Who owns a Mondeo ST220 / ST TDCI?

GSDog · 14 Nov 2012 at 12:31

I test drove an ST220 this morning. Nice car, a lot of car for the money, but I think the one I drove was a lemon. The clutch had very little feel to it, when I first drove it my foot nearly went through the car - compared to my Mini it was incredibly soft. I couldn't even feel where the biting point was.

Performance wise it wasn't as quick as I was expecting. I know it's an N/A engine so it won't feel very quick, but it felt significantly slower than my Cooper S which I didn't expect. The engine was also much quieter than I was expecting, even passed 4k, but the torque in the lower gears were great for driving around town, etc.

I have a feeling that I didn't test drive a good example at all which is a shame.

danza · 14 Nov 2012 at 13:02

What garage was this car at? Not London & County Cars?

GSDog · 14 Nov 2012 at 13:05

danza said:
What garage was this car at? Not London & County Cars?

It was indeed. :eek:

Imy · 14 Nov 2012 at 13:06

I'd describe the clutch in mine as a medium in terms of heaviness.

The difference in the sensation of speed isn't just down to the N/A engine. It's the size of the car. Smaller (especially less refined) cars will feel quicker than larger cars at the same speed and the mini and ST220 are on almost complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of size. Also the 6 cylinders in the ST220 along with the weight of the car means accelerating feels smooth rather than sudden.

The noise from mine is pretty much how you describe it. Again this adds to the lack of speed sensation. It is quite tame in stock format which can be both a pro and con.

As for torque I find there's plenty when you're on the move but moving off from stationary feels like a bit of a chore for the car.

danza · 14 Nov 2012 at 13:10

GSDog said:
It was indeed.

They recently changed their name from something like Goldcrest Cars. I looked at an ST220 there a few months ago (an 03 with a nice stainless exhaust), but it didn't really float my boat. The fact that thay changed their name made me think something dodgy was going on so I avoided them when looking at ST220s more recently. Oh, and the ST220 I looked at there came back up for sale privately a couple of months after it sold. I guess it was a bit of a heap.

There's what appears to be a nice one (54 plate saloon) for sale in Hatton Cross at a gargage called Auction Price Cars - don't waste your time on it - it's got a transmission problem.

The main issue I had with the ST220s I tested was with the brakes. I think they take a bit of getting used to. I've driven several, and from what I remember they were all pretty similar. Clutch was okay I guess and not particularly heavy, but one I looked at (somehow now sold) was almost impossible to pull off without stalling. There was definitely something amiss with the clutch. Just whack the car into top gear at 25-30 and bury the accelerator - if it slips then avoid.

Howard · 14 Nov 2012 at 13:27

Imy said:
I'd describe the clutch in mine as a medium in terms of heaviness.

The difference in the sensation of speed isn't just down to the N/A engine. It's the size of the car. Smaller (especially less refined) cars will feel quicker than larger cars at the same speed and the mini and ST220 are on almost complete opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of size. Also the 6 cylinders in the ST220 along with the weight of the car means accelerating feels smooth rather than sudden.

The noise from mine is pretty much how you describe it. Again this adds to the lack of speed sensation. It is quite tame in stock format which can be both a pro and con.

As for torque I find there's plenty when you're on the move but moving off from stationary feels like a bit of a chore for the car.

It's a heavy old thing as well, which means it can sometimes feel a bit lethargic at slow speeds if you're in the wrong gear. Wind up the RPMs through 2nd/3rd/4th though and you can feel where the power is coming from, and it shouldn't have any problem walking away from a Cooper S

Puzzled · 14 Nov 2012 at 14:31

Funny you say about stalling with the clutch, my brother can't drive mine as he always stalls. I just put it down to him being used to diesels and not giving it enough beans.

The st220 below say 3.5k is dead weight, you need to rev the engine to get the performance out of it.

GSDog · 14 Nov 2012 at 16:36

That's interesting danza.

The clutch felt too soft to me. I've driven quite a few cars and it's one of the softest I've felt, as I said I couldn't feel where the biting point was which was frustrating when pulling away.

I did love the ride though, it was incredibly comfortable and it was nice not having to constantly look for potholes like I do in my Mini.

If I do get one I'll most likely get a Blueflame or JP exhaust fitted to make the most of the V6 noise.

tummelv · 14 Nov 2012 at 19:29

Imy said:
Well if you're not planning on keeping it long you probably don't want to pay the premium for a low mileage facelift like I did because you'll lose more in depreciation when you sell it on again.

