Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport review

The Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport is undoubtedly a good car, but it's just that bit too expensive: go for a lower-priced model like a Zetec or Titanium and you'll still get plenty of equipment.

The Ford Mondeo is still going strong since its launch in 2007, and while all models are well equipped, the flagship Titanium X Sport comes with all of the luxury kit you could possibly want. It’s available in hatchback and estate body styles – the saloon was dropped at the last facelift in 2010 – and because Ford doesn’t make a high-performance Mondeo ST, the Titanium X Sport is the sportiest Mondeo you can buy.

As you would expect for a flagship model, the Titanium X Sport is very generously equipped. For starters, there’s 19-inch alloys and a sports bodykit, plus honeycomb grille and xenon lights up front. Inside, you get leather and Alcantara seat trim, heated and cooled seats, climate control, a DAB radio, keyless starting, ambient lighting and automatic lights and wipers. The dashboard is marked out by piano black trim, while the full colour instruments look classy, too.

As it’s the flagship of the range, the Titanium X Sport only gets the most powerful engines in the Mondeo range. Petrol power comes from the 238bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol, which only comes with a PowerShift auto. Diesel engines comprise the 2.0-litre TDCi with 161bhp, or the larger 2.2 TDCi with 198bhp. Both of these are available with automatic gearboxes.

The Mondeo’s chunky shape and angular lines are in stark contrast to its main rival, the curvy Vauxhall Insignia, although arguably the Titanium X Sport manages to stand out from the rest of the Mondeo range better than the Insignia’s sporting flagships. While Ford has facelifted other models in the range with a new chrome grille, the Mondeo carries on with the same styling. That’s because Ford has an all-new Mondeo in the pipeline, although there’s no confirmed on-sale date in Europe, even though it’s already on sale in the US as the Ford Fusion.

The interior has a large, flat facia that’s dominated by plenty of hard plastics. Like the Ford Focus, there's plenty of fiddly buttons - most notably on the stereo and climate controls, while the Mondeo's standard sat-nav has a small, low-resolution screen – although the navigation itself is easy to use – and the colour instruments set between the dials looks a bit dated when compared to the TFT screen that’s optional in the Insignia.

The Mondeo has always led the family car field for entertaining front-wheel-drive handling, and it feels livelier than an Insignia through corners. Lowered suspension on the Titanium X Sport means there’s not much body roll and the Ford feels nimble on a twisty road. Unfortunately the stiffer suspension makes the ride a little firm, and the Insignia does a better job of ironing out bumps.

While it’s sporty, the Mondeo has space to serve as a versatile family car. There’s a 540-litre boot (10 litres more than a Vauxhall Insignia), but it can't quite match the 595-litre boot in the Skoda Superb. The Mondeo also has a very spacious cabin, while storage includes a deep cubby under the front armrest and large door bins.

The Mondeo Titanium X Sport has powerful petrol and diesel engines, although the 161bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel returns similar figures to the 138bhp version found in lower spec cars, with claimed economy of 57.7mpg and emissions of 129g/km. When mated to Ford's six-speed Powershift auto, economy falls to 54.3mpg and emissions increase to 136g/km.

The 2.2 TDCi emits 159g/km of CO2 and returns 47.1mpg, while adding the automatic gearbox sees emissions rise to 173g/km and fuel economy drop to 43.5mpg. The powerful 238bhp 2.0 EcoBoost petrol achieves 36.7mpg and CO2 emissions of 179g/km, yet it can propel the Mondeo from 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and gives it a top speed of 152mph.