Ford Mondeo MA (2007-2008)

Best ever – Traded in an old BMW and paid $10k Australian in 2013. Lasted 10 years without a single fault. 2 batteries, tyres and servicing. Lent it out to a friend 6 months ago and the other week it stopped on him. Mechanic says engine is gone. Not sure exactly how but for 10 years of straight use without problem and high kms (plus I was not good with… Read more

servicing), this was the best car I have ever owned. Always intended to keep it as a spare when I bought another car 5 years ago, and said I would only get rid of it once it died. Well it time is up, but what a great car it was.

So much better than I expected! – I bought a 2008 LX Ford Mondeo with 207000 km on it, and it has been amazing ever since. The only thing I replaced on the car was the breaks and tire, and servicing was done every 5000km or 3 months. I took my Mondeo up to Brisbane and down to Melbourne, and west to Wagga Wagga, never missed a single beat. Planning to take it to snowy mountains… Read more

this winter.

Built quality is surprisingly good as well. Rear-ended someone at 35kph once due to slipping on wet road with cheap tyre, absolutely no damage cosmetically at all.

Absolutely recommended as a first car, just make sure don't get the once with PowerShift transmission, those are utter pieces of crap, needs replacing every 100k at least and costs 5k for a second hand one.

A worthy purchase – Any Mechanical work would need to be done by a mechanic. Thermostat-Mechanic. Negatives. I have the 2.3l Petrol superb Power for a 4 cylinder as good as my Holden V6 was. interiors well laid out and even has a sunglasses holder over your head, hmm 1 thing, Bonnet latch is on passengers side. Reliable has never let me down even on the coldest… Read more

mornings. Good leg room, Steering controls. I have the station wagon good stuff space. 6 speed auto is excellent and you can flip the lever right for tiptronic/taptronic plus it gives you sports mode when engaged and it pulls away very well for those overtaking moments.

I think it's a great buy, I bought a low millage 200k one and it's been very reliable, I had to change the thermostat however and it's was extremely hard work to change out, being under the inlet manifold.

Other then that negative I would be happy to recommend and you definitely should take one for a test drive if considering a car buy.

Beautiful car to drive – I love my car it’s awesome reliable lovely to drive couldn’t be happier leather interior, its a turbo diesel drives smooth and also has a sunroof I could not of asked for a better car i love showing it off it sticks to the road and has awesome performance must have  Show details

Uh Oh – I took my car to Ford at Midland for a service. It came back with a transmission fault. I spent several hundred dollars trying to get the problem diagnosed, not solved...diagnosed. Ford Midland basically said buy a new car. The Ford Mondeo is not reliable. I had a 2 litre Torq diesel. The car was about 7 years old and perfectly maintained. I've… Read more

never seen such poor problem ownership as I have with Ford. They basically washed their hands even though they created the fault. I had to sell my car with money still owing on it.

best car ever – i would recommend the diesel ford mondeo to anyone i have had it for 9 years and its never let me down . It has plenty of room and the boot can fit so much in it. Mine is a also an automatic and the fuel ecomony is fantastic, n a 70litre tank I get around 900 to 1000 kms per tank.  Show details

XR5T – I purchased a low kilometer well maintained XR5T Mondeo 14 months ago, after considering a number of options for a spacious family car with a bit of go and decent handling. Finally settled on the XR5T, and have never looked back. I have covered approx 15000kms so far with no issues and it seems to be a well put together car. It comes with the… Read more

full suite of safety features including airbags, traction and stability control. Also has auto headlights, rain sensing wipers and follow me home lighting

It is the kind of car that grows on you.

The interior is very spacious and the boot is deceptively large. Even larger space available with back seats folded down. I have brought home 2.4m pine sleepers from Bunnings. Back seats have Isofix for baby/child seats.

The interior trim seems to be holding up well and is refined.

The only minor issues that I noticed was that part of the headliner near the front windscreen started drooping, however that was easily fixed with a good quality adhesive.