BUT you're also saving around £700 a year in fuel by not having the ST220 (more if you consider how much fuel costs have gone up since last year) so you should have no problem saving up for a nice low mileage facelift if you wanted to.

For £3k it's gonna be a high mileage facelift at best and probably not in the best condition. I'd wait until you've got closer to £4k saved up unless it really is a temporary thing.

Hmm.....you've given me something to think about there.

I was intending to see how my financial situation is probably in a year or so from now. Can't afford it right now but should be in a better position over the next year. By then the prices may have fallen a little as well.

What year did the facelift come in? I've mostly been looking at the facelifts on Auto Trader and the like. Been going by the updated CD player in the dash. Was intending something like an 05 to avoid the higher tax of 06- but the exact year isn't important really. Would prefer a facelift though.

Other thing I thought about was a part exchange on my Focus but it's only an 04 1.6 Zetec. I ran an insurance quote on a ST 220 to compare to my own. The Money supermarket car value function came out with £1.5k as the value of my car. Dealers would tend to lowball this though, wouldn't they? So I'll have to stump up the lion share of it in cash.

Makhaira · 14 Nov 2012 at 20:49

danza said:
Just whack the car into top gear at 25-30 and bury the accelerator - if it slips then avoid.

Is this a common way to check the clutch? Mine is fine, but at 94k now I guess it's only a matter of time, was wondering how to check before it became very obvious, might use that! Thanks.

smr · 14 Nov 2012 at 21:06

I did a quote a week or so ago...

28 with 2 years NCB.

£550 was my cheapest fully comp, ma and pa as named drivers.

smr · 14 Nov 2012 at 21:07

I know I'm opening a can of worms here but isn't a modified ST220 exhaust going to sound a bit .... "chavvy"?

Phil W · 14 Nov 2012 at 21:34

No, it's going to sound epic.

danza · 14 Nov 2012 at 21:41

Chavvy exhausts are those fitted to nasty (read most) 4 pots by spotty teenagers. A 6 cylinder engine with a decent exhaust sounds quite epic. I test drove an ST220 saloon with a decent stainless exhaust system and it was lovely, not too loud in the cabin at normal speeds/revs, but great with a bit of welly.

TBH the ST220, like many other V6s, doesn't sound particularly great with a stock exhaust system, as so much effort seems to go into getting them passing emissions standards etc, it seems to take the edge off things somewhat.

Howard · 14 Nov 2012 at 22:16

I think it sounds great stock. Lovely engine note, grunty yet smooth and sings when you wind up the revs. That's not to say it can't be improved but let's face it, its a practical and comfortable performance hatchback/ saloon. They're not going to go mad when building the car are they?

Amleto · 16 Nov 2012 at 15:26

going back to the insurance discussion - Except for last year I've been paying £750+ for the previous few years with 10+years ncb, and there was also a year that was ~£900. The reason for the high one was an outstanding accident fault dispute going on. Got a bit of money back on that, though since it was eventually resolved in my favour.

Still, my ins costs just shot up over a couple of years from ~£500 to ~£800 for no good reason. It has only come back down to sane levels since being on admiral multicar.

theboyrob · 16 Nov 2012 at 20:33

smr said:
I know I'm opening a can of worms here but isn't a modified ST220 exhaust going to sound a bit .... "chavvy"?

I had a JP Exhausts cat back for my ST220, it sounded like a touring car, epic!

Really miss it, if I could find it I would buy it back! YR54 ZWX!

Phil W · 22 Nov 2012 at 18:47

Little bit jealous of my Dad, he called me to let me know he's picking up a MK4 Titanium X Sport (2.5T) at the weekend, and he's having it Bluefin'd too!

Amleto · 22 Nov 2012 at 20:44

that's just not the same without an ST badge

-Neil- · 24 Nov 2012 at 22:10

Taken delivery of my old car today, so wafty compared to the Lotus

A few snags:

Wheels are white.
LH Sidelight bulb blown.
Rear bumper black 'mesh' trim missing.
One of the interior vents on/off wheels is missing a section (still works).
Clicking/tapping from the pedal box when steering at low speeds (UJ needs greasing/freeing up).

Needs a good clean inside and out but for £2.5K is a lot of car for the money!

Neil.