Faults:

I had the hesitation problem between 3000 - 3500 revs, Ford sorted this by replacing the spark plugs. I must admit that the hesitation is very faintly there, but it is not that noticable. When having the air-con on the car revs are not very smooth, lots of dead spots appear and it is as if something keeps switching on and off, this apparently is quite common as the air-con kicks in and out on acceleration demand, so I was told??

General Comments:

The acceleration from 0-60 was a little disappointing, the 1.8 and 2.0 litres seem to stay with you until you pass 70mph. For motorways it is a top motor. Huge amount of torque around the 70 - 100mph range, just got to be careful as it creaps over a 100mph very easily! Great under load and up hills. Handling is superb. Braking and traction control system is fantastic. Good looking car with the body kit and cheap on insurance!

Faults:

There seems to be a fault with the tuning of the vehicle.

It pinks when accelerating up to about 3500 RPM, and pinks heavilty at 3000RPM.

I have put it into the Ford dealer 3 times. The last time the service reception guy they said they had retarded the ignition, but when I spoke to the workshop manager, he said he did not as it is not possible on this generation of the ST24.

General Comments:

Ford lives up to its poor service reputation.

However, the car is a dream to drive, especially long distances. It's big and comfortable. The only down side is it's a bit juicy.

Faults:

Sills crushed by dealer when jacking car for first service and then not repaired correctly.

Otherwise no problems in 20K miles.

General Comments:

Excellent performance. The handling is very positive and secure with the wide tyres and firm suspension. The braking is also excellent - powerful and progressive, and the ABS works well. The traction control can be useful in the winter, for example when climbing steep icy hills that defeat other cars. The acceleration is very rapid between 50 and 70mph, providing plenty of safety margin when overtaking. Fuel economy is no worse than you would expect - similar to that on my previous car, a 2-litre Galaxy.

The comfort is obviously not quite up to the armchair standards of most family saloons because of the firm seats and suspension. I recently drove a Mondeo 2-litre diesel GhiaX courtesy car. The contrast between the two is quite extraordinary - it's not just that the diesel has such a lumbering performance, but the handling is of a completely different order. The ST24 just feels so much more firmly attached to the road.

Like other reviewers, I also appreciate the high quality stereo system with the 6-CD changer. The speakers are the most impressive component. The stereo is additionally enjoyable on account of the quiet ride and absence of engine noise at normal cruising speed.

The A/C is a little annoying in that after you switch over to normal heating there is a tendency for the windows to mist up until the system has dried out, which can take quite a long time.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Brilliant Car! Drives great, sounds great, looks stunning (4dr with full body kit and new '99 interior) and loads of room for the kids in the back. Until it was delivered, friends couldn't understand why I was going to replace my A4 with a Mondeo! Could have had a BMW, Merc, Saab etc. If company car choosers could get past the 'badge' block there would be a lot more ST24's on the road. Their loss..