MD petrol wagon, thoughts?

Hi guys, first time poster here and I'm in need of new transport and I've narrowed down my choices to a VF Commodore wagon or a MD Mondeo.

The timing chain issues on the VF make my freckle pucker ad the Mondeo diesels are running the DSG of death. However I've been reading and hearing good things about the petrol variant.

What are the things to look out for? The Ambiente spec doesn't wow me however Trend and Titanium petrol wagons appear to be as rare as chickens teeth.

[steve289]

AFAIK, Titanium Wagon only has the diesel engine.
Shame, as it would have been an absolute cracker - wagon, cool looks, heaps of space + decent power from the upper spec petrol engine (177kw, 345 nm & 106.9 kw/tonne) that the Titanium hatch has.

The trend & Ambiente 'only' have 149 kw, 345 nm & 94.9 kw /tonne.

I thnk you may be right, as further digging into a couple of Titanium wagons listed on carsales as petrol are indeed diesel powered and have the DSG venereal disease.

[NX74205]

Unfortunately, petrol wagons are only available in Ambiente trim. If you don't need a wagon, the length and width of the cargo area in the hatch is more or less the same as that of a wagon, it's just that the wagon has greater depth.

I have yet to have any mechanical issues with my petrol powered hatch after five years and 87,000kms. Fingers crossed it'll stay that way. But that means I don't really have an answer for what sort of issues you'll need to look out for. Mechanically, the Ecoboost 2.0L and six speed torque converter has been faultless.

The wagon has become essential and not just preferable.


Time to see what's out there in Ambiente land.

[frankie86]

I was in the same position as yourself, I settled on a MD AMBIENTE wagon MY17.5 with petrol, the diesel mated to a dsg box just wasn't a option for me.

I've had my wagon for a year now and I love it!
There's so many rough one's out there though being mainly all ex fleet cars.

I was lucky enough to score a ex Kiama council one which presents beautifully.

Not one thing has gone wrong with it and I can definitely recommend one. Plenty of power, easy to drive and loves to eat up miles on the freeway, good on fuel too for what they are.

[Mondaveo]

Not only is the base Ambiente the only spec level of wagon that gets the petrol engine, but (I thought I read) it's detuned compared to the powerplant you would have got in Trend or Titanium. Idk if that would matter to you. The lower output EcoBoost is probably still a fine performer, but I would still feel a bit shortchanged knowing it. (On the other hand, it should be even more durable.) Maybe one could get an ECU remap or something done to bring it back to the same spec?

I have the diesel+DCT in my MC Mondeo and I quite like it. Even though I got burned by the Powers#!t gearbox, I have admit that when it works (and it thankfully has been since) it really works well. The diesel powertrain took some getting used to, and it absolutely does not respond to being rushed, but the economy is great and I totally adore how there's so much torque it doesn't even notice how big a load you're carrying. I do think it would be nice to have the turbo petrol with some more spirited performance on tap, but for hauling the family on long trips this does an admirable job.

Originally Posted by frankie86

I was in the same position as yourself, I settled on a MD AMBIENTE wagon MY17.5 with petrol, the diesel mated to a dsg box just wasn't a option for me.

I've had my wagon for a year now and I love it!
There's so many rough one's out there though being mainly all ex fleet cars.

I was lucky enough to score a ex Kiama council one which presents beautifully.

Not one thing has gone wrong with it and I can definitely recommend one. Plenty of power, easy to drive and loves to eat up miles on the freeway, good on fuel too for what they are.

Hows the interior holding up?

Originally Posted by Mondaveo

Not only is the base Ambiente the only spec level of wagon that gets the petrol engine, but (I thought I read) it's detuned compared to the powerplant you would have got in Trend or Titanium. Idk if that would matter to you. The lower output EcoBoost is probably still a fine performer, but I would still feel a bit shortchanged knowing it. (On the other hand, it should be even more durable.) Maybe one could get an ECU remap or something done to bring it back to the same spec?

I have the diesel+DCT in my MC Mondeo and I quite like it. Even though I got burned by the Powers#!t gearbox, I have admit that when it works (and it thankfully has been since) it really works well. The diesel powertrain took some getting used to, and it absolutely does not respond to being rushed, but the economy is great and I totally adore how there's so much torque it doesn't even notice how big a load you're carrying. I do think it would be nice to have the turbo petrol with some more spirited performance on tap, but for hauling the family on long trips this does an admirable job.