On the road it is very smooth and refined, and handles quite well for a large front wheel drive car, with good control of body roll as standard. Good quality tyres and decent wheel alignment definitely helps. I run Bridgestone Potenza RE003 in the standard 18" wheel size.

Being a larger car, takes a bit of time getting used to parking into tighter spots. The front and rear parking sensors definitely help though and work well. However a rear view camera which rounds out the package.

The 2.5L, 5 cylinder turbo engine is very torquey and easy to drive, and the 6 speed Getrag manual gearbox suits it well. The gear action is very precise and slots in nicely, with a light clutch action. I have owned a number of manual cars over the years, and this is one of my favourite engine/gearbox combos...

The engine has enough oomph to get the car going. However given the approx 1600kg tare weight, its not going to be as nimble as the Focus XR5T ...however once she's moving, roll on accelerating is good.

There are a number tried and tested power up options should you chose for the B2524T engine, with an uprated front mount intercooler (especially for the warmer QLD climate) a good addition.

There are options available to replace the factory Sony radio/Cd unit with Android units such as Eonon GA6162F.

Definitely a car to consider if you are after in the market for a comfortable, well spec family car with a bit of up and go...

Bargain Second Car – I picked up a Mondeo at auction not realising how good it was. It had all the bells and whistles that I associated with a much more modern car. The level of comfort and driveability were a nice surprise. The leather seats and sunroof was nice bonus. Bluetooth, parking sensors, sports gear shift, CD stacker, multiple air bags, electric driver's… Read more

seat adjustments, dual climate controls, automatic wiper and lights along with Isofix baby seat fittings are just some of the enjoyable bonus items that I was not expecting with my "cheap" second car. It's now my favourite car to drive.

2007 2.0l wagon – We bought this in 2011 for NZ$10,000 with 100,000 km on the clock. It had been a sales rep's car and done mainly open road kms (or so we were told). 5 years on and 75,000km later it has proven to be a very reliable, practical and economical car to own (if a little unexciting). In our time of ownership we have done front and rear brake pads and… Read more

rotors, and oil and filter changes (@5k intervals which I do myself) - plus tyres and battery.

The good:

Heaps of space for passengers and your gear. The boot is huge.

Good stereo but no Bluetooth.

Good looks - in my opinion.

Comfortable on long trips.

Sure footed handling.

We have had no mechanical issues with this car. None.

Build quality is solid.

Has stood up to long trips and all that a family of 5 can throw at it. We are not precious about our cars but mud and spills seem to wipe off interior surfaces and fabrics - and it has been pretty much bullet proof.

The not so good.

Performance is ok, the manual transmission allows you to keep the revs up to make the most of the engine (to anticipate hills or when overtaking). Not sure how it would go in an auto.

Fuel economy average- can get up to 600km open road driving but closer to 400 around town. 60l tank I think.

Twice the air bag warning light has come on, which I traced, through the fault code, to seat belt pretensioners. By unplugging these from under the seat and re connecting, this cleared the fault (thanks google).

This car is getting on now, probably should move it on, but at this age and mileage it's worth very little and as it is still going strong we'll likely just run it into the ground and have our kids learn to drive in it.

Would look at next generation in a diesel as a replacement option.

Ticks all my fussy boxes – This is my second Mondeo (thanks to a fallen tree). When I was going through the ordeals of what I required in a car I wanted these things: Safe, big boot (practical), economical, parking sensors, decent sound system, bluetooth, affordable, cruise control and with decent handling. There was NO other car that ticked those boxes as easily as the… Read more

Mondeo. Unfortunately I now hop into other cars from time to time and they are ruined for me. I pick holes in them. My only complaint is that being a European car the brakes and rotors wear out more quickly and the wheels are constantly getting dirty with brake dust. Just watch out if the front suspension is bouncy around the 120k mark. Suspension is probably due to be replaced around that mark (KYB's are $360). Also when you get one of these cars make sure the power steering fluid is flushed asap as mechanics never do this in a normal service. The filter in the power steering reservoir is a non cleanable part so best to keep the fluid clean.

