Hi there, I currently have a big old XC90 that is obviously great for towing our Olympus 546 (single axle, mtplm 1457) but it's not great for the other 90% of the year !
So I'm looking at a Mondeo Titanium X TDCI Estate, which to me seemed a large car that would tow comfortably but all the matching guides I read seem to indicate only a 90% match.
I don't heap loads into the Van (awning + clothes) but the car is normally laden (wife, 2 kids, dog + aquaroll etc.)
What are peoples thoughts on the suitability of the Mondeo ?
Without getting too technical, there are some numbers you perhaps need to consider.
90% match: No problem with a little extra care. ('85% rule' is not a rule but a good guide.)
Mondeo is a fine car as well as tow car, but watch 'noseweight'. In order to provide a stable tow, it is recommended that your 'van needs to be balanced to give a 'nosewight' of between 4% and 7% of the weight of your 'van.
In this case using 1457kg and 4% you get a nosewight of 58kg. Without checking, I would guess that 'max permitted drawbar loading' (ie max 'nosewight') figure for Mondeo is probably 75kg tops.
All in all, you will be towards the upper limits of Mondeos 'matching' and 'max drawbar loading' and lower limit of 'vans recommended 'noseweight'.
The other figure you might like to check for the Mondeo is the permitted 'Gross Train Weight'. This is the total weight of the car + the total weight of the 'van which should not go above Fords specified figure.
There are loads of people who tow with a Mondeo and they all seem to swear by their car, so I'm sure they're fine.
It's the old 'no such thing as a free lunch' scenario - the Mondeo will do the job happily BUT the improved fuel economy over your big old Volvo is gained at the expense of weight and all that entails with a caravan. The Volvo will take your van in it's stride whereas the Mondeo will be near it's limits - another cliche, 'pays ya money, takes ya choice'
------------- 'In later life, you will be more disappointed with the things you didn't do than with the things you did.' - Mark Twain
we are just in the process of swapping our passat for a mk4 titanium x Mondeo tdci , get it Tuesday next week and will be towing a Pegasus 534 loaded to a max of 1400 kg.Only 2 of us so we travel light and heavy stuff goes in the car.
No concerns at all over its ability and stability , the mk3 was good and the mk 4 is apparently even better ( CC towcar of the year a couple of years back )
My current tow car is a mk4 Mondeo Titanium x 2.0 tdci hatchback and our van has an mtplm of 1415 kg and have to say it tows fantastic . I , like you , watch my weights and don't go heaping loads of heavy stuff in the van but put them in the car instead . Yours being an estate will be a bit heavier than mine so would be confident you will have no problems at all . The max noseweight on the hatchback is 90 kg so would think your estate will be the same . One thing to watch if having a towbar fitted is to check the max noseweight of the towbar . I opted for a Bosal detachable as it was the only one , when i was looking , that had a max of 90 kg . All the others were around 80 / 85 kg .
I have towed with two Mondeos but both hatchbacks- A mark 2 and a mark 3, and tow a bailey ranger 500/5 fully loaded.
The stability of Mondeos when towing is superb - provided I keep the noseweight correct I never feel like the tail is going to wag the dog, even when lorries go thundering past.
Current Mondeo is a 1.8T Petrol which feels a bit sluggish going uplong hills on motorways (ie last 50 miles to Portsmouth!!) but is superb overall.
Havent towed with Mondeo Estate as I dont like a long distance between axle and towball - had a scary experience in an estate once and it put me off for life!