The best car under $50k..and you have probably not even considered it

Have you driven a Ford lately?

If you are like me, probably not, but I was sure pleased that I did recently and I discovered Ford's best kept secret. The Ford Mondeo MB Titanium CDi Hatch.

Before you stop reading and think that I am an idiot and make comments like '$50K for a Ford and spend all of your time in the workshop' (which I saw on one blog earlier today), this car is not a Falcon, it is a European car. Even the indicators are on the correct side!

The stigma we all have about 'Mondeos' should be removed immediately. (Maybe Ford should have considered a name change.) This is a quality car and matches, even beats, anything that BMW, Audi, Mercedes offers for $70K and more, all for a fair bit of change from $50K.

Where else can you get as standard equipment:

• Class leading 5 Star ANCAP, including 7 airbags
• Adaptive Cruise Control and Forward Alert and Collision Mitigation ( this slows the car down if the car in front slows down, it will even almost bring the car to a stop with an audible warning)
• Dynamic High Density headlights, which 'follow' the corners by swivelling as you move the steering wheel
• Cornering lights which light up the way when you turn corners
• Fog lamps
• Smart Key Entry with push button start/stop, so no more push button remote and keys in the ignition
• The best Bluetooth system I have used, especially with my iPhone. This imports your contacts and displays them in front of you allowing you to dial from the steering wheel. It will even play your music by Bluetooth, but if you plug your iPhone/iPod in with a cable, all of your songs are displayed as well..brilliant at this price!
• Voice Control, which at the push of a button operates the phone, sound system and airconditioning
• Glass tilt and slide sunroof
• Automatic Hill Start Assist which senses you are on a hill and applies the brakes, all you do is accelerate away
• Alcantra Leather seats which are very comfortable front and back and the front ones are heated
• Front and Rear Parking sensors, missing on even a Mazda 6 wagon
• Sony Sound System which sounds superb and plays radio, 6 stacker CD, iPod (or other MP3 player) and the ability to plug in a USB into the glove box and play preloaded music, again all operated from the steering wheel with the song list displayed in front of you
• Dual Climate air conditioning with outlets in the rear (this is missing on so many cars!)
• 18 inch Alloy Wheels

I repeat, all of the above are standard features, found on no other Ford and no other European car under $70K, and this car is well under $50K on the road!

All of this is available with a petrol engine but the diesel is very torquey, not super fast, but more than sufficient and I got 9.6litres per 100klms going fairly hard in the City, so expect 600klms to a tank in town and near 900 on a run and both I and Glass's believe the resale will be better in the diesel. (By the way, the 2.3 litre petrol is $3000 cheaper, so you do the maths, if you don't need the torque!!)

There is ample room (its wider than a Falcon), a massive boot, it's very comfortable, quiet, economical and very elegant to look at.

Get over the badge and go down to your local Ford Dealer and take it for a spin. You will not be disappointed.

Oh and Mr Ford ( yes Mr Burela, I am talking to you) you have to get the message out about this car. It is, bar none, the best car on the road in its price range. Bring out a Titanium Diesel Auto Wagon and you will take on the Calais Sportswagon (maybe even the 2.5 Turbo with an auto)

See what Jeremy Clarkson says:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article1971541.ece

and the car has been updated since this article!

I have to agree with Jeremy, this is the poached eggs on toast of cars!

Search for the perfect Family Wagon??

Over the last few months, spurred on by Mr Rudd's 50% tax break 'gift', I have been trying to decide on just what car to replace my current one with.

I have just about looked at everything in this segment, and believe me there are a lot to choose from.

I do not need the 7 seat SUV any more, used to love the XC90, as we generally have 3, maybe 5 people max in the car, but I need some real boot space

for golf clubs, fishing gear and the other things that get shoved in the back for that family day out.

The cars I have looked at are below, covering all sorts of price ranges, wagons and SUVs and a very brief summary:

• VW Passat, nice but don't like front wheel drive and the R36 is just too hard on road, otherwise I would now be in one.

• Audi Q5, thought long and hard, waited for the 2 litre diesel but it just doesn't do it for me. With all of the options I currently enjoy, the car easily gets into the $70Ks and beyond , and you have to wait 6 months to get one!

• Audi A4 Avant, not much room in rear, front wheel drive and expensive options make it over $70K to be worthwhile

• Holden Sportswagon, including V8 Calais V, OK, but just not up to the quality yet...sorry!

• Nissan Murano, No. Only managed to drive this 1 kilometre and both my wife and I agreed, no!

• Mitsubishi Outlander, the new MY 10 version with the 'Lancer' front. This is an improvement on the MY09 car but still no air in the rear, which you get on a Golf, major issue when we have an 8 year old in the back most days!