My research is saying the same thing Mondaveo, the engine in the Ambiente spec is detuned somewhat compared to the engine fitted to the Trend and Titanium hatches.

Considering I'm coming from fleet Corollas and Yarises, I think there would be more than enough power and torque in the Ambiente spec engine.

[frankie86]

Originally Posted by Stambolova

Hows the interior holding up?



My research is saying the same thing Mondaveo, the engine in the Ambiente spec is detuned somewhat compared to the engine fitted to the Trend and Titanium hatches.

Considering I'm coming from fleet Corollas and Yarises, I think there would be more than enough power and torque in the Ambiente spec engine.

Interior is perfect, I seem to think my car was undercover alot of the time, everything is perfect in it, even the steering wheel which seems to be common to peel over time

Saw two Ambiente wagons today, both low mileage but very tired cars.

[frankie86]

Originally Posted by Stambolova

Saw two Ambiente wagons today, both low mileage but very tired cars.

Took me months to find mine, so many of them are trashed by sales reps

This might be a too hard basket as I need something by November.

[frankie86]

Originally Posted by Stambolova

This might be a too hard basket as I need something by November.

If you're in Sydney I might be selling mine around then, thinking of getting myself a new escape

I'm in Vic, might be too much of a hassle.

[xf_vanner]

Originally Posted by Stambolova

I'm in Vic, might be too much of a hassle.

How'd you go?

I'm also considering a mondeo diesel, need the mileage. Just worried about the gearbox.....

[thebigd]

Originally Posted by frankie86

Took me months to find mine, so many of them are trashed by sales reps

Bad Sales Reps !
I am one with a company MD diesel hatch. I absolutely love it. Mines still in as new condition after two years and 80,000k's. (except for stone chips).

Originally Posted by xf_vanner

I'm also considering a mondeo diesel, need the mileage. Just worried about the gearbox.....

What's all this talk about gearbox problems. I understand the petrol (dry) dual clutch had some issues, but wasn't aware of the diesel (wet) dual clutch having problems on the MD's.
We have 10 in our fleet, with two of them over 200,000k's. We've had no problems, although one of our reps in Sydney just had to change the intake hose. Apparently it can rub on the engine mount and split.

[xf_vanner]

What's all this talk about gearbox problems. I understand the petrol (dry) dual clutch had some issues, but wasn't aware of the diesel (wet) dual clutch having problems on the MD's.
We have 10 in our fleet, with two of them over 200,000k's. We've had no problems, although one of our reps in Sydney just had to change the intake hose. Apparently it can rub on the engine mount and split.[/QUOTE]

I'm merely going off Mondaveo's quote - I have the diesel+DCT in my MC Mondeo and I quite like it. Even though I got burned by the Powers#!t gearbox, I have admit that when it works (and it thankfully has been since) it really works well. The diesel powertrain took some getting used to, and it absolutely does not respond to being rushed, but the economy is great and I totally adore how there's so much torque it doesn't even notice how big a load you're carrying. I do think it would be nice to have the turbo petrol with some more spirited performance on tap, but for hauling the family on long trips this does an admirable job.

I'm looking at a diesel for the mileage I'm going to do, I was tempted on a Mondeo wagon but have heard of gearbox issues hence I'm here researching.

My mechanic has also advised me to stay away from them, I suggested to him a passat wagon and he said they're quite good.

I dunno which way to go, this will be my first diesel after running duel fuel and petrol cars for years.

Apoligies for the messy reply, I havent been on here in a few years :(

[thebigd]

No worries.
My knowledge and comments are based on the Mk5 / MD. I'm not sure about earlier models.
Funny you should bring up the Passat. We were looking at moving to these in diesel, now that the mighty Mondeo is gone. They've scrapped diesel on these too.
I think automotive reps will be pushed to either diesel commercial, or petrol Hybrid in the future. Neither of which I am a fan of.
Hey boss... I'll take a Tiguan 147 TDI Elegance, if CAPEX can handle it !

[Mondaveo]

Originally Posted by thebigd

What's all this talk about gearbox problems. I understand the petrol (dry) dual clutch had some issues, but wasn't aware of the diesel (wet) dual clutch having problems on the MD's.

Originally Posted by xf_vanner

I'm merely going off Mondaveo's quote - "I have the diesel+DCT in my MC Mondeo and I quite like it. Even though I got burned by the Powers#!t gearbox..."

I'm looking at a diesel for the mileage I'm going to do, I was tempted on a Mondeo wagon but have heard of gearbox issues hence I'm here researching.

