Test drive Ford mondeo sedan 2003 - 2005 sedan
Ford mondeo Storm warning
The updated Ford Mondeo, which went on sale in the Belarusian market at the end of 2003, does not cease to surprise us. First - with a spectacular design of the updated version and high -class interior decoration, which put Mondeo on a par with younger competitors. And then - an excellent setup of the chassis that provides an excellent steering wheel, especially on a high -speed winding road. And now Ford Mondeo once again surprises us - a new 130 -horsepower turbodiesel ...Sooner or later, diesel engines, which not so long ago called everything with tractor engines, will surpass gasoline analogues in their characteristics. After all, the use of turbocharges, as well as the use of the most modern direct fuel injection systems in modern TDI, allows you to reach a very high liter power. However, the revolution has already happened: at the moment, there is a turbodiesel car on sale on the Belarusian market, which in all basic parameters is identical to a gasoline version with an engine of the same volume. This is the car - Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI
The only diesel version of Mondeo, which until recently was present in the price list of Belarusian dealers, was equipped with a 90-horsepower two-liter engine, combined only with a 5-speed manual gearbox. And now there is another turbodiesel - also a two -liter, but with a direct fuel injection system of Common Rail, developing a power of 130 hp. This motor in the database is combined with a 6-speed manual gearbox, and a 5-speed machine is offered on the order. True, only mechanics are available for our region.
We had three main claims to the Ford diesel diesel engines proposed on Mondeo: noise (both at idle and at medium speeds), a narrow working range and vibrations. The previous version with a 90-horsepower engine worked very noisily even after the engine warms up, and the vibrations from the engine were transferred to both the body and to the controls. For a modern car, and even relatively expensive, it was a serious drawback. And besides, the torque of this engine worked only in the range from 2000 to 3300 rpm, which caused a very torn rhythm of movement. However, all this is already in the past: according to the test results, we can confidently say that in all these parameters the 130-horsepower version exceeds the 90-horsepower version.
Let's start with sound insulation: we worked very thoroughly on it. At idle, diesel is practically not heard in the salon or outside. Even if you specifically open the window, the sound of an unheated diesel is barely noticeable. In transitional modes, his voice also does not attract attention, so rapid acceleration does not cause discomfort among passengers - there is a complete illusion that you are driving a car with a gasoline six. And if you accelerate with the pedal in the floor, then here the turbodiesel demonstrates very good behavior: its sound penetrates the salon, it sounds thoroughly, like a gasoline engine with an expensive sports muffler.
The second claim - a narrow working range - is only partially satisfied. The motor still does not like low speeds, so it is better not to lower the tachometer arrow below two thousand. Although there is already some torque on the bottom, and until 1800 rpm, the car, although not very fast, is accelerating. And after - it just explodes. The motor began to go better in the entire speed range, and it is felt as much more powerful. This allows you to use it more efficiently in different modes, but the maximum speed is still low: the revolutionary restriction at 4500 rpm is triggered.
The combination of such a motor with a short 6-speed checkpoint made it possible to improve the dynamics, but the problems with elasticity remained. Switch the programs so that the motor works at optimal speeds, in the city it is necessary very often - literally after each slowdown. And although 60 km/h can already be safely turned on the fifth, for quick acceleration it is better to first use the second, and then the third gear.
The consolation in this situation is one: the drive of the mechanical gearbox works perfectly, and each of the six steps turns on clearly, with a slight effort. And therefore, the endless jerking of the handle does not irritate at all, on the contrary, it gives pleasure. Especially when switching down, when a turbodiesel allows you to effectively slow down using its energy.
Naturally, with such a short transmission and a very high indicator of torque - 330 Nm - Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCI has good dynamics. Acceleration - like a fall from a steep cliff - just have time to switch the programs. For a cannon start, you need to fulfill only one condition - start so that after the clutch is turned on, the engine speed does not fall below 1800 rpm. Otherwise, it is inevitable to get into the turboyam, and the first seconds at the start the car will not use the entire potential of the engine.
But if everything is done correctly, Mondeo starts with a slight spectacular slip - it feels that torque is in abundance. On the slow turns, the gas does not need to be touched at all - the car skips and slips out the face out of turn. Even in second gear ...
By the way, the start from the second gear is also possible - a light pogazovka allows us to eliminate the lack of torque on the bottom, and Mondeo is quite simple, without showing discontent, accelerates. On the third, such a focus no longer goes away, but as an experiment we tried to turn on the third gear immediately after the start, at a speed of about 10 km/h. And nothing: Mondeo, of course, showed his dissatisfaction with a slight twitching, but still pulled out.
As for the accelerated dynamics, it is simply magnificent, without any discounts on the diesel or family of the car. Powerful acceleration begins immediately after 1800 rpm, and only the revolutionary limiter breaks it off. Which, by the way, works very softly, that is, the engine simply does not spin higher, and that’s all. But in the range from 1800 to 4000 rpm, 130-horsepower Mondeo is incomparable. You get the pleasure of driving this car no less than from a trip to some gasoline lighter.
Moreover, the Mondeo chassis, as always, behaves as in demonstrations. It is difficult to evaluate this car on the snake, because due to gigantic sizes it is not easy to throw the car into the next turn, although it is also noticeable there as the steering wheel is instantly poured with an effort when deviated from a straightforward trajectory. But the most interesting thing is the interchanges on the highways, where the asphalt is even and all the turns are correct. It is in them that Mondeo at a speed of about 80 km/h demonstrates its perfectly tuned chassis: a slight insufficient rotation and the steaming effect of the rear axle during gas discharge.
Moving in this mode constantly, almost every test, over the years of work, I have already taught myself to periodically look at the indicator of the fuel level - did the light light up? And then gasoline will end in the middle of the road, as it has already been ... but in the case of a turbodiesel, this problem becomes irrelevant. On one tank you can drive more than a thousand kilometers! And even if the reserve light has already caught fire, you still have about 100 kilometers in stock. And even more, because, depending on the movement mode, a 130-horsepower turbodiesella Mondeo consumes about 5-6 liters of diesel fuel. And in the city, if you shoot hard, about 6.5-7 liters of diesel fuel per hundred are consumed ...
What can I say. If until now, the Ford Mondeo buyers tormented themselves with a choice between gasoline and diesel modifications, then with the advent of a 130-horsepower version, all the systems in favor of diesel engines gained additional confirmation. Economy, autonomy (stroke range on one tank) - these advantages of turbodiesel have been known for a long time, and only for this half of the motorists love them. And now you can also add the excellent weight of the motor to this piggy bank, read - excellent accelerating dynamics. After all, 9.8 seconds from a place up to 100 km/h - this is an indicator similar to a gasoline Ford Mondeo with a two -liter 145 -horsepower engine! It is also better not to stutter about the consumption of fuel and elasticity to the owner of a gasoline car - a 130 -horsepower turbodiesel and in these disciplines provides a very serious advantage. And the only thing the turbodiesel is still inferior in maximum speed is at as much as 7 km/h ...
Pavel Kozlovsky
