I quite agree.  And if buying second-hand, the alleged swifter depreciaiton of the Mondeo makes it even better value for money.

As for owners, I've encountered a vastly greater number of arrogant t0ssers driving BMWs (and Audis) than driving Fords, but this hasn't stopped people giving a good opinion of BMWs (and Audis) in this  forum.

 

 

I find far greater variation in driving based on the time day and location rather than the car.

During the day on major roads you'll find a lot of "working drivers" - Sales reps, engineers and so on and so forth. They are often the ones in a real hurry, driving like muppets.

During normal commuting hours when traffic is higher they don't seem to be as bad.

I find far greater variation in driving based on the time day and location rather than the car.

During the day on major roads you'll find a lot of "working drivers" - Sales reps, engineers and so on and so forth. They are often the ones in a real hurry, driving like muppets.

During normal commuting hours when traffic is higher they don't seem to be as bad.

Must be slightly different down here in the Central South. During the day the biggest problem is dodderers in their Jazz's and Picantos sitting at 50 in the middle lane or switching lanes for no reason. During the evening rush heading south on the M3 the Audis and Beamers think they're on the autobahn and if you don't get out of the way, they'll try and mow you down! Truth is though that poor or annoying driving is not dictated by marque but by the scale of the t**t behind the wheel. Some brands do seem to collect a particular type of personality, but they can pop up anywhere!

 

As for Mondeo v Octavia, I have had both. I found my old Mondeo perfect for ploughing up and down the motorway daily but not so convenient in and around town. It also had some big reliability issues towards the end of its life. I took it from 70k to 120k miles in just under 2 years but that was as far as it would go before a dodgy flywheel, fuel system and other things signed it's death warrant. My Octy II has gone from 65 to 170k miles in just over 3 years and is still going strong, could probably get another 100k miles out of it.

 

When looking for a replacement, I seriously considered a Mondy - it would have been my second choice, but it felt too big and unwieldy, a bit staid and old-fashioned and I still had reliability doubts. Then I test drove the new vRS estate and the dilemma was solved in the flash. The Octy is just a better place to be and a whole lot more fun than the current Mondy. I have no doubt that will change when Ford get the new one out...

Im currently in a 52 plate Mondeo. 2 litre petrol. Nice drive but over the 9 years I've had it I've come to view the ford quality/reliability as not good enough. It has had a fair few faults, all the common Mondeo problems like door locks.... easy to fix but ford replacement part prices are climbing fast, to broken springs.... Ok these fail on lots of cars but they onlyaverage  ~35k on my Mondeo and the last one wrecked a tyre instantly it failed. I was glad it broke as I pulled off my driveway. Had it failed on the motorway I would have had a front tyre blow out at speed.  These things have put me off ford.  The Octavia was the only car I looked at hard.

I considered the Mondeo, my father in law has had three and my sister in law has just had to replace her very old one.  To me the Ford appeared be a reliable car but just a bit dated.

 

As for certain makes of cars and driver types no one is perfect and we all have dislikes. Mine is the middle lane driver that either sits on your tail while the outside lane is clear as you over take then when you move over they overtake in the middle lane (their lane) and the middle lane driver that cannot possibly use the clear inside lane.

It's nothing do with the cars or the brand, I know they make some very good cars.  It's the people who buy them, I work with alot of people who drive fords, and I'm yet to see an mondeo that isn't driven by a ****.  It was only last night I had some *** in a C-Max undertaking me on the M56 and trying to force his way inbetween me and the car infront in very busy trafffic.

 

Have you read some of the posts on here from Octavia drivers? We seem to have more than our fair share of handlebars who will no doubt contribute to the accident and casualty rates.    

Vauxhall do the Insignia in various 4x4 estate variants from diesel to the VXR I have. Reliability is NOT a strong point!

I also looked at a Focus St3 but the deals weren't as keen so on balance ended up with the Vrs. Wifey has a grand cmax which is a very good car and with the 7 seat option and variations there of, plus the sliding doors, there was nothing to beat it as the family bus. The 1.6 petrol turbo is Ok engine wise too.

All down personal preference and use case. One thing I can't fault Skoda on is reliability, had a mk1 and mk2 petrol vrs from new and absolutely no problems with either.

That said so far the Cmax has been bullet proof too, unlike the VXR which has had new Halden and different as well as timing chains replaced!

Edited 15 January, 201412 yr by tuonopepper

I can't be bothered with brand snobbery, we own an Octy vRS, a Superb & a '56 plate Mondy V6 wagon.)

