Many competitors already have a four-cylinder turbo
Normal sedans are almost extinct, let alone business sedans with the enthusiasm of a GTI. Twenty years ago, Ford dressed its Mondeo in a tight-fitting sports jacket, and it wanted absolutely nothing to do with scraping off emissions grams with its big six-cylinder engine. Has the explosive rascal managed to convince us with his muscles or would we rather forget about the ST220 as quickly as possible? A look back at the sharp sedan with a big V6.
The third generation of the Mondeo had only been on the market for a year when Ford decided to send its D-segmenter to the gym. The result was a civilized-looking car with a 226 hp 3.0-liter V6 under the hood. We gave the businessman some time to get used to the outdoors, but in 2003 he really had to show his teeth.
Mondeo ST 220 vs Saab 9-3 Aero
We picked up a Saab 9-3 2.0 Turbo Aero, a Swede with a blown two-liter four-cylinder in the front that was good for 210 hp. The duo may have been evenly matched on paper, but in practice the pair turned out to be two completely different cars. Both crack noses managed to reach 100 km/h in about 7.5 seconds, but there were a lot of differences in terms of chassis technology. “The Ford impresses, understeer or oversteer are not in its vocabulary.” The 9-3 was condemned to a big chunk of dust with its numb steering. The fact that the Mondeo engineers had placed the chassis high on the rankings naturally had its advantages. We could appreciate less that the appearance was somewhat forgotten. The only exciting thing we could discover in the interior were white dials and the outside could also have been a bit more frivolous. Other downsides? Yes, the swampy brake pedal caused irritation every now and then.
Against a souped-up Audi A4
In 2005, the now facelifted Mondeo was allowed to sink its teeth into an Audi A4 TFSI in a special DTM jacket. Once again we loved the smooth V6 in the Mondeo. The ST220, which now had a six-speed gearbox, even shifted better than its German opponent. Was the Audi completely destroyed? No, on the contrary. The A4 had a wonderfully biting block in its nose and its handling and seating position could not be surpassed by Ford. Yet the Mondeo, which was about five grand cheaper, fought back vigorously. “It remains one of the nicest front-wheel drive vehicles we know,” we concluded.
Also the Alfa 156 GTA included
Does such a cornering knight remain intact after a few years of strong cornering? In 2011 we took a then 8-year-old ST220 from the stable and compared it with an Alfa 156 GTA of approximately the same age. While the Mondeo only recorded three negligible notes, the Italian scored no fewer than nine points of interest. Emotionally, the 156 wiped the floor with the Mondeo. Although the GTA steered sharper and looked much more attractive, we thought the Mondeo was the best of the bunch. “Even after eight years, there is absolutely nothing to complain about, even though on paper it is due for a service.”
The ST220 never received a real successor. A 240 hp EcoBoost version of the penultimate Mondeo was released, before which there was also a 2.5T with five-cylinder. In a straight line they are faster than their forefathers, but in terms of steering pleasure they have never come close to the ST220.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl