Last year’s class winner slips down to third. It’s not that we don’t rate the Ford Mondeo Estate – far from it. But with replacement looming, its resale values are unlikely to be healthy, so it isn’t a very good investment.
All that aside, the Mondeo still tows brilliantly, with strong performance, reassuring brakes and impressive stability. One or two test drivers felt that the steering was too sensitive for its own good, making it possible to steer more than intended, but otherwise the Ford is happy at all speeds.
However, this car’s handbrake struggled to hold the outfit still on the test hill, which wasn’t an issue with the one we’d tested last year. Our practicality team noted that the electrics were a long way under the bumper.