The Powershift has something of a reputation or maybe stigma is more correct.

When Ford introduced the Getrag 'dry' dual-clutch transmission they called Powershift to the petrol Fiesta and Focus, it was a thing woefully underdone. The dry DCT was prone to several kinds of failures including oil leaking onto the clutch plates (causing jerking and shudder), overheating of the clutch material (causing jerking and shudder), and cracking of the solder joints on the TCM computer (causing jerking, error codes and outright failure). Getrag and Ford made revisions that fixed the issues over time, but Ford for years blamed the owners and refused to acknowledge or compensate for these problems until a class action lawsuit basically forced them to. By which point they'd trashed the name and reputation of the Ford Powershift and DCTs generally.

At the same time as they brought in the dry DCT, they'd also introduced the Getrag 'wet' dual-clutch transmission to the diesel Focus and diesel & Ecoboost Mondeos. They also called it Powershift, but the wet DCT was a much stronger unit and not prone to the failures of its dry-clutch cousin. The one common kind of fault in some early examples seems to have been a defective electronic sensor, which could cause jerking and error codes as it went bad. This is what happened with my MY2011, and bundybear's MY2012 and a few other users on this forum. There was a revision made to the sensor part sometime in 2012, and that seems to have solved the issue as we don't really hear about transmission issues due to sensor failure in cars built after 2012 or that have had the sensor replaced. Again, Ford did not acknowledge these defects but unfortunately this time there weren't enough owners experiencing the problem to carry a class action, unlike the much more-publicised dry DCTs which share the same name.

The truth is that by the time we get to the MD in 2015 (and though they went back to a torque converter transmission for EcoBoost), the wet-clutch DCT in the diesel was basically sorted and is as reliable as any other component on the car. As long as it's properly maintained (and admittedly the higher cost of routine servicing is a drawback) there's no reason to expect it's going to grenade on you. Still the reputational damage has been done and we get people like the OP of this thread who can't be convinced. In the end though it's each to their own.

As an aside, isn't it funny how VW contributed just as much if not more to tarnishing image of dual-clutch transmissions with their DSG fiasco, but still VWs are called "quite good"! Shows the power of the continuous brand building engaged by the VW group!

/rant off

[xf_vanner]

The truth is that by the time we get to the MD in 2015 (and though they went back to a torque converter transmission for EcoBoost), the wet-clutch DCT in the diesel was basically sorted and is as reliable as any other component on the car. As long as it's properly maintained (and admittedly the higher cost of routine servicing is a drawback) there's no reason to expect it's going to grenade on you. Still the reputational damage has been done and we get people like the OP of this thread who can't be convinced. In the end though it's each to their own.

As an aside, isn't it funny how VW contributed just as much if not more to tarnishing image of dual-clutch transmissions with their DSG fiasco, but still VWs are called "quite good"! Shows the power of the continuous brand building engaged by the VW group!

/rant off [/QUOTE]

Not wrong! I went with a vw golf tdi which has the dsg 6 speed. Fantastic fuel economy (1200kms) out of a tank, but the DSG doesn't like stop/start traffic. It's not comfortable enough for the long hauls, I generally spend an hour or so behind the wheel at a time.
So now I'm at a conundrum..... do I suck it up and get a mondeo wagon diesel or switch to a petrol turbo??

How is the DCT with stop start traffic? The golf hates it and I've stalled it countless times.

[Papug]

Hi,
I have driven MD Mondeo diesel for 4.5 years, mostly in the city and stop start option never stalled the car. Fuel consumption 6.5- 6.8l/100km. Mondeo's are very comfortable well equipped and reliable cars. Shame they are no longer available as new one for the Chinese market looks great.

[xf_vanner]

Originally Posted by Papug

Hi,
I have driven MD Mondeo diesel for 4.5 years, mostly in the city and stop start option never stalled the car. Fuel consumption 6.5- 6.8l/100km. Mondeo's are very comfortable well equipped and reliable cars. Shame they are no longer available as new one for the Chinese market looks great.

I think it was more me getting used to a diesel and the dual clutch.
I've come from a ba sedan, so I'm trying to drive it normal. The wife hasn't had any issues, so it's just me in heavy traffic trying to predict the gap.

Right so basically from 2013 onwards mondeo diesels are fine.. . Both the wife and I like the look of them.

Just been to a local dealership, and they're saying we will only get diesels in larger Ute's now..... great!