mondeo tdci v passat tdi

macpete

hi, looking to buy a diesel car 04/05, either a passat or mondeo, which do you recommend, both have 90k miles+. Is more bhp better ie.115 v 130 bhp mondeo, passat 105 v 130 bhp.
all advice welcome.

Martron

never drove a passat. but the mondeo is a nice comfortable car to drive. nice bit of power to. feels pretty solid to!

cant say much for the passat. drove bora and golf......... dont like vw!

Climate Expert

BOth engines are good (the 130bhp). Mondeo drives nicer, better road holding but its not great inside. Passat feels like a much better quality car.

cashmni1

I wouldn't look much further than the mondeo 130bhp diesel. The best part of the passat would be the 130bhp engine but it only has 105 bhp. There really is no comparison between the 2 engines. The 130bhp engine in either car is quicker, safer for overtaking and in some cases more ecnomical because the engine isn't worked as hard.
Also the mondeo would be considered a much better drivers car, re. steering, suspension and handling.
Residuals would be better in the Passat but really, at 90k+ are you too worried what the car will be worth in 2 years? (given that you will do at least 20k, the difference might not be all that much).
After that, it is a personal choice. It also depends on the condition of the car.

tred

macpete wrote: »

hi, looking to buy a diesel car 04/05, either a passat or mondeo, which do you recommend, both have 90k miles+. Is more bhp better ie.115 v 130 bhp mondeo, passat 105 v 130 bhp.
all advice welcome.

Hi Macpete, i myself drive a 130 mondeo. i love the car. had a few small problems. it owes me nothing at this stage, but i would say, if i was buying a car with 90k miles, and knowing the known issues wiht mondeo injectors...dual mass fly wheel...that can happen...id be more inlclined to go to the passat. defo a 130 if you can, but then most of the 130's are UK imports when u go back a few years...i think the Mondeo drives better, having driven both.

Gypo

We've had both in the family at one stage and imo there is not much in it.

The biggest difference in driving the two is that the Mondeo will be the slightly more rewarding drive. It's not quite as soft / under sprung as the Passat and the TDCi also has a more linear power delivery than the VAG TDI. On the other hand I've found the TDI has more of a kick at lower revs and is slightly lighter on diesel to boot.

Inside the cabin again they are pretty similar. Most are fairly well speced and put together and all are a pretty nice place to be if you're doing big miles. The Mondeo will however be more roomy inside, particulary in the back.

Reliability wise, they both have their (some might say many!) well documented problems and I've found that they are pretty much both on par.

Overall neither is a bad choice overall if that class of car fits your needs, especially with the realistic prices of both in the current climate.

macrubicon

Speaking from the Passat side of the fence - there is a world of difference in the 105 and the 130.

The 130 is more smooth and has the power always available. It tends to come paired with the 6-speed gearbox which is great for pounding the motorway miles.

Never really had that much bother with the Passats - the Mass Flow Meters tend to go after a while but aside from that it's grand. Huge boot is a plus!

macpete

thanks for all the replys, have my eye on 04 passat highline 130 tdi 102k and mondeo 05 lx 115 tdci 98k, both uk,full service history,mondeo is 2k cheaper, leaning towards the passat?

Green Hornet

Friend of mine bought an 06 Mondeo a few months ago and its very disappointing. Very poor performance and the interior is horrendous, very dated. Sounds like a tractor too.

He intends selling it in the new year.

tred

macpete wrote: »

thanks for all the replys, have my eye on 04 passat highline 130 tdi 102k and mondeo 05 lx 115 tdci 98k, both uk,full service history,mondeo is 2k cheaper, leaning towards the passat?

LX spec bare as bones. You need to be at least looking at a zetec. Mines a Ghia. Interiour beats the bones out of any passat i have being in. You might see a bargain or 2 on carzone. Like they said above...they all give problems.

jamesO

Passat Skoda really any of the VAG's, no contest ask a taxi man I know one thats at 300k miles .

jO-)

_Kaiser_

If you decide on the Passat, and your budget will stretch to it, try for a 05 new-shape Comfortline (or better) one.

I've a 06 one and had the older style 02 version before that which is the same as the 04 you're considering. The new version handles a lot better, is a fair bit bigger and - if paired with a 2.0 TDI DSG engine - is a world apart from the older 1.9 unit

Climate Expert

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

If you decide on the Passat, and your budget will stretch to it, try for a 05 new-shape Comfortline (or better) one.

I've a 06 one and had the older style 02 version before that which is the same as the 04 you're considering. The new version handles a lot better, is a fair bit bigger and - if paired with a 2.0 TDI DSG engine - is a world apart from the older 1.9 unit

With his budget it would be between a lower spec new one not even with the 140 engine or a much better specced 130 old one.