Aug 6, 2005
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We are looking around for a new tow car. My other half has for some time fancied an X-Trail, but the mpg lets it down a bit. The Mondeo seems to have better mpg both for towing and solo which appeals. However my husband had a Mondeo as a rental a while back and he found the cluth very difficult to deal with. We thought it was just a one off, but on chatting to a Mondeo owner, he said he had the same problem with the clutch, but he had got used to it over time. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it better in the latest version? Is it that bad? I'm dead touchy about funny clutches having experienced one in an opld Fiesta many years ago and I never got used to it.
 
Nov 13, 2008
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I don't think this is purely a Mondeo thing. Lots of modern diesels have pretty sensitive clutches, and we find Fords and VWs in particular take a little getting used to.

They are suprisingly easy to stall, compared to older diesel cars, where you could drop the clutch with no throttle on at all and the car would move away on tickover.

With our Passat 4motion, we've all got used to putting on a few more revs than expected when pulling away and it's really not a problem. It's worth persevering with because the current Mondeo is a superb towcar.

Hope this helps

Nigel Donnelly

Editor

Practical Caravan
 
May 25, 2005
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Hello Gill

I would suggest you check the emissions on both the X-Trail and the Mondeo. This will affect your road tax eventually.

Ann
 
Jun 26, 2008
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Hi,

I have a mondeo 2.2 TDCI, when my wife first drove it, she was not sure about the clutch. She soon got used to it though, now she loves the car. My only recommendation here, is to get as late a model as you can afford, Fords really had ironed out nearly all the bugs by the time they got to 06 platers. I tow regularly with mine and it is one of the best cars I have had for towing.

Good luck in your search.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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Hi Gill,

I currently tow a Moonstone 1450 with my 53 plate TDCI(115) and have had no problems with it at all. You are correct on the mpg as well. I get around 45 sols and no lower than 30 towing.

As for emissions, although my car is 2.0 turbo diesle, my tax is only
 
Mar 12, 2008
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Hi Gill we drive a 2004 mondeo 2.0 TDCi the clutch i think is fine yes it is easier to stall than an older diesel but takes no getting use to putting a few more revs on

i tow a avondale golden avocet with mine wich weighs in at 1250kg and i still get very good mpg the computer never goes below 42mpg on a run with the van on and solo im getting 51mpg

and mine has got 123000 on the clock

just keep it well serviced and you should be fine its also still on its 1st clutch!!!

forgot to say mines the 130bhp with the 6 speed gearbox

there a really good car to tow with very stable and plenty of power when needed

hope this helps

Graham + Sally
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Hi Gill, The Mondeo really does live upto it's reputation as a good tow car. I had an 04 plate ghia estate TDCi 130 and it towed like a dream, plenty of power. The problem I had was the fact I have a bad back, and the lowness of the car and seating position was really killing me, and I found the seats very uncomfortable, so I had to get rid and have a Freelander instead. To say I was gutted was an understatement.
 
Sep 3, 2008
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we have been looking for a towcar for our hymer living (1250kg in running order mtplm 1550kg). We had a mondeo 2.0 130 tdci auto estate. This car was great in a straight line plenty of power for overtaking on motorways and with the auto box and cruise control, long journeys were reasonably relaxing. We got around 22-25mpg towing compared to 38 to 45mpg solo. The only niggles we had was the rear suspension - to soft on the rear,and front wheel spin on wet roads. If we had had self levelling suspension i think that this would have ironed out the sagging rear end at least and we would have been reasonably satisfied. I enquired about having sls fitted but it was only available as a factory option, and when i looked into a new mondeo or s max with sls factory fited i was quoted full list price and 27 weeks lead time.To try to find a vehicle without these niggles we had looked at nearly everything. In the end we bought a volvo xc90 which is fantastic.
 

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