WHEN you talk about a car being the last word in luxury and an outstanding performer you do not automatically think of a Ford Mondeo diesel estate.
It sounds like a pretty dull prospect, being one of the most common models on the road with an oil-burning engine and an unexciting estate version to boot.
However, the reality is rather different because this is a truly exceptional vehicle.
It's simply got the lot. The 2.2-litre Titanium model comes with a price tag of £20,995 although in reality no one pays anything like that for one. More like £18,000. Or substantially less for a pre-registered dealer demonstrator or better still a decent second-hand one.
The Mondeo is a superbly well-built car, which in estate form offers a useful amount of cargo space and with the upmarket Titanium trim it has masses of equipment.
This includes cruise control, climate control, curtain airbags, four electric windows and a multi-CD player.
However, apart from the excellent build quality and loads of kit the most impressive aspect of the 2.2 TDCi is its outstanding engine and transmission system.
The delivery of power is smooth and plentiful, with 155bhp on tap, which means rapid acceleration to 60mph in just nine seconds and a top speed nudging 135mph.
The six-speed manual gearbox is superb and the icing on the cake is economy averaging 45mpg.
The only downside is that as with all mass-market models the Mondeo loses about 60 per cent of its initial value over three years.
This makes it absolutely essential to get a cracking deal initially and is the reason why the cars are such a great buy on the second-hand market.
FAST FACTS
Ford Mondeo 2.2 TDCi Titanium estate
Price: £20,995
Mechanical: 155bhp, 2,198cc, 4cyl diesel engine driving front wheels via 6spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 133mph
0-62mph: 9.2 secs
Combined mpg: 44.8
Insurance group: 16
CO2 emissions: 166g/km
BiK rating: 23%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles, 3yrs paint, 12yrs anti-rust