Mondeo Zetec

Went in one of these last night (2litre LX, 03 reg), and i have to say i wasnt particularly impressed with the Zetec engine (thats suppose to be quite good). It has bugger all pulling power low down, which makes it a bit shit to drive. Admittadly once above 4000rpm it will scream around to the rev limiter. I was told it is a VVT engine (dunno if thats right), which i guess explains it, but its not the sort of car you'd want to be ragging all the time to get it moving. You'd get a Civic Type R if you wanted that!

So what the big deal with Zetec engines then? Didnt really impress me! I reckon the TDCi would be much better!

Reply to
Carl Gibbs
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Well TBH its quite a nice car inside (although stereo wasnt great, and the analogue clock was gay), but the engine definately wasnt upto to Pug standards :)

The suspension was a bit soggy and wallowy, but then i wouldnt expect much more from that sort of car, although it did grip well (probably due to the

205 tyres though, one of which punctured!).

First and second gear were quite short which lead to fairly good acceleration when it got going (beat an XS :( ). And it J-turned quite well... ;)

Definately dont want that sort of car for while yet though!

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

if you want to try a good zetec vvt engine see if you can get a go of the focus rs its a 2ltr vvt and is quite impressive. the mondeo zetec is a family car so it drives like one.its a sofa on wheels. what more can i say.

Reply to
stevy666

No it blerdy isn't! Its a re-worked 2litre Zetec E (lower compression and call it a duratec!) with a turbo slapped on to 0.9bar boost and equals

210bhp. No variable valve timing in sight!

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

You though it was crap cos it was in a fat, lardy, Mundane-o. Take it out and stick it in a lighter car, and you'd probably like it plenty. In my experience, low-powered NA lumps never really seem "nice" in heavy saloon cars - you've always gotta work em hard to make progress.

Reply to
Nom

Agreed.

The 1.7 Puma had a VVT Zetec didn't it ?

Reply to
Nom

That was a Yamaha engine IIRC.

Reply to
Doki

The engine is not a zetec, it's the new duratec, all ally and still pretty new. They seem a bit variable, I think a bit touchy as to how they are driven when quite new, ours is really nice to drive on the motorway, powerband is in just the right place and 40mpg plus on a fast paced run. It's not a VVT engine but it does have tumble flaps on the inlet manifold to reduce fuel consumption at low load, which may have confused someone :-)

I think the tumble flaps shag the low down power tbh, easy way around it is to give it plenty throttle. The engine itself is a corker, just wait until it starts finding its way into a few caterhams etc, lighter than a zetec and capable of better specific output without spending thousands. The unit was designed with direct injection in mind anyway, this should improve the figures quite a bit.

The mondeo was made for reps to travel up and down motorways in comfort, it does this extremely well, I doubt you could find a car in te same class that handles as well though. The only thing it really lacks is some body composure when pushed, but it changes direction quite well considering its size etc.

Reply to
Andrew Jewitt

snip

There's already a company specialising in Duratecs in 7-based kits, IIRC. In CCC a few months back.

Reply to
Jamesy

I have no doubt it would be a great engine in a lighter car. I live my revvy torqueless engine, but i have a nice light car. I was expecting better thats all...

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

Yes, it is, co-designed with Yamaha but a Ford unit.

Lovely, too, pulls very well from under 2,000 rpm to "somewhere over 7,000" rpm, quiet, smooth, refined, efficient . . .

Reply to
DervMan

Just out of interest, how many miles had it on it?

As covered elsewhere, no, it's not.

But if it were, it would depend how it was set up. Toyota and Honda variable valve / cam / whatever timing goes from tedius to screamer, Ford's variable timing on the 1.7 Puma engine turns it from torquey lugger to, err, screamer . . . best of both worlds! :)

A few points. First off, the current shape Mondeos are about 1,500 kg, although the weight varies of course. Secondly, with the gearing set to be motorway friendly, you kinda want it loping along at the speed limit (plus a little bit) - in "low load" conditions, it doesn't need to be "on cam" (to use old fashioned terms). Thus, if it goes "on cam" at 4,000 rpm, but 4,000 rpm is a cruise of about 100 mph, that works! :)

But anyway, going back to topic, you get an economical cruising machine on the motorway, and when you need power and change down, you've got it.

It's not the kind of engine I like myself - I prefer (relatively) lots of low down thump, as you get from the TDCi :) or the Endura-E.

Reply to
DervMan

Heh - hire cars do always seem "run in" when they're done with, though! :)

Okay, here are some bad things. Rearward visibility is poor, and judging the Puma's ass isn't terribly easy when parking up. There's more room in the back compared with the Ka. Those headlamps are both ineffective on dipped beam and very expensive to replace (oh, and I don't think you can upgrade the bulbs, either).

The Puma and Ka are remarkably similar to drive - naturally enough, the Puma has a stiffer set up, and lots more power. In effect, a few drives of a Puma tipped me towards the Ka (going back a few years).

Yes, that's how it feels! Stick with it and get used to it, and there is more torque than it first feels, but it's quite obvious where the power is! ;)

It works quite well - the 1.8 feels less extreme.

I've only driven the original mark one Mondeo V6, but the engines are similar. The engine characteristics change at 4,000 rpm (from memory, the inlet tracts change, somebody with more knowledge will be along soon to correct or confirm!) and it's a bit like going "on cam." That V6 makes a delicious growling purring noise when worked hard, more so in the final

1,500 rpm. More torque? It probably has, but because there's a lot more go over 4,000 rpm, it feels peakier than it probably really is.

If we were buying a new Mondeo right about now, it would be the TDCi (I'd not even consider any other, the TDCi is that good, heh and I'm biased), or either a V6 or TD (if used). Used V6s are nicely cheap these days! :)

Reply to
DervMan

Sounds good to me

Well the TDCi has a Pug heritage, so i might be tempted :)

....however petrol and insurance are not!!! :(

I really need a second car though. I love the 205 but its a bit tatty and i wanna make a few 'improvements' to it that wouldnt make it an ideal day to day car. Maybe i'll buy a crappy NA diesel or something in a couple of months time.

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

In as much as Charlie has an Irish heritage, yeah, it has.

'Tis a lovely engine to work with. Unfortunately, dropping it into the Ka would probably ruin the handling (unless we made it a mid-rear Ka . . .).

Indeed.

You can pick up early Mondeo TDs in good nick for under a grand, and I can't see the V6s being much different.

Reply to
DervMan

Just been looking at insurance. A 205 DT is £600. A Land Rover 90 2.5 TD is £750. A Mondeo V6 is £1100. An SD1 V8 is £700. A BMW 318iS is £900. A Kawasaki KX125 is £320. All vehicles i would like to own. Maybe its time to sit down and work out my finances. Think the only one i'll be able to afford is the bike.

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

Everyone in America claims to "be" Irish or Scottish. Anything rather than English.

Reply to
Doki

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