Ford Mondeo Estate

An impressive evolution of this staple of Middle England, the new Ford Mondeo estate is capacious, stylish, intelligently designed and enjoyable to drive. And what’s more, it’s still fairly cheap

• Comfort

  This is what the new Mondeo is all about. It wafts about like a premium car. Think Jag or Lexus. There's a ‘Comfort' mode alongside ‘Normal' and ‘Sport', and the ride is serene when you select it.

  

• Performance

  Such a big car causes problems for some the smaller engines. The 2.2-litre TDCi though, produces just under 200bhp, manages 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds and even returns 47.1mpg - not shabby at all. 

  

• Cool

  Mondeos used to be exceptionally uncool, and we doubt the name will ever shake the rep image, despite the car deserving better. Time for a new name then, Ford?

  

• Quality

  Ford has made bigger strides than Johnny Vegas's tailor, and the Mondeo both looks and feels of a vastly higher quality than previous incarnations. Soft-touch plastics, contemporary design and textures. All very 21st Century.

  

• Handling

  Despite some sizeable dimensions, the Mondeo estate is relatively agile. It has direct steering which gives good feedback, and there's little in the way of body roll and you always feel in control. Impressive, considering it's bloody huge.

  

• Practicality

  What with being the size of a small country, the Mondeo is definitely practical in all arenas except the one that requires you to parallel park into a tight space in front of a group of smirking builders. The boot is the size of a walk-in wardrobe (537 litres seats up, 1,728 litres down), but there's plenty of room for passengers too.

  

• Running costs

  The Mondeo is a comparative bargain against its rivals, and the diesel engines are impressively lean, but its certain ubiquity will damage residual values in the future.