Top Gear and the Ford Mondeo

I don't set out to watch Top Gear on a regular basis however do quiote enjoy it when i happen across it ( usually my 15 year old lad watches it). The Ford Mondeo always used to get a bit of a slating yearss ago when it first came out . I think the term Ford Mundane was used a lot. The Top gear presenters always seem to hold the latest version in quite high regard though. Am i missing something here, do they genuinely like it, or are they taking the piss.

FWIW, the only time I've ever been in one was as passenger in a mates about 5 or 6 yeras ago , and thought that it wasnt a bad drive at all.

 

I thought they always thought the mondeo was what it was but hated the Vauxhall what ever it is, in the same bracket.

 

The new post 2000 Mondeo is supposed to be a fine car, and the 1993 model set the standards for interior design which all other manufactures used as a bench mark, even now the interorior of a 1993 Mondeo still looks modern.

I think the post 2000 is supposed to be very good to drive and has imrpoved reliability. You can get Y reg ones for stupid money now as well, £2000 gets you a lot of car for the money.

The main problem with Mondeos and Vectras is they loose their value very quickly. I know a person who has just paid £14k on a brand new Vectra. It would have been cheaper to buy a BMW 3 series.

The reason my dad didn't buy a 1993-2000 Mondeo was the fact a clutch replacement is an engine out job, and as my dads milleage is all city it is likely this will need doing. Although Ford clutches seem to be very very strong. I don't know of a single Ford that has needed a new clutch. My dads Escort is still on the original clutch at 86,000 miles.

 

The new Mondeo is the old 3 Series, and the new 3 series is the old Mondeo. Clarkson and Ford have 'history', which seems to stem from him really slating their cars all the time but might've been buried when he bought the GT40.

They've always hated Vauxhalls, with the exception of the Monaro.

 

The new Mondeos are really good cars, great to drive

 

I don't think there's owt wrong with the Mondeo (though I wouldn't have one..), but there's absolutely no excuse for how crap the Vectra is... Anyone who buys one of those must have no feeling at all in their back (cos it's excruciating after about 1 hour), and not go round corners at any more than 20mph (as it wallows dangerously). Not the worst car I've ever driven - that's probably my Landie wot with it's bone shaking ride, 20mpg and 45mph top speed - but the Landie is:
a) cool
b) able to go just about anywhere
c) cool
d) 30 years old
e) not expected to be comfy
f) cool
g) huge fun. Which the Vectra most certainly isn't.

 

don't buy a ford. get a viper

 

They have never hated the Mondeo,its the 'Mondeo man' drivers they have had a pop at for years.Mondeo man represents everything Clarkson seems to hate on the roads.The Vectra on the other hand,was a shit car and Clarkson did indeed hate it.

 

Remember these guys are up themselves big time (except Mr May) who get to drive top metal all day everyday and whilst I do find the show entertaining it has no useful meaning to the average man in the street. Still, Mr Clarksons GT (apparantly he's got a refund) has been a joke and the short one has got a god awful yank tank and a basic morgan (jokes aplenty I think). Interestingly, James May, has just ordered a new Porsche Boxster. If you want a useful show to watch, catch Automundial on M & M, thurs 7.30pm.

All the Mondeo's have been top motors, in fact I think all Fords lately have been decent cars thats deserve a much better press IMO.

 

Fix Or Repair Daily Mundane - the car you should never have bought, let alone promised yourself.

Nice pulling to the left on early models - almost as good as the Mk1 Renault Espace that couldn't go through puddles

Hmm - anyone got a good acronym for VAUXHALL??

 

No but theres this; Fix It Again Tony

 

Which AFAIK is a rebadged Holden !

 

Indeed it is badchamp... badge engineering goes deep at GM:

The vauxhall omega is a prime example... Anyone think it strange that vauxhall should produce an RWD car? It was the Holden Commodore in drag. Then the omega was taken on, given an egg-crate grille and became the Cadillac(!) Catera (which was, strangely, the only RWD caddy of the time) in the US.

As for the mondeo... the post 2000 mondeo is as big as the old granada, 15" longer than the original mondeo. It's a big car and actually well engineered. Good enough that the underpinnings make a reasonable 3 series rival in the X-type (although jag have had their fingers burnt by the link. The next X-type will be a porsche Cayenne rival and they will pull out of the small exec market)

 

Found In A Tip morelike... Fiat Pandas in particular spring to mind - trully fekking horrible cars!

 

I was walking up Mount Versuvias the other day and got overtaken by a couple of fiat panda 4x4s. Which was unexpected.

 

The old Panda is a piece of crap, the new Panda is supposed to be very good. I don't like people bashing Fiat becuase my dad 60,000 city miles in his Punto without any real problems and it was used as a van.

The trick with Fiats is to only buy second hand and to check the car well. This why you can avoid some of the Italian build quality issues.

 

You see many Omegas on track days due to being RWD.You can get an ex-plod car for naff all money and have hours of fun on track.

 

When Omega's came out they were still using a lot of carlton m2 components. AT ford do not make clutches they mostly use borg & beck. Ford cars have improved in general since they bought Mazda.

 

Are they known to be quite strong clutches? It just seems in the old days it was quite common for clutches to need replacing but my dad has a Ford and my mate does, my mates has done 90,000 and my dads 86,000 both cars have spent their lifes on the city and have complete service history and there is no evidence of the clutch being replaced.

My dads Lada would need a new clutch every two years.

 

Down to the quality of the clutch AT, oh and the driver.