Annoying design faults and cost of running – My Mondeo reminds me of my 1970 V8 station wagon. Why? Because around town it uses just as much fuel and its turning circle is just as large. Lovely to drive but terrible to have to turn around in a tight space. Its roomy with loads of boot but there is a price to pay. Also, what genius decided that it would be a good idea to mount the lower… Read more

door seal on the car body instead of the door? Picture getting out with boots on or especially getting out when you are parked along side another car such that you have to squeeze out. All too often your foot clips it and rips out the seal and a few clips. Brake bulbs blow about every 3 months. Would never recommend this car.

Absolutely brilliant value – The Mondeo third generation has got to be the best value vehicle on the Australian market, largely due to Ford Australia's misdirected attempts to support sales of the local Falcon. The Mondeo is an example of an excellent European vehicle undersold in our market (it shares a bit with Volvo). Mine is a Zetec hatch. It is without doubt the most… Read more

versatile vehicle I have ever driven.

It is comfortable. It is lavishly equipped. It is unfailingly reliable. It is economical to service and run. It looks good. It is big! Its boot is HUGE. It is amazingly versatile!

I enjoy full leather interior, heated seats, sensors for parking, rain & lights, bluetooth, voice control, etc. etc.

On the down side, there is nothing really wrong with it apart from some paint chips on the bumpers.

Mine is the petrol variant. I would have loved the diesel but they were as rare as hen's teeth in 2008 as Ford Australia failed to comprehend the demand for diesel back then (onya Ford marketing dept.) The 2.3L petrol engine is perfectly competent but not exhilarating. The automatic gearbox is surely a major feature as it extracts the best from the engine. Steering and suspension are very well set up and nicely responsive. A pleasant drive in any conditions. Tyres are sure footed, however replacing the original Goodyears with Pirellis has reduced roadnoise without compromising good roadholding.

Competing in European markets against the likes BMW 3 and Mercedes C series, the Mondeo here is pitched against the Madza6 as its nearest rival, however I would readily pick an upper spec Zetec or Titanium variant over a Mercedes C class any day.

I will be replacing it this year just for the sake of updating my car to a newer vehicle and I have been looking at a range of vehicles that could possibly replace it without compromising any of what I enjoy already. Number one on the list turns out to be another Mondeo.

Number two is a $55K+ European sedan and number three is a $45K+ Japanese SUV.

I would imagine that Ford Australia is already paying the heavy price for not marketing this vehicle to its full potential in favour of the Falcon. At the time of writing their total annual sales volumes were declining and they had no passenger car in the top 10!

In terms of quality, handling, reliability, versatility and value as an ideal car for the broader Australian market, the Mondeo should be in the top 6 challenging Toyota Camry's spot!

It has won scores of awards here and internationally as best mid sized car, family car, etc.

But thanks to Ford's appallingly inept marketing department (has any major carmaker ever had worse in recent year's?) the Mondeo remains a relative bargain today as it struggles to overcome the lack of care it received from launch in 2007.

Go Mondeo.

So Far So Good! – I've bought a 2008 Mondeo TDCI and so far couldn't be happier! I've done 10 000km on it and it averages about 6 litres of diesel per 100km. Mind you I drive mostly on open roads and am a very smooth driver. It does about 7.5/100 if you gas it a bit more. It has 140 000km so far, I'll keep you posted once I go in for 1st service since I bought… Read more

it which is at 145k!

Updated 5/11/2015:

Having now done another 45k kms in it and serviced it twice, fuel average is still below 6L even driving around in the hills. Left door handle cable broke, that's a bit annoying. I've had an issue with replacing my key due to a flat battery which cost me over 400$ from Ford. Their customer service in Mount Barker is great though. Fuel economy, comfort, boot space and looks. Cheap plastic interiors that have broken/melted with the sun.

This is the car I have owned the longest – I purchased my MA Mondeo XR5 Turbo new in 2008. Since then, it has been garaged, serviced religiously by the book and has covered a very modest 61000km in 7years (as I take public transport to work) This car has never let me down. It is a joy to drive and that Volvo engine is a cracker. Performance is deceptively quick, fuel consumption is… Read more

reasonable (mine is averaging 9.0l/100km on 98RON petrol) and the brakes are just outstanding. Ride comfort has been further enhanced by filling the tyres with nitrogen. The steering and handling are accurate and the car is poised on the road.

