Test drive Ford mondeo sedan 2003 - 2005 sedan

Beautiful couple

More and more people consider the car as a means of self -expression. Some rely on tuning, while others prefer to leave from the store by car charged, fast and memorable with expressive details and elements. Among the most popular models in such a perspective Ford Mondeo 2.5 in the new Sport modification and the current Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan Aero.
 
How ruddy, elegant they are just a sight for sore eyes! Bright color emphasizes their bold, clear forms, favorably distinguishes from the crowd, significantly increases active safety. Hello, buyers! Well, why are you all, as having conspired, order expensive, stylish cars of wretched-gray and gloomy-beige tones? What, you can less often call on the sink and save an extra $ 150 in a year? Or is it easier to mask on the ground in some way with a mouse and inconspicuous, to mimic under an all-reducing aggressive environment? Questions are certainly rhetorical. But once seen in the bright scarlet performance of Saab and Ford, they are no longer perceived in any other color. I would not allow them to paint them in other colors at all ... It is interesting that both cars, Europeans, but with American roots, at least financial. But if the Ford is evaluated in the euro, then Saab, like the entire products of GM divisions, is sold for the usual and such beneficial dollars now.
The dynamics could not be fully compliance with the initial data in this pair: Ford V6 2.5 liters, and SAAB is only four -cylinder 2.0. Mondeo is atmospheric, 170 mares, and a turbocharged aero gives as many as 210 stallions, and in addition, our sport sedan, unlike a competitor, does not require switching manually, but is equipped with a sectral automatic machine. But if you read this short list of configurations again, we can agree that in the end we have two quite comparable, and, most importantly, bright apparatus. First starts Mondo. Trying to do it smoothly and ... stall. Here is a hint, what have you been taught? Repeatedly, but already with a large gas indecently a rough jerk, and the motor is chatting. No, I demand satsis. The third double. And now the run, acceleration, push and 2.12 are now my completed stage. Looks like even such drivers as your humble servant can be taught to be fucked correctly on such a sensitive red beauty. Further acceleration is uniform and stubborn, but the slightest strain is not felt, everything is playful, without overload. The box here does not turn on too convincing, but this, if you remember the best examples, and in addition, at the whim of designers, it has six gears. Are not many, gentlemen, engineers? A powerful motor, a wide range of a high spinning moment, and we are constantly forced to pull the handle. Four steps would have been enough for my taste, with slightly more sprinkled gear rates, but who am I, and where are you? But if we are talking about saving expensive European fuel, then there are many more Moddeo modifications with less forced engines, and even more so diesel. But if you summarize, I liked the motor with sound and lightness, but the clutch with clutch ... no: on an ordinary kopeckoy they are more convenient.
I jump to Saab, and once again I lose a few seconds in search of the larva of the ignition lock, traditionally located between the chairs. Now there is no functional need for this, but the shadows of legendary car ancestors are also finished over the modern model. SAAB is somehow not associated with the automatic transmission, but its massive ergonomic hilt itself lies in the hand, not at all circulating our sports mood. So, they started, switched and gas to the floor. The Swedish car starts like a reactive liner, with uniform acceleration, without unnecessary reflection with inconspicuous switching. It is already 120, and in the back it seems to be continuing to blow an increasing passing flurry! 150, but there are no signs of reassurance, forward, and only forward! 180 And already, it seems that the nose is about to linger up, and the rear axle, saying goodbye to the asphalt, will get into the belly, and then nothing will prevent us from twisting over the cool shore of the Moscow River by colleagues, and Sasha Nozdrin will make his best, Saaba Turbo Crown footage from below ... But if you do not give free rein to excessive imagination, then sometimes we would have to slow down, yet we are not in the autobahn. But he does not like to do this 9-3, and, despite the annoying crack of ABS, the reusable airmobile stops a little further than it could be assumed. Yes, the born can not crawl to fly ... But the ford against his background is well done, the slowdown is simply reference. The brake pedal operates adequately applied, and there are not the slightest hints of changing the trajectory.
The controllability here is two outwardly similar in size, weight and layout decisions of the car behave absolutely differently. And if Ford manners can be taken as a standard, then a number of issues immediately arise for Saaba. When passing turns, 9-3 shows a pronounced insufficient rotation, with pleasure straightening the trajectory during the speed of revolutions. And under a sharp discharge of gas, you can fall into such a steep dial in a turn that there is a considerable probability of turning a powerful car with a wolf, despite the ESR, which reacts quite quickly to the slip and enough for one of the wheels. And when setting speed on a slightly uneven road, the drives of wheels of different lengths are slightly pulled off to the side. A short -term, great squeezed air suspension, which does not add comfort on bumps, does not help the driving, does not help too much in passing such a maneuver as, say, a snake. Honestly, I expected more from a car, declared as an athlete. He does not show the tenacity and sensitivity that even his direct ancestor of 9-3 Viggen, who repeatedly appeared on the pages of our magazine, possessed. Against such a background, Mondeo is frankly pleased with adequacy and predictability. This has long elevated him to the rank of standard in the classroom. Sport modification, unlike previously tested, has 17-inch wheels and a 15 mm clearance reduced by 15 mm, which fruitfully affected the behavior of the machine in critical modes. But the most amazing thing is that the energy intensity of the suspension remained sufficient so as not to shake the whole soul on the average bridge.
And if you recall that in real life, in addition to moving along the roadway, you have to go to the curbs, overcome tram rails and force completely unplanned obstacles, then in this section Ford with a significant margin goes to first place. Because a very spectacular streamlined and expressive Saab, hung with spoilers and thresholds, clings to any, even the most small uneven relief. And it accompanies this with such heartbreaking sounds gnashing in contact with asphalt and a stone of metal and plastic, which was embarrassed to me in front of a cute half -sump, which I use for other purposes as a road rink or potato harvester.
Ergonomics as usual, the interior of top versions is always much more interesting than boring basic design. And in models applying for sports, the assessment should be started with chairs, obviously richer, deep and equipped with servo drives. Mondeo has a set of leather seats with fabric inserts, which, by tradition, having an electrical regulation only in the driver's place, which seems quite reasonable savings. Their shape can be recognized as close to the ideal, especially in the part of the pillow. But the back is preferable to 9-3. It has a deeper, but still unobtrusive profile and a slightly larger height. The Saabov salon is made in gray gamut with light inserts and does not look as contrasting and radical as Fordovsky.
The Swedish panel of the devices is made of inexpensive booming plastic, but designed in the family spirit, while abundant by plane and one -color buttons that would not forgive models without a background. And Saab’s buyers would have been terribly upset if they had not received a traditional aviation keyboard for their favorite car. The central part of the Ford salon is opposed to laconic and strict, but I fundamentally disagree with the assessment is boring about the high -quality, thought out and not deprived of the rhythm of the interior.
The location behind the wheel is what is primarily interested in the driver. Everything is very convenient and at a height, as, indeed, the rudders themselves, although they are absolutely not similar to each other. Fordovsky, repeatedly sung by journalists and buyers for their rigidity, the optimal cross -section of the rim and design and the traditional Saabovsky three -spoke multi -rush with music and climate management. But pedals due to their more spacious location and equivalent, it is more convenient to use on Mondeo. In the competing model when transferring the legs from gas to the brake you inevitably cling to the pedal with the back of the foot. But in the saaba it is more pleasant to open the door from the inside helps the diagonal handle-subpolar. Yes, and the passenger has something to hold on with sharp turns and braking. And for Ford, to take up the handle, you have to almost acrobatically bend the brush. From the point of view of visibility, small complaints arise for each of the experimental. In general, the Ford glazing zone is more extensive, but the high bailiffs of the second row of seats interfere with the gaze back. And at 9-3 the rear window itself is so inclined to improve the streamlines that in the mirror it is perceived as embrasure. It is impossible not to mention the external mirrors increased during recent facelifting mondeo, now containing the entire field of the necessary review. By the way, from the same moment, our modification of Sport appeared, designed to reduce the gap between the Trend set and the standing mansion ST 220.
The practicality of what practicality can we talk about, discussing the loaded models deeply flooded on huge low -profile wheels? Well, for example, both cars have capacious trunk. Quite spacious in the back seats, at least in length and width. But in height of 9-3, the back is clearly clamped, and the tall passenger will inevitably bother the sloping ceiling with his violent head. Of the little things, it is worth noting the electronic ignition key for the sport of the sedan with a pleasant, oblong -shaped, covered with soft plastic, with stupendent buttons that are not accidentally in the pocket. But on the remote control of Mondeo, a traditional sting and unintelligible symbols, requiring either peering where you click, or memorize, where is a button. Probably, it would be worthwhile to speak separately about the high passive safety of the Swedish car, which, fortunately, we did not have a chance to experience. Although I am ready to completely believe that some of the funds spent on the purchase of 9-3 Aero are justified by the efforts of its creators that went to split on crash tests of dozens of cars. And in order to once again try to increase the chances of sledges on survival, you have to spend a lot of money, but believe me, the saved lives are worth it.
Summary both cars are not cheap. Such models are bought by motorchers that can not only lay out about $ 40,000, but also competently manage with subpoor herds. When closely consideration by the aggregate of the advantages of Mondeo Sport, it looks preferable than 9-3 Aero, but it is important that Saab is much more frustrated and newer as a model. Yes, and the Swedish car usually buy those who you will not play from the true self -selected path.