They are all competent, nippy (2.0l TSi's & 3.0 litre V6), with their own particular virtues.

 

For it's age & overall size the Mondy is (for us) the best estate car around, especially re. carrying capacity & driving fun, the V6 isn't too expensive to run, it handles well (very chuckable) & makes the nicest sound. Comfort is good, nice toys, (Ghia X, not an ST220) & still feels a very nice car to own.

 

Again, for us, the Superb & Octy 3 estates don't quite suit our requirements which it's still around.

 

Her Octy is a nice car, very nippy but on long drives on UK roads it's a little too harsh for our aging spines.

We find that the Superb is not much slower, it is more comfortable, albeit a little boring, & a very good car but I never look forward to driving it.

 

Unfortunately we could say the same about the Octy 3 vRS estate, we have driven a few & they are competent cars but they don't seem to have the "feel-good" factor that would persuade us to spend the £25 / 27K  on a new one

 

So, since the current Mondeo is a little to big to fit into the average garage, (we are house-hunting & have measured quite a few under-sized garages!) I'm hoping that the new Mk 5, supposedly on sale later this year or early in '15 will suit our needs.

 

To get back to some of the earlier comments in this thread, there's nothing even remotely affordable in the "premium brands" estate cars to replace our elderly Mondy, so we will have to stay with our mini fleet of snesible cars for the foreseeable future.

 

DC, quite happy to drive both Fords & Skodas!

Vauxhall do the Insignia in various 4x4 estate variants from diesel to the VXR I have. Reliability is NOT a strong point!

That said so far the Cmax has been bullet proof too, unlike the VXR which has had new Halden and different as well as timing chains replaced!

 

Vauxhall offer a lifetime warranty albeit non-transferable. I note that Skoda want £535 to extend the warranty to last for five years. Interesting insight into manufacturers confidence about reliability?

 

If I were buying to keep the car for a long time, Ford and Vauxhall would be on my list. I still miss my trusty vectra, amazing car, never complained, abused daily and solid as a rock. No flimsy panels or brittle plastic there.

Seems mandatory for ford drivers. IMO BMW and Audi drivers haven't got anything on Ford drivers for poor driving.

I believe that's just your underlying badge discrimination as I would take a guess bad drivers don't drive a specific brand....

Last 8 years I've covered the following.

Vectra SRi 150 diesel - 120k miles

Saab 93 Vector Sport 150 diesel - 95k

Smax titanium 140 diesel - 101k

All have been reliable with only routine maintenance needed other than a few odd bits.

Saab most disappointing, Vectra most reliable, Smax most impressive - handled like a big Mondeo, safe, comfy and economic.

Octavia's been with me a month and so far, so good.

Vauxhall offer a lifetime warranty albeit non-transferable. I note that Skoda want £535 to extend the warranty to last for five years. Interesting insight into manufacturers confidence about reliability?

If I were buying to keep the car for a long time, Ford and Vauxhall would be on my list. I still miss my trusty vectra, amazing car, never complained, abused daily and solid as a rock. No flimsy panels or brittle plastic there.

A warranty is good and the work on my Vxr has been under warranty and not cost me a bean.

However what is more of a hassle is the constant inconvenience of having to take it in, wait for replacement vehicles, parts, approvals etc.

I accept anything can and will go wrong, the bigger part for me is how gets dealt with.

Landrover have yet to be beaten there, every time my Discovery broke down they'd have recovery truck come get it and drop me a newer Disco or Range Rover at the same time, once it was fixed they delivered it valeted and took the other away.

I agree, service can be poor with Vauxhall. The number of dealerships seem to be reducing too. I did like that vectra though, it was so much better than the insignia.

 

Citroën used to give me a petrol voucher when I took the car in... nice touch.

Mondeos drive v well indeed, Ford have been v good at producing v dynamic mainstream drivers cars ever since the first Focus......however nearly every Ford ive been in over the past several years just dont seem as well engineered from a perceived quality angle as most VAG group cars. You sit in a new Focus for instance and whilst it might feel relatively solid and rattle free the harder you look the more inferior quality design and engineering you find. Cheap shiny plastics, trim, switchgear etc etc....open and close a door and they feel super light and sound quite tinny when they close. Every Fiesta, Mondeo etc ive been in has been the same. You then sit in a current Golf or Octavia....sure neither car sets the world on fire but IMO you really notice the difference immediately; expensive looking (but probably not that expensive in reality) touchy feely plastics, only hard plastics in areas of no real consequence, buttons and switchgear that feels expensive like it will last a life time, and design features that wouldnt be out of place on much more expensive cars that Ford couldnt dream of matching.