The only real problem with my car is that the steering tends to pull to the left due to the low profile tyres and road cambers. Certainly the tyres are not wearing unevenly.

I have heard about interior trim problems, though mine is still like new. Still after 7years, i am very happy with my purchase.

2008 TDCi Ford Mondeo – Bought the car with 80K for a song. Up to 125K with no major issues. Had a flat battery and the Battery World guy stuffed up and left me with a car with the security system armed. All the internet hints were rubbish. I was about to tow to Ford when my mechanic mate disconnected the battery for 5 minutes and all good (even Ford service couldn't… Read more

help me) so all good. I just had a noisy steering pump. It was the reservoir (blocked gauze filter) replaced with new one (with removable filter) from Ford and all good. This car is amazing on fuel, safety, and comfort. Tows my van like a champion and is great for really long trips (last Bris to Adelaide). I will buy another one.

Mondeo TDCI Update Review – Well our 2007 Mondeo has now done over the 100,000 klm now and has never missed a beat. Only normal servicing by our local Ford Dealer in Echuca at very reasonable prices. I have replaced the front brake pads myself and tyres of course. This car amazes me, the mileage on highway running for the turbo diesel is 6.5 litres per 100klm. I even towed… Read more

our van for a couple of trips and it returned a 10.5 litres per 100klm. No complaints here and it is one of the best cars I have owned. I highly recommend it to anyone. Of course I am only referring to the TDCI model, don't know about the petrol version. Reliability, economy, comfort, features... Could do with a light on the key switch, but maybe they have that now?

2008 Ford Mondeo XR5 – From the moment I saw the publicity shots of the Mondeo XR5, I was attracted to it. I leased the car new under a company lease agreement and after 3 years of pleasurable driving, I purchased the car for my own personal use. The outstanding features of this car are the quality European build, a strong turbo charged 2.5L, 5 cylinder Volvo engine, a… Read more

slick 6 speed manual transmission, excellent steering, precise cornering capabilities and just an all-round pleasure to drive. Not a WRX competitor, but a strong performer that doesn't disappoint when you need to quickly overtake. Fuel consumption is good if you can stop yourself from planting the right foot all the time. The features included with this car are great (front & rear parking sensors, Sony audio system, leather seats, voice recognition, bluetooth, fog lights, colour screen HMI, enormous boot space, body kit, 18" alloy wheels, etc). Normally I would change my car every 3 years, but this vehicle constantly keeps a smile on my face and I never tire of driving it (I particularly like driving long distances in this car). Would not hesitate in recommending this car to anyone who enjoys a quality and affordable sports tourer. I love the driving dynamics, smoothness of the ride and responsiveness of the turbo engine Perhaps the low resale value.

Excellent – As someone who has always had six cylinder company sedans since 1972 to now! Being told that company policy is changed to diesel or LPG powered vehicles was a culture shock. I chose the Mondeo Hatchback and after 4 weeks I am more than happy, the performance from the 2 litre turbo diesel engine is extraordinary, good performance and 900km range… Read more

around town and close to 1200 km on the open road, the features are extensive, heated leather seats, voice activated bluetooth which also covers audio setup & temperature controls 6 stack sony premium sound system with 8 speakers, auto lights and wipers are just some of the creature comforts this vehicle offers, It rides and handles extremely well and the interior space is almost line ball with my previous BF Falcon, the boot is huge and the vehicle has large alloy wheels as standard also. Why Ford do not make a concerted effort to make people aware of this car defies logic in my mind as all it would take is a simple test drive to alert people to the benefits this car offers and the engine offers similar torque to Holdens basic V6 engine which combined with the standard 6 speed automatic makes light work of hills, overtaking ETC even with 4 on board Ford you have a winner here and You are letting yourself & the buying public down badly by not promoting it.