Turbo Mondeo - questions

[stevie-gee]

Hi all - new to the Mondeo forum; but NOT to Fords, had a few in my time.
My last was a 2012 FOCUS ST with the 2.0 Ecoboost; which I loved but was wrote off by Harley taking out the front end (my fault too).
I currently own a Lexus IS250, mostly because my wife wanted an auto; but I she has her own car now and I want to go boosted + manual again...

Seriously considering a Mondeo XR5 turbo - you guys will be the go-to's for advice? I've read some great reviews - are there any major concerns with the 5 pot Turbos with the 6 speed manual trans?

Steve from SA

[aussiblue]

Pay $10 and get a brutally honest review report of it an your Lexus (as a benchmark for comparison) from https://dogandlemon.com/geography/australia . At worse it will tell you want most often fails so your are prepared when it happens. Read the free sample Fredlander review here and have a giggle.

We all on this forum , including me are all biased Ford owners and one of value things I learnt when studying marketing at Uni was the role of cognitive dissonance in major/expensive purchases like houses and cars; we don't like to acknowledge even to ourselves that our purchase choice may have been less than perfect.

[aussiblue]

Oops

it will tell you want most often fails

Should be "it will tell you what most often fails"

[XR5_2.5]

Originally Posted by stevie-gee

Hi all - new to the Mondeo forum; but NOT to Fords, had a few in my time.
My last was a 2012 FOCUS ST with the 2.0 Ecoboost; which I loved but was wrote off by Harley taking out the front end (my fault too).
I currently own a Lexus IS250, mostly because my wife wanted an auto; but I she has her own car now and I want to go boosted + manual again...

Seriously considering a Mondeo XR5 turbo - you guys will be the go-to's for advice? I've read some great reviews - are there any major concerns with the 5 pot Turbos with the 6 speed manual trans?

Steve from SA

Some reading for you to do on the Focus/Mondeo 2.5T engines, and how they are as a platform overall:

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-...ng-guide/41899

https://www.australiancar.reviews/re...ondeo-2007-14/

https://www.australiancar.reviews/re...turbo-2005-11/

https://redriven.com/cheat-sheets/us...-turbo-review/

[XR5_2.5]

Originally Posted by stevie-gee

Hi all - new to the Mondeo forum; but NOT to Fords, had a few in my time.
My last was a 2012 FOCUS ST with the 2.0 Ecoboost; which I loved but was wrote off by Harley taking out the front end (my fault too).
I currently own a Lexus IS250, mostly because my wife wanted an auto; but I she has her own car now and I want to go boosted + manual again...

Seriously considering a Mondeo XR5 turbo - you guys will be the go-to's for advice? I've read some great reviews - are there any major concerns with the 5 pot Turbos with the 6 speed manual trans?

Steve from SA

The engine in the Mondeo XR5T is the same as what's in the Focus XR5T, and various Volvos... Common problems are listed in those links that I've posted... I've personally own a stage 1 2007 Focus XR5T for about a year now with 180,000km and they're great cars, but not without their common problems, which mine has certainly had its fair share of...

These engines run a timing belt and belt driven water pump, so it's integral that the belt and tensioners is replaced around every 100,000km or 5-7 years according to forums, though it's a good idea to do the water pump at the same time... If oil leaks onto the belts like mine did, then it must be changed ASAP...

As for tuning and weak spots, the stock clutch is pretty weak and may start slipping when more power is added to it, and the cylinder liners are known to crack which can happen on even stock examples, but is most common when the car is really driven hard and running over 300HP... The 'fix' for this is to install shims between the liners before it happens, but even cars with the shims can still suffer problems, so proper maintenance and warming the car up properly is key...

The front suspensions on the Focus and apparently the Mondeo's are pretty weak, with driveshafts and control arms commonly going bad, but luckily on my car they were done right before I bought it, so buying one with maintenance stuff done to it is a good idea... And don't launch the car very hard from standstill either as this destroys the front suspension too lol...

Also, the PCV Diaphragm going bad is very common on these cars... If you hear a distinct noise (I will attach a video) when idling, it's a good idea to replace the diaphragm as soon as your can, otherwise the engine can blow up... Some replace the entire oil filter housing, but replacing the diaphragm itself is much cheaper and works...

When inspecting the car, make sure it's not warmed up already, and when test driving the car, drive it into boost to make sure the turbo isn't acting strange or on its way out... Also, forgot to mention that clear coat failure and paint rubbing issues are also common...

Overall, while it may seem like doom and gloom, if properly maintained, they're great and trouble free cars, so try find one with great maintenance history that has an owner who cars about it and it should be a great car, and also try to find a stock one if you can...

One last thing to mention, the Mondeo has cruise control (I believe)and is more of a grand tourer while the Focus XR5T is more sporty, but you miss out on some creature comforts...

Any questions, feel free to reach out... Hope this helps

[XR5_2.5]

Originally Posted by stevie-gee

Hi all - new to the Mondeo forum; but NOT to Fords, had a few in my time.
My last was a 2012 FOCUS ST with the 2.0 Ecoboost; which I loved but was wrote off by Harley taking out the front end (my fault too).
I currently own a Lexus IS250, mostly because my wife wanted an auto; but I she has her own car now and I want to go boosted + manual again...

