Car Statistics: Ford - Mondeo Series 07 (4 stars)

Styling (3 stars)

It's handsome, contemporary - and a bit unimaginative, this Mondeo, looking remarkably similar to the VW Passat, for example. 'Kinetic' is the word Ford uses to describe its design style, but this is not as distinctive a sculptural style as the 'Edge' theme that brought us the Ford Ka and original Focus.

Handling (4 stars)

It's almost worthy of five stars, so capable is this Mondeo. It's easy to handle (size notwithstanding in tight spots), stable, corners crisply and provides unusually precise steering. It also absorbs the bumps of difficult B roads with great aplomb, though less so if you order the sports suspension. It's also very safe at the edge of adhesion.

Comfort (4 stars)

Generous cabin space is a good start, and comfortable seats all round complete an impressive picture. Road and engine noise are better damped than they were in the previous Mondeo, making this a pretty civilised car to travel in whether round town or on the motorway, especially as its is ride is above average, especially in standard, non-sport form.

Quality (4 stars)

Ford has built up an excellent reputation for reliability over the past decade, and it's borne out by independent surveys. This Mondeo is fundamentally more robust than the outgoing model, and also benefits from the higher standards of trim material used inside, particularly for the dashboard assembly. It's not quite up to BMW standards, but it's not so far adrift. The likelihood is that this car will further build on Ford's improving reputation.

Performance (4 stars)

With such a wide choice of engines it's harder to generalise, but within their class each of these power units delivers competitive performance, if without being exceptional, because this car is bigger and heavier than average.

Roominess (5 stars)

The Mondeo offers exceptional cabin space for this class (though it should, given its size) and a big, well-shaped boot too. The rear seats fold easily to form a flat floor, the cushion providing a protective bulkhead, and there's slightly more space for dumping junk than is usual, including that rare thing, a space to leave your mobile phone.

Costs (4 stars)

Ford is a specialist when it comes to paring back service and repair costs - it needs to, to win big fleet deals. An example of its attention to detail is found at the rear, where the part-plastic tailgate (or bootlid) makes light parking damage easier and cheaper to repair. The big question mark hangs over depreciation, which is usually the biggest cost of all - if the Mondeo is pumped out at big discounts, it will not be good.

Value (4 stars)

If you buy at the bottom end of this range, you get a lot of car for your money, and even in its most basic form it comes with everything you'll need except sat nav - though the seat trim looks a bit cheap. Tempting though the high-end models might be, they are the biggest depreciation risk.

Stereo (4 stars)

The standard stereo is perfectly acceptable, and can be usefully upgraded, while the optional sat nav is excellent, with a particularly intuitive set of easy-access controls on the steering wheel. But it's not a cheap option.