Are Mondeo V6’s really that good?

FFS, how many more groups are you going to ask the same question in?

Mk2 and Mk3 ones do drive well, they're not /that/ quick, but they drive and handle well.

There are people in here who disagree, but ignore 'em, they know naaaathing.

Are Mondeo V6?s really that good? I keep coming across old snippets from motor journalists (Clarkson, Honest John etc) really rating Mondeo V6?s as great drivers cars, are they really that good and rewarding to drive?

Its just a bigger understeering front drive grocery getter. No. Christ an old cortina or sierra at least drove the right end and was fun to drive.

Depends what your definition of "that" is and what you want from your=20 car. For a FWD car, they were pretty reasonable handling, and - as a=20 barge for gadding about in with a few toys and a bit of leather - they=20 are certainly acceptable. As has been said already though; what they are=20

--=20 Lordy.UK

Depends what your definition of "that" is and what you want from your car. For a FWD car, they were pretty reasonable handling, and - as a barge for gadding about in with a few toys and a bit of leather - they are certainly acceptable. As has been said already though; what they are

My parents have a 51 plate Ghia X estate, 2.5 V6 - fast it is not. 170bhp or something? And like, 1,600kg or something hehe.

Don't know about the V6, but my dad has bought himself a new Mondeo=20 Diesel and is stunned by how well it goes and handles, and looks.

He has a white one because it was available now, instead of waiting a=20 month for a dark metallic grey one. And people comment on how different=20 it looks in white compared to all the dark ones you see.

--=20 Carl Robson Audio stream:

Even the ST200/ST220's are not anything that could be called "rapid", God help the 170bhp versions :)

It's not what they're for though obviously, the gearboxes are preset to "leisurely".

crap

having owned all 3 to say those two old barges drove better than a mondeo you'd need to be on drugs. The sierra was OK but REALLY.....

for a cheap 4-door barge they're pretty brisk, we're not talking 5 seconds to 60, what do you expect....

I expect that you own one.

"mike" wrote in message news:KDYuj.2707$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...

Not as sophisticated or a smooth and quiet but they at least felt balanced rather than "front drive" on the limit, which just runs wide everywhere... I hate that. And ALL front drive cars do that. Yes you "can" unbalance one on purpose to promote some hard to control oversteer for a few moments but its not the same "feel" as a car driven (and controlled) by the correct end. I was a bit of an animal in my younger fitter days (hence 2.3 swapped out for 2.8 V6 cortina, an essex 3 litre cortina V6, the V8 rover sierra tow car (with nitrous) and various 300 bhp turbo/nitrous drag bikes etc. That I finished up in a wheelchair was inevitable looking back :) Still... I have driven all 3 rather hard. Hard enough to have them all properly sideways hundreds of times and using all the track at various places (not on the road ocifer!) Mondeos are horrible on the limit. Its like driving a wheelbarrow. You never have any control they just run in ever wider arks the faster you go. You cant change line, angle or kick the rear out or back into line at will. I dont like the idea of running wide on a slippery bit of road sorry track and meeting a truck coming the other way. Sorry but no front drive car is "nice" to drive, at least if you are giving it some. I personally think they feel so limited that they feel unsafe. If you drive like my granny then its hard to have a preference. If you drive occassionally actually using all the grip and a bit more at times then front drive feels yuk and its just not an option.

The only thing front drive is good for is that its cheaper to manufacture and assemble, has better grip in the snow, more flat floor space. It used to be advertised as better handling in the beginning. But that depends on your definition.They changed that to "safer" handling after a few years. But safer for who? My gran? Yes definitely. Me? No way. I can tell a cars front drive after about 50 feet. The steering feels "funny" its hard to explain why but it just feel edgy and weird.

I have had a good few front drive cars, including minis, xr3, xr2, various crappy french things, several vaxhaulls, a few hire cars, and now my latest Dodge 3.8 minivan. I hate the way all of them "feel" to drive. I also drove many more than I owned. Every one understeers like crazy on greasy winter roads. The mondeo was possibly the worst here as its long too. Had to take the exit before the one I wanted to on a large fast roundabout in one once. Drop of deseasel that looked like a damp patch on the road. (another reason I dont much like diesels!) All directional control left in a hurry. I was going a bit fast but my old V8 Sierra would have laughed at it and just slip slided a bit. The difference was that in the front drive car I was going where it decided due to the understeering bias.. In my Sierra it would have just been a balancing act that would actually be quite fun in a controlled way.

Still horses for courses and whatever floasts your boat etc.