Seriously considering a Mondeo XR5 turbo - you guys will be the go-to's for advice? I've read some great reviews - are there any major concerns with the 5 pot Turbos with the 6 speed manual trans?

Steve from SA

Failed PCV Diaphragm noise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZH1xei0-b0

[stevie-gee]

Originally Posted by XR5_2.5

One last thing to mention, the Mondeo has cruise control (I believe)and is more of a grand tourer while the Focus XR5T is more sporty, but you miss out on some creature comforts...

Awesome - and thanks for ALL your advice - a clincher for me above; that suggests the Mondeo above the XR5 = cruise. We live regionally and I use cruise a lot, especially on long drives - so creature comforts it is!

Cheers

Steve

[stevie-gee]

Originally Posted by XR5_2.5

Some reading for you to do on the Focus/Mondeo 2.5T engines, and how they are as a platform overall:

https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-...ng-guide/41899

https://www.australiancar.reviews/re...ondeo-2007-14/

https://www.australiancar.reviews/re...turbo-2005-11/

https://redriven.com/cheat-sheets/us...-turbo-review/

Great links - and great heads up prior to purchase; thanks!

[XR5_2.5]

Originally Posted by stevie-gee

Awesome - and thanks for ALL your advice - a clincher for me above; that suggests the Mondeo above the XR5 = cruise. We live regionally and I use cruise a lot, especially on long drives - so creature comforts it is!

Cheers

Steve

I should've worded it a bit better but the Mondeo XR5 Turbo has cruise control from factory, whilst the Focus XR5 Turbo does not, although aftermarket systems are available... In your case, I'd probably go the Mondeo XR5 Turbo since it's a more comfortable car for long drives... Mondeo's also tend to be less abused and modified on the used car market, and they're also generally a bit cheaper...

[stevie-gee]

Originally Posted by XR5_2.5

Mondeo's also tend to be less abused and modified on the used car market, and they're also generally a bit cheaper...

Thanks SO much - I agree, the XR5 does seem a little overlooked hence less thrashing - great for me/us.

1. What would be a reasonable price to pay for one in good condition? I've seen a dealer wanting almost $9K, though I expect they could be negotiated down, for similar reasons = popularity?
   
2. Two examples I've seen online have around 175000 km - what can I expect in terms of engine life, future wise??

Cheers

Steve

[PepeLePew]

Originally Posted by XR5_2.5

I should've worded it a bit better but the Mondeo XR5 Turbo has cruise control from factory, whilst the Focus XR5 Turbo does not...

And just for the record aftermarket cruise puts a chill up my spine, but the aftermarket cruise in my FocXR5 works a treat and shouldn't be dismissed as a option if small hatches are more your thing. Mondeo definitely a more relaxed ride and IMHO a good looking care in later iterations, drive wise the Volvo engine is a cruisy lazy torquey feeling thing standard tune and either car will suit.

[XR5_2.5]

Originally Posted by stevie-gee

Thanks SO much - I agree, the XR5 does seem a little overlooked hence less thrashing - great for me/us.

1. What would be a reasonable price to pay for one in good condition? I've seen a dealer wanting almost $9K, though I expect they could be negotiated down, for similar reasons = popularity?
   
2. Two examples I've seen online have around 175000 km - what can I expect in terms of engine life, future wise??

Cheers

Steve

1. Pricing wise I did a quick search on Carsales and the range that they're going for are around $7-9k (look like they're in good condition), but I think you should watch the market of these cars closely and see if they're actually being sold for that much, though you could always negotiate prices down with the seller

2. The thing is with engine life, it really depends on if the car has been maintained or not, as I've heard of some examples go bang with even less km, while I've seen others on the used car market with close to, or over 300,000km in working order, however a lot of them seem to show up on the used car market dead when they're north of 250,000km, but again, it's not really a set number and it depends on how it's been treated and/or how heavily it's been modified...

I guess the more important thing to look out for is whether the car has been well maintained and has service history, and all of the services such as timing belts and water pumps have been done (or budget it for the future)... I wouldn't be hesitant on buying one with 175,000km if it's been properly maintained throughout its life and has a full service history, as it should last a long time...The T5 motors are overall known to be pretty robust... Somebody I know has a T5 powered Volvo and it has 300,000km, running perfectly...

It also helps if you can work on the car yourself, or have a specialist who can work on it, as it will save a heap of money, especially doing services, etc yourself...

[XR5_2.5]

Originally Posted by PepeLePew

And just for the record aftermarket cruise puts a chill up my spine, but the aftermarket cruise in my FocXR5 works a treat and shouldn't be dismissed as a option if small hatches are more your thing. Mondeo definitely a more relaxed ride and IMHO a good looking care in later iterations, drive wise the Volvo engine is a cruisy lazy torquey feeling thing standard tune and either car will suit.

Yep very true, but the only thing is that the aftermarket cruise control does cost a bit to install, and I reckon the Mondeo XR5T is a better long distance cruiser on the highway, and some of them apparently came with radar cruise control...

The Focus XR5T is a sportier car though, and is more fun to drive spiritedly... Me personally, I don't do much highway driving at the minute, so my Focus XR5T works well, and is fun...