This is just a thread for all the Mondeo owners to introduce themselves and give a brief description of the awesome vehicle they own..
I shall start with myself. I am Vivek, an expat Indian who has been living in the bustling city for almost my entire life - if that makes me sound too old, then I am not. Clinging onto my mid-twenties, I am one of those hot blooded youth whose zest for adrenaline remain at crest! Right from a trivial age and time immemorial, I have been so passionate about cars and adventure. And my fondness goes to the extent of knowing most aspects of any vehicle - whether technical or aesthetical. Hence I am someone who love automobiles regardless of their brand and make, and who would ideally not miss a chance to explore the extents of tarmacs and "off-tarmacs" as much as these machines would allow. My passion also makes me a test driver; no, I am not one of those "allegedly pro" automag journalists. I am just an ardent enthusiast who likes to explore the limits of any vehicle I drive and see what it can do, all under safe environments. My test and test results remain mostly for myself and for those who care to know - I do publish some of them on leading auto websites for the public if I am certain that there isn't an apt and unbiased review of a vehicle I tested, anywhere on the net. And trust me, most of the automags publish bullcrap! That isn't the topic here..so leaving it aside. I have been on the roads of UAE for over seven years now and have travelled across most of what UAE has! Besides UAE, I have explored a few places in Oman too. I do have experience with right-hand drives, and that familiarity comes from roads and cars in my home country. I have had the opportunity to drive almost every "common-man's" car one would get to see on the roads along with some few exclusive ones - well, exclusive for me atleast - like the Mustang GT. Lambos, Red horses, Rolls and Bentleys remain a dream so far.
In over seven years here, I have owned 5 cars - the most recent one being the Ford Mondeo mk4. My first car was a Chevrolet Barina (aka Chevy Corsa and Opel Corsa), Ford Mondeo mk3 (2006), Hyundai Accent and Mazda 6 (2009). If I had to describe each car in short, it would go like this -> Barina - cutie with horrible reliability; Mondeo mk3 - most reliable, underpowered and best car ever; Hyundai Accent - cheap to run, restless and noisy; Mazda 6 2009 - cool, sporty, pricey, harsh, cramped!
Until the first week of this new year, I had the Mondeo mk3 and Mazda 6 2.5 2009 with me - both of which I was forced to sell since I recently became a family-man and had to cut down on my passion and costs! Morever, the Mk3 Mondy was aging and the shape was already replaced by something from outer space. Since the budgets of this newly sprout family man was in the lower 40's, a 4wd was out of question. However, driving pleasure, space-level handling, comfort, smoothness, quietness, space, affordability and elegance were my requirements in a vehicle - and those kicked the Japanese cars off the list in one shot. I need not say about Camry; Accords were nice, but is as lifeless as a car can get; and those Altimas with insane power was engineered to handle corners by some insane Accountant! Galant was dull and slow; Mazda 6 was pricey and harsh. The French 407 was there, but lacked space. And the Korean Safrane with a French nationality was there too, but it appeared to be made for the mid-forties seeking something to go from point A to point B in comfort. And so continued the search…I had left out the Blue Oval all the while since I had already owned one and I am someone who likes variety - variety is the spice of life ain't it?? . However, after much exhaustion in vainly trying to find the right vehicle, I finally gave up the law of the varieties and went back to the good old Ford for checking out the new Mondeo. And Voila, she was the one! One test drive was all what it took – thanks to the Samaritan at Ford used car dealership for allowing me to test drive the car the way I wanted to rather than just allowing me to drive in circles at 30 kph in some random parking lot! Next thing I know is, I bought it.
My mark 4 is a white Mondy in Ambiente (basic) trim. The basic trim comes with a well-tuned 161 hp 2.3-litre motor with very good low-end and mid-range power, a 6-speed tiptronic transmission, front, side & curtain airbags and a segment-first knee airbag, ABS with EBD and Emergency Brake Assist which also automatically activates hazard lights upon emergency braking, power windows with one-touch down function and jam protection, 8-speaker audio with AUX-input, rear armrest, 60:40 folding rear seats, manual a/c, trip computer, backlit steering controls for audio and trip computer, rear fog lamps, 16-inch steel wheels, dual exhaust tips, remote keyless entry with trunk release and so on. It had 22,100 kms on the odo when I bought it and has full dealer service history with no accident records. The real bonus however, is the 5years (almost 3 years remain) or 120k warranty and service & maintenance contract which also includes batteries, brake pads, wipers and what not (the tyres, of course). All that for 40k wasn’t a bad deal. Got it on 11th Jan and have already covered over 1200 kms in it. Reliability of the vehicle is unknown though most owners are happy with only a few Titanium owners complaining about minor and largely software related issues. That do not bother me anyway . Considering how well my mark 3 Mondy served me sans any major troubles after going through some harsh times, I have my hopes on the new one.
As of now, not planning for any major mods. But a sat-nav and original Ford alloys will definitely make it shortly; a 4300k HID xenon kit will come on soon though.
That was a hell of an intro, I know. Thank you for reading.
If anyone out there wants a detailed review of this car or any car that I have tested, do not hesitate to contact me. And keep the intros coming in.
Cheers!