Mondeo V6 still pleases enormously

Let's get something clear ... the Mondeo V6 is one of my favourite cars of current times, so you're not going to see much in the way of Ford-slagging here. Rather the opposite.

And I'm going to start with something quite small that really took my fancy in a recent revisit to the US-engined midranger from the marque that has just added Volvo to its stable ... a little circle of neon lights set into the left rear quarterpanel: when you select reverse they blink and there's a 'beep' ... then when you move backwards the green ones light and there's a 'beep-beep' as you get closer to whatever car is behind you ... go further and beeping gets faster and the amber lights go on ... and when you're too close for comfort altogether you get the red ones and a really urgent beeping. It makes parking a doddle, and the gizmo my winner so far for the year.

But this car is not for reversing only, and in forward motion it has earned a sobriquet in the trade as 'the dream machine'. The Duratec V6 displaces 2.5 litres and is to my ear the smoothest of its kind in any car currently on the market. In the review car it was mated to an equally smooth 5-speed manual, but I have driven it in auto form and in that guise the car is perfect.

You all know I'm not one to trash a car and see when it breaks off, but the really decent suspension and the smooth torque from the V6 does encourage one to press on, particularly on nicely-cornered smaller roads. It rarely became discombobulated in this kind of operation, and even when I did find I'd done something foolish, the traction control quickly and quietly helped bring me back on the way of the sane and straight.

In the Mondeo V6, life is a perfect balance.

I haven't mentioned the shape or the interior yet, have I? Maybe because the style of the Mondeo has to be very well known by now. But it is no bad thing to reflect on the little touches of magic that turned adequate but pedestrian sheetmetal into something that is still distinctive in its class. And all from a few dramatic touches to the front and rear. Nobody can say the Mondeo as currently rolling is not good-looking.

It'll be interesting to see how far they'll stray from the style in its next incarnation.

Inside, Mondeo doesn't have the most room in its class. We're really talking adequate here, compared to, say, Vectra or Primera. But it IS adequate for most situations, and certainly those up front are cosseted in very decent seats and have plenty of legroom. From a driver's perspective it is really well thought out, and the switch and control ergonomics work.

I've mentioned the good gearshift ... the pedalwork is equally tidy ... but some might find the steering a little on the heavy side. The review car's seat adjustments were electric, which I often think is a little on the slow side if you often have to switch from somebody else's settings (you just can't please some people!).

But overall, as I told you from the beginning, there's very little to criticise in this car ... even the 27mpg is reasonable given the engine size and the way the motor asked me to enjoy it during the review period. I feel it could easily be bettered.

Let me conclude this way: if I needed to have a car for myself as well as the existing family Primera, I wouldn't be going for a sexy little sporty job. I'm essentially a saloon or an estate person and I like a car that's not too small, nor too big, that has something a little extra in the engine department, and which otherwise won't attract too much attention from others. Mondeo V6 at around £21,000 fits the bill admirably, and it would very certainly be high on my list of contenders.

And hang Charlie and his VRT ...

(or ... hang Charlie BY his VRTs ... work out for yourself the alternative to the Vehicle Registration Tax acronym!)