he did!
</panto voice>

 

[Imy]

I thought maybe with the school holidays my mpg would improve in my ST220 as the roads are much clearer in the mornings now and I can take a different route that's mostly A-road.

Wrong - my foot is planted pretty much all the way

Haven't really enjoyed the car all that much up until now. It does need a lot of breathing space in front though to get the most out of it.

 

[R220]

thanks to both of you - maybe still on my list then I don't get much better (well prob not better at all) - with my 1.8VTI atm (180 to a tank round town, and 250 on a long run)

I've narrowed it down to an EP3 CTR, ST220, Focus ST or a 2.0TFSi Audi A3

How big is the tank in your honda ? My ST220 costs me £70-£75 to fill up and i do mostly motorway driving which gets me 280 miles to the tank. Trip computer is generally showing as averaging 26mpg. End of the day its a 3.0 v6, so make no mistake its a thirsty car. If your sat at 65mph in 6th without slowing/speeding up constantly on a clear road sure you will see 32-33mpg but it wont go much better. Im very sceptical to those who say they get more than this. I owned a EP3 CTR for 2 years before the ST220 and that was loads better on fuel, so much so im thinking of going back though i may get a fn2 gt as want something bit newer and like cruise control. Had the st220 for over a year now so fancy a change anyway but yeah ill admit im sick and tired of the fuel consumption now Still a fantastic car though!

 

[Makhaira]

Be skeptical then, but at 65 I get 36+ out of my ST220 .

 

[Howard]

Be skeptical then, but at 65 I get 36+ out of my ST220 .

Me too at an indicated 70.

 

[Kaka]

I thought maybe with the school holidays my mpg would improve in my ST220 as the roads are much clearer in the mornings now and I can take a different route that's mostly A-road.

Wrong - my foot is planted pretty much all the way

Haven't really enjoyed the car all that much up until now. It does need a lot of breathing space in front though to get the most out of it.

You should do more night driving when the roads are dead. So peaceful yet rewarding at the same time.

 

[smr]

Around £1000 to insure for me, currently my 1.8 LX Mk3 costs me around £500.

The MPG I'm not too bothered about as my customers will be paying for the petrol mainly (I stick £5 on to each job these days to cover my petrol costs.

Really am thinking about getting one soon, you only live once and I want to drive something I've fancied for a few years now.

 

[Phil W]

Before...

After....

 

[NathWraith]

MY EYES

 

[Phil W]

I never knew fully grown men could completely ruin cars until I joined a Mondeo forum

 

[NathWraith]

I never knew fully grown men could completely ruin cars until I joined a Mondeo forum

I hate coloured rims on wheels. Rear light tints look awful too.

 

[SoliD]

I never knew fully grown men could completely ruin cars until I joined a Mondeo forum

I've seen much worse.