You could do a lot worse than tow with the new Ford Mondeo diesel. It doesn’t quite do enough to challenge the very best in this weight division, but it’s thoroughly competent.
It’s some way off the pace of the quickest cars in this class, but a 30-60mph time of 12.9 seconds is brisk enough, and means you shouldn’t be stuck behind slower traffic for long.
The lane-change test shows the Mondeo at its best, the thoroughly sorted suspension and low centre of gravity contributing to excellent grip and stability when pushed hard. Few drivers will need to make such a violent manoeuvre when towing, though, so it’s reassuring to know that the Mondeo is stable at speed, too. One or two of our drivers found the caravan moving around slightly beyond the legal limit and the Ford took slightly longer than the Mazda 6 to recover from a short, sharp steering input. However, we certainly had no nervous moments. In the hill start, some clutch slip was required but otherwise the Ford coped well.
In everyday driving the Ford Mondeo continues to impress. It handles well, although the lighter steering of the current generation does make it a little less fun than it used to be. However, the ride is very comfortable, especially on our Zetec test car which has smaller alloy wheels than more expensive versions.
The sloping roofline steals some rear headroom, although otherwise the Mondeo is a roomy car. Our practicality testers found space for a full load of holiday luggage in the boot. The Ford would have scored higher in this part of the judging with some more useful extras such as a reversing camera.
The Ford Mondeo is keenly priced, and there are worthwhile discounts to be had if you haggle.