Its all a matter of opinion but VAG group definitely pass some of their knowhow and experience in building Audi's, VW Phaetons, Bentleys etc down the chain and it shows.

Edited 15 January, 201412 yr by pipsyp

Have to agree having owned a 2008 Mondeo Titanium X Sport TDCI i loved it interior quality i thought was very good the car in general was excellent, however the Octavia is a definate step up in my opinion although i have not yet taken delivery of my VRS i have spent plenty of time test driving and poking around them before i took the plunge and ordered one and began the long wait for it to be delivered long term i'm sure i won't be dissapointed.

I considered a Ford before the vRS.  I looked at the Fiesta ST.  Ford wanted more per month for that than Skoda have charged me for the Octavia.....

I like VAG group cars, ever since trying one 10+ years ago I have had 10+ of them.

 

Having said that (and keeping with the theme of this thread) The Mondeo is a better handling car and has better engines.

 

The new Ford Mondeo looks fantastic on paper (very Aston Martin ish from certain angles especially the front grille) but in the flesh it really fails to excite.  I had one earlier last year in the states (October time) and it's very good, 'better' than the new Octavia but also far more expensive for a like for like comparison.

 

The Octavia is also larger inside, more cabin space, more useable boot space.

 

It's a pity VAG group loses out to Ford and Vauxhall in sporty cars (Golf GTI Vs Focus RS Vs Astra VXR) the Ford wins on handling and pace.  Astra is only good in a straight line.  Yes, there is an R version but the Focus still pips it on handling.

 

If VAG took on some of Fords chassis designers they would have a world beater!

I like VAG group cars, ever since trying one 10+ years ago I have had 10+ of them.

 

Having said that (and keeping with the theme of this thread) The Mondeo is a better handling car and has better engines.

 

The new Ford Mondeo looks fantastic on paper (very Aston Martin ish from certain angles especially the front grille) but in the flesh it really fails to excite.  I had one earlier last year in the states (October time) and it's very good, 'better' than the new Octavia but also far more expensive for a like for like comparison.

 

 

Blimey, hands down, I think the new Mondeo is way nicer to look in the flesh - compared  to any of the VAG stuff and some of the kit on the top end one (like the 12 speaker audio system and the inflatable seatbelts) is leagues ahead imo. For me, Ford chassis are some of the very best out there in main stream cars - as you say, if VAG could get in on this it would be the cherry on the cake for me.

Seems mandatory for ford drivers.  IMO BMW and Audi drivers haven't got anything on Ford drivers for poor driving.

what a totally stupid statement. You are a little deluded if thats what you really think

Blimey, hands down, I think the new Mondeo is way nicer to look in the flesh - compared  to any of the VAG stuff and some of the kit on the top end one (like the 12 speaker audio system and the inflatable seatbelts) is leagues ahead imo. For me, Ford chassis are some of the very best out there in main stream cars - as you say, if VAG could get in on this it would be the cherry on the cake for me.

Or if Ford introduced a 4WD version of this new Mondeo estate ... and preferably like the xDrive BMW 3-series Touring (and unlike the Octavia 4x4 estate) without any giveaway increase in ride height to betray it as a "stealth" 4x4.

That would tick a lot of boxes for me! 

If VAG took on some of Fords chassis designers they would have a world beater!

I thought they had after the mk1 Focus came out and they helped VW design the mk5 Golf's platform.

I very much considered the Mondeo when I was looking for a new Diesel estate. I'd got my sites on a 2.0TDCi 163 PowerShift Titanium X Sport which was a fantastic car. Drove well, very spacious and felt well put together.

Eventually it came down to a few things for me. The main was price, I found all the Ford dealers I approached very unwilling or just plain wouldn't do any type of deal, and spec'd up the car was circa £33k, so I was vying for a decent discount. Also I was (and sadly have been with our S-Max) disgusted by the after sales offered by the ford dealers. The service dept's are just plain rude and I worry about the work they've done on our car. I know this isn't all ford dealers but it certainly is how we have been treated by the local ones round here, they just don't seem to be interested.

Plus the fact, when the vRS became available, it is better spec'd, has a better engine, better gearbox, is more frugal than the Mondeo, it was a no brainer. Not to mention cheaper to buy, run and tax!

Matt

(still waiting for a build date on my vRS :( )