• Spacious family-friendly interior
• Equally big boot behind
• But exterior dimensions are large

How much space is there?

The Ford Mondeo majors on passenger space, and there’s more than enough room for five adults to sit comfortably inside. If you’re much over six-feet tall you might grumble at the sloping rear roofline that impinges on headroom, but legroom and shoulder width both impress. However, the Skoda Superb is even better for passenger space, especially in terms of legroom.

The Mondeo’s large dimensions – it’s nearly as big as an executive saloon such as the Mercedes E-Class – mean that while there’s lots of room inside, it’s a big car to deal with when you’re driving. This won’t be a problem if you mostly cover motorway miles, but urban drivers might think twice when negotiating width restrictions, multi-storey car parks or other tight spaces.

Boot space and storage

All Mondeo hatchbacks come with a 60:40 split rear seat that doesn’t quite fold flat but is low enough for the majority of cargo it will transport. All models also come with a load-through hatch behind the rear centre armrest to allow long, slender loads to be swallowed.

As standard the Mondeo comes with a tyre repair kit, and there’s a 654-litre boot with all seats in use. Opt for a space-saver spare wheel, and this drops to 645 litres. The similarly-sized Vauxhall Insignia hatchback offers 490 litres of boot space, while the Volkswagen Passat and Skoda Superb offer 586 and 625 litres respectively, so the Mondeo is certainly competitive with its class rivals. Tip the Mondeo’s rear seats forwards and the capacity increases to 1,446 litres (or 1,437 litres with the spare wheel).

The boot floor itself isn’t too tall, so loading bulky items should be simple. There’s also a slight lip, so once items are added, they won’t slide out again. A power tailgate that can be operated remotely via the car’s key fob is available as an option across the range, while it’s standard on top-spec versions. Ford also offers a range of accessories for the Mondeo, including boot liners, dog guards and pet carriers.

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Is it easy to park?

Measuring 4.9 metres long and 1.9 metres wide with the mirrors folded, the Ford Mondeo is a sizeable car. Since you sit at a conventional passenger car height, this big Ford isn’t as easy to place on the road as a high-riding SUV – it’s one of the reasons why 4x4s are more popular these days. The external mirrors are mounted on pillars on the doors, rather than in the corners of the front windows, but this means there’s a better view of traffic conditions behind. Taller drivers may find the meeting point of the thick windscreen pillar and the front corner of the roof creates a blind spot when crossing oncoming traffic, though.

Ford does offer some assistance when it comes to parking. Front and rear sensors are standard across the range, but if you want more help, then you need to pay extra. The Driver Assistance and Convenience Packs both add a rear-view camera and Active Park Assist, which can steer the car in and out of parking spaces. This works whether you’re parallel parking in the road, or bay parking in a multi-storey. These packs also add rear cross traffic alert, which warns you if you’re about to reverse into moving traffic.

Safety

• Lots of standard safety kit
• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
• Extras available at a cost

Euro NCAP crash tested the Mondeo Estate in 2014, and again under tougher test conditions in 2019, and its five-star score also applies to the five-door hatchback. The Mondeo’s underlying structure is strong, so it will fundamentally protect occupants in the unfortunate occurrence of an accident. There are seven airbags on board (driver, passenger, side, curtain and a knee bag) while all cars also get lane-departure warning and traffic sign recognition as standard.

Cruise control is standard across the range, too, while an adaptive system is available as an option on higher-spec cars. This also incorporates a blindspot warning system and the park assist system mentioned above. Dynamic LED headlights are standard on top-spec models and offered as an option on the rest of the range, while all cars get bright LED taillights.

The Mondeo comes with Isofix attachments for the back seats, but there’s no option to add them to the front passenger seat. It does come with a passenger airbag deactivation switch, though.

Ford Mondeo Euro NCAP crash test video