Just picked up an MB Mondeo Titanium!!!

[zetec]

Speechless... I have a trillion things to say but can't put them to paper I'm still so stunned at this car. Simply breathtaking.

To put it into context, I've just come out of an FG XR6 Turbo with 6-spd auto, Luxury Pack and Technology Pack. A true weapon of a car, great fuel economy and utterly mind blowing performance in a straight line. But this Mondeo is so utterly brilliant in comparison, I just can't begin to understand. It honestly feels like I'm driving a $100,000 car. I am not kidding.

Felt like a change was in order so I ordered an MB Mondeo Titanium. Had wanted Diesel, but Petrol was the first available and it was black. The Diesels were only available after christmas and I needed something sooner. I change cars over roughly every 6-9 months depending on km's hence why it may seem like I'm in something new often.

So where do I start......?

Picked it up after a dust storm hit Melbourne on Friday afternoon, while the rain was still falling. Being black, the car was looking more orange given the coating of dust it had been frosted with. No problems, up to the car wash for baby's first bath...







Then I drove to my girlfriend's place to take her family for a spin and show it off. Is there any better feeling than bringing home a new car? (I haven't had kids yet, clearly!!!)



Overall impressions of the car?
WOW!!!

In black it simply looks mint. Can't wait to give it a wash, wax and shine to really make it stand out. LOVE the paint, LOVE the chrome highlights and especially love the blue tinted glass. Very cool.

Keyless entry - never need to take the key out of your pocket ever.
Keyless Start and Keyless lock. Truly the key never leaves your pocket. Awesome!

Ford Power Start button is cool, a bit ****y but still oh so cool!

Steering wheel is leather and meaty to behold. Buttons are tactile and feel really classy. Alloy pedals are cool and standard carpet mats really add a touch of class beyond the standard aluminium Ford sill plates.

Interior finish is beautiful, love the brushed aluminium "titanium look" dash inserts. Touches of chrome on air vents and various spots are tastefully done. The car looks and feels at least double the price. I'm still amazed this is a $42,000 car. How is it possible?!!

Steering is fantastic. Light but communicative, sharp and just begging you to find more corners. The 18's really ride well on the suspension and road noise is very minimal. Conti tyres are brilliant (as always) and the ride and handling package is amazing around the city. Yet to really give it a go in the country or mountains. Compared to my XR6 Turbo it's chalk and cheese. I certainly missed my sharp European chassis with firm Euro suspension and feel strangely more at home in a FWD that doesn't feel like it'll kill me around the next roundabout. Just not used to RWD and never felt I needed it. I've driven FWD, AWD and RWD and honestly, FWD suits me beautifully.

Brakes are sharp and bitey, hard to get used to after the softer feel and heavier effort required in the Falcon - partly due to the insane speeds the Turbo would pull and the weight it was carrying.

the car feels honestly at least 500kg lighter through corners, under braking and off the line compared to my Falcon, although the 2.3 shows its modesty when pressed. Punchy off the line, if maybe a litle too much, but just smooth smooth smooth teamd with a beautiful 6-speed. I'm actually blown way by how happy the 2.3 is in the car. Coming out of the Turbo, I've completely forgotten the 270kw and with less than half the power, I'm not missing it at all just yet. Around town it's fantastic. Sure, it's not exactly a rocket and is twice as slow 0-100km/h but I didn't want it to beat Commodores off lights.

Sunroof is awesome, something I've never had before. Bluetooth works surprisingly well with the iPhone and covers virtually everything - FULL integration with pretty much every feature. Love the phonebook option through the HMI cluster in the dash. Quality is crystal clear and Voice Control is fun.

Sound system seems to have the XR6 turbo's engine inside it powering the 8 speakers. To say it's a massive sound system is calling it short. The Sony 6-CD player punches some amazing bass, enough to rattle the car in a good way!! I could get used to this! Sound system was the XR6T's weakest point IMHO, even with Premium Sound.

Seats are supportive and firm, but supremely comfortable. Driving position is great, still getting used to it though. Love it.

Touches I do love include the Capless refuelling, the Adaptive Cruise Control and I am blown away by the headlights.

At night the auto lighting swivels through corners and really makes a difference. Coupled with the "fog" lights acting as cornering lamps and the visiblity around corners is fantastic. I found myself changing lanes at night just to watch the lighting!

Auto wipers work well and I've read the manual cover to cover, including integrating my Bluetooth phone, integrating my iPod Video 30gb in the glovebox (iPhone's iPod doesn't seem to integrate but will play Bluetooth Audio) and all around just falling in love with this car.

I've already locked in a Frozen White Titanium TDCi for the replacement :

Had it 9 hours now and loved every millisecond.

I'll stop now

Should I go to bed or go for another drive???? :