HOW DO THEY LOOK
Nikita Rozanov
Outside: two competitors who have been called the nostril in the nostril from the mid-90s. However, we should not forget that Saab is only a Swedish icon, and Ford, as you know, is in Vsevolozhsk Ford. The age of the Swedish car works on prestige, and the mondeo design age, alas, indicates only moral aging. This is not a miscalculation of stylists, but selected rules of the game. According to these rules, the face of Saab is recognizable and has not changed its main features for more than ten years. Ford, on the contrary, all this time tried to change the design as often as possible, while remaining in line with bright expressiveness. Today, of course, this is the native New Edge, in the style of which all Ford models of recent years are performed. The SAAB style is also easily determined by this style of Aero, which is manifested in everything: in a honed profile, integration of shape and aerodynamic details. Style even in the name Aero. Very whole.
Inside: If the power of the imagination is deprived of the mondeo dashboard of stylish hours of oval shape, it will be found that the interior as a whole will suffer a severe loss. Saab does not have such a decisive detail, but there is a famous, covering the driver, cockpit, which easily turns any behind the wheel, into a pilot of a silver and winged bird. I would like to, pulling the helm against myself, direct the car ... up. Every detail works for such dynamics from a clear graphics of scales and a rapid relief of the upholstery of the doors to the cut of the cuts and a characteristic steering wheel with buttons of the service group implanted in the knitting needles. Can there be a tree decoration in a fighting fighter? Right. Saab also does not have her. Here is Mondeo, and even in the GHIA modification, it lulls and rinses with linings under a walnut veneer and a cozy finish light bottom a dark top. Naturally, there will be taste addictions at everything, and this is masterfully prove the stylists of Ford.
Summary: Despite the visual imperfection of the ide-units of the Ford and Saab design, both machines demonstrate the highest level of style and design, really approaching the standard in their class.
Text Vladimir Smirnov photo Alexander Nozdrin
 

 

Source: Cars