WHAT else is Ford to do but import the Belgian-built Mondeo wagon? The Falcon wagon feels like the fossil it is against the fine Commodore Sportwagon, the Escape is from an era long ago and the European Kuga SUV is a species non-gratis in Australia for now. Luckily for the Blue Oval, the Zetec wagon just happens to be one of the best family cars you can buy for under $40,000. So before you buy that SUV or second-hand luxury wagon from Germany, you really ought to check out the Mondeo first.
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THE facelifted version of the first-generation Mondeo was a surprisingly thorough job, with the big bug-eyed front transforming the three-year-old mid-sized Euro. It suited the wagon’s glassy profile too, but buyers didn’t seem to care one iota, as the compact SUV craze was just starting to kick off.
So despite class leading handling, massive amounts of cargo room and a comfortable cabin presentation, the Mondeo wagon soon fell away. One engine was offered – a 94kW/170Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – in rare five-speed manual or more readily available four-speed auto. The American-designed but Japanese-built (by Mazda) Escape SUV belatedly replaced the Mondeo wagon in Ford’s line-up by early 2001.
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