• Citroen C5, nice car, very nice car, good value in the 2.0 litre diesel and great engine in the 2.7litre diesel, but what about the resale???

• Subaru Tribeca, just hated those cheap plastics inside and dash layout, otherwise lots of car for the money, now that the front has been fixed!.

• Skoda Octavia (recently the new RS..much better) Nice car for the money, very hard in the back for the 8 year old, so I don't think so, but worth considering if resale is not an issue.

• Subaru Forester, again no air in the rear, so no.

• Ford Mondeo Wagon, Now here's one of the best kept secrets. Even without a range topping 'Titanium' version or a diesel auto, the Zetec wagon is a lot of car for the money, change from $40K on the road. It includes Bluetooth, which is probably better than Audi's, especially when coupled to an iPhone, Voice activation, front and rear parking sensors, just about everything but leather seats. Come on Ford, you need to get the message out about this car..and put air in the rear!

• Mazda 6 Wagon, nice car, again no range topping version or a diesel auto (hasn't anyone worked out that we drive Autos in Australia!), but a very elegant well priced car. Nowhere near as good in the standard equipment area as the Mondeo, with rear parking sensors a glaring omission, but probably better resale than the Ford. Still no air in the rear though!

• Mazda CX7. Nice car but very hard in the middle rear seat and VERY thirsty. New 4x2, 2.3 litre cheaper than the Mazda 6 wagon and well worth considering.

• Mazda CX9. Big brother of the CX7 and a very elegant, large car. Again middle rear seat is very hard.

• Volvo XC60. Having had 3 Volvos, the last was the XC90, I was really looking forward to this, but the diesel sounds like a tractor especially when cold in the morning (honestly, in comparison to my existing diesel and the Audi/VW/Citroen/Peugeot diesels this is like an old London cab) and the petrol just doesn't go and is very thirsty. If you don't have navigation as an option you end up with a ridiculous hole in the middle of the dash which is very unattractive.

• Peugeot 407 Touring. Lovely car, especially the 2.7 litre diesel which is just a great engine. But you have to have a full glass sunroof which I would never use and it makes it impossible to mount a DVD in the roof which is a must for our 8 year old!

• New Subaru Liberty and Outback, very little to fault, especially at the top end. The Liberty GT Wagon ticks just about all of the boxes (as does the Outback 3.6R Premium). The leader at this stage...if you can get over the look!

Are there any others worth considering? Coming soon the Peugeot 4007, the Lion badged Outlander, but still no rear air, I fear!!

If you want to spend less, then look at the Hyundai i30CW. Drove the Sportwagon with 2.0 litre petrol. Just not enough torque

but a lot of car for the money..only $30Kish

2010 Subaru Liberty and Outback

The latest version of the Liberty and Outback from Subaru have arrived and are being snapped up by existing and new Subaru owners.

Both cars are longer, wider and bolder than the previous model and the styling will take while to get used to for a lot of people, but I like it.

The range goes from high $38K to $62K on the road and, certainly at the top of the range, the Liberty GT, or the Outback 3.6R Premium, there is little missing, apart from an auto dipping mirror and self closing tailgate. The first of which is a particularly strange omission, given everything else the car has as standard equipment.

Other cars which people will consider in this range, especially as a wagon are the Mazda 6, Ford Modeo, VW Passat and even the Skoda Octavia RS. I have driven all of these cars and I think the Subaru does the best all round job.

A few weeks ago I had the range topping VW Passat R36 for the weekend and whilst this is one hell of a performer, the drive was just too hard on NSW's terrible road surfaces. Over a 500klm trip, we were jolted into submission and could just not handle the Passat as an 'all time' family drive car. By comparison, the range topping Liberty GT has the power without the super stiff, unforgiving suspension set up. It also has all of the 'gizmos' as standard, and costs almost $20 K less.

Further down the range the new 2.5 CVT automatic transmission is a delight, even offering a paddle shift manual mode. The entry levels trims are a bit wanting and I am not big on the new dash layout, but improved performance with reduced consumption and emissions should be a winner. I expect a lot of people will go for the $50K 2.5i Sports Premium, looks just like the GT, without the bonnet scoop, auto lights, auto wipers and smart key, but a lot of car for the money.

Add to this the undoubted Subaru reliability, sure footed AWD handling, 5 Star safety and excellent resale and you would be mad not to at least consider the new Liberty...or the Outback if you need that extra clearance and might just one day go off the bitumen.

A typical RV forecast of the range, courtesy of Glass's, has the 4 year, 80,000 klm at 39% of RRP. Better than most.

Strange that the 3.6R Premium is not available as a Wagon and that the upcoming, long awaited diesel is only to be a manual initially, but I guess what we have is great for starters!