Skip advert
Advertisement

Ford Mondeo Estate 2015 review

Long-awaited Ford Mondeo Estate is in Britain at last, and we try 1.5 EcoBoost petrol

Overall Auto Express rating

4.0

How we review cars
Find your Ford Mondeo
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

This is our first taste of the new Ford Mondeo Estate in the UK, and it’s clearly an important car as it’s been a well established favourite for families and fleets since 1993. The latest model comes as a saloon (as a hybrid only), hatchback and this attractive estate – and this is the model that we would be tempted to go for. It’s good looking, better built than ever and has a great petrol engine in the shape of this 1.5-litre turbo.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Family estates need a diesel engine under the bonnet, right? Not necessarily, because unlike the diesel-only VW Passat Estate, Ford is offering its new Mondeo Estate with a range of clever EcoBoost petrol engines to appeal to a wider spread of buyers.

The Mondeo will be available with the impressively small 1.0-litre EcoBoost three-cylinder (which arrives in early 2015) and a racy 240bhp 2.0-litre, but there’s another petrol option – a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. And that’s the unit we’ve tried for the first time in the UK. The good news is that it is a decent little engine, which proves that small cubic capacity can deliver decent performance when there’s a turbocharger attached.

There’s 158bhp on offer, which allows the Ford to reach a top speed of 135mph, get from zero to 62mph in 9.2 seconds and return 47.9mpg – although we struggled to better 32mpg on a mixture of roads.

On the move, the 1.5 turbo is eager to rev, with power kicking in from 1,500rpm. There’s a slightly rorty soundtrack as you press on and the six-speed manual gearbox proves pretty slick, although a six-speed auto is also on offer. It’s a good cruiser, too – the 1.5 settles down to a distant hum on the motorway and overtaking is easy in top gear thanks to 240Nm of torque.

While some rivals can’t pull off the same trick, Ford has managed to make its Estate as good looking as the hatch and saloon models. And it’s practical, too – there’s 500 litres of capacity with the seats up and 1,605 with them down, and once they are folded the load space is wide and flat. If space is the absolute priority, though, look to the Passat, because it offers 650 and 1,780 litres respectively.

Despite our car’s 17-inch alloys – just one of the goodies on offer in the top-spec Titanium – the Mondeo rides well on harsh UK roads. It’s an example of the direction Ford has taken with the new Mondeo, as it trades some of the old model’s fun for comfort, and this is particularly evident with the steering – it’s a tad limp while the suspension is soft. But it’s hardly a major gripe, as the Mondeo Estate has become a highly desirable, comfortable wagon.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo

RRP £15,255Avg. savings £1,848 off RRP*Used from £7,250
Hyundai Tucson

Hyundai Tucson

RRP £29,820Avg. savings £5,115 off RRP*Used from £14,295
Toyota Yaris Cross

Toyota Yaris Cross

RRP £26,495Avg. savings £1,956 off RRP*Used from £12,200
Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan

RRP £35,385Avg. savings £2,919 off RRP*Used from £15,200
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Car Deal of the Day: A Volkswagen Golf R Estate for less than a GTI
VW Golf R Estate - front cornering

Car Deal of the Day: A Volkswagen Golf R Estate for less than a GTI

The Golf R Estate is one of the best performance estates around – and right now it’s criminally cheap. It’s our Deal of the Day for 9 June.
News
9 Jun 2025
New BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort review: the best BYD yet
BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort - front

New BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort review: the best BYD yet

The new BYD Dolphin Surf Comfort is arguably the Chinese brand's most convincing model in its range
Road tests
11 Jun 2025
Best cars to own: Driver Power 2025 results
Driver Power 2025 - header

Best cars to own: Driver Power 2025 results

The best new cars to own in the UK right now according to the people who already do. It’s the 2025 Driver Power results!
News
10 Jun 2025