7th May 2008, 08:22

Maybe, but the Saab is ugly and unreliable with a history of gearbox and electrical problems. I had a Saab once before; never again. It was quick, but I prefer to drive the car instead of fixing it!

13th May 2008, 06:32

I moved to Dubai from the UK and bought an 06 ST220. It cost around 40% cheaper than back home but you don,t get as many extras (not to bothered).

I've had it for a year now and done 30,000kms and still feels as good as the day I picked it up.

It's serviced every 10k and costs about 200 quid a pop. Petrol is cheap (80p a gallon) so fuel consumption not a problem and insurance cost me 550 pounds so value for money is excellent.

It's a great car for the family but when I'm alone is when I have the most fun. It handles superb on twisty roads and cruises along the motorways with minimum effort.

I've had it up to 258km/h (160mph) with no mods to the engine so I can't understand why people want to chip theirs when that's fast enough.

The only negative comment is the brakes could be better, any advice??

Other than that I love this car and think we will have a long and happy future together.

Paul.

P.S. The badge snobs that pass comments are jealous because the ST220 is better than the car they drive.

25th Aug 2008, 18:12

I've had my 2004 ST220 for around 4-5 weeks now, slaughtered an Audi A6 upto 100mph the other night.

Civic Type R boys don't want to play.

Need I say more?

Only downside is I'm at the petrol pump every other day, but the thrill of driving the ST is worth every penny.

2nd Sep 2008, 05:47

A Civic Type R would beat an ST220 no problem. Just look at the 0-60 times and power to weight.

5th Sep 2008, 07:22

If you are talking about the mk1/2 Mondeo V6's, then it can be done by removing the two small black plastic pipes off the upper inlet manifold.

However this is not advisible as I have tested this myself on a mk1 24v, which is vacuum operated, and it usually will not run but when it did, my god what a rocket! Probably 20ish mpg though as well, those valves stay closed for a reason!

The reason it makes it faster is because all valves are now jammed open, and therefore allow more fuel and air into the engine, allowing higher power outputs at much lower revs. This brings your acceleration time down to 60 and a 100.

If you can get it to run, it can get very quick 0-60 times at the expense of running reliably and with half decent fuel consumption.

I think I managed one reliable none stalling run of 6.4 seconds to 60!, but as I said before, unless there is some way of setting it up to run without those pipes, then I'm afraid you will need the standard setup.

Get an st200 or new st220, and get that extra performance reliably as standard.

Jeb.

2nd Aug 2009, 15:45

Hi all.

We've had our ST220 for over 2 years now, and it is easily the best car we've ever had. Handles like a baby, smooth and fast, just so easy to drive and gain speed effortlessly.

I've been looking to sell and get something else recently, and have tried a few BMW M Sports and I really don't get what it is about BMW's? Unless you like your interior looking like a morgue, then get one. Mt ST has the white leather seats, sunroof, Sat-Nav and it just looks amazing and makes the BMW interior look like a Cortina to me.

This is my 3rd Mondeo, starting from Zetec, ST24 then the ST220, and everyday it is a pleasure to drive.

Also, someone made a comment about a poor sound system, again, for a factory system, I'd put it up against the BMW's and SAAB's I've been looking at, far more bass to it. It's not gonna blow the street down with amps and subs and all that stuff, but for the normal person, the sound system is fine.

Will be sorry to see her go, and yes, they are greedy on the fuel, they are a V6 after all, but if this isn't a problem for you, then I strongly recommend buying one if your into these types of car. You won't regret it!

28th Feb 2012, 18:44

Well I have just picked up an 03 Mondeo ST220 for £1600. Was not expecting much from it, as I had just sold a BMW E46 M3 Coupe... and you cannot compare the two.

I needed the cash as times are hard, but for £1600, I didn't really care; I just wanted something to get around in, which was a little fun too...

Anyway, onto my opinion...

Well it's not as quick as the E46 M3, not by a long shot...but it's still entertaining and pulls really well, it's silky smooth; probably the smoothest engine I have ever experienced.. and unlike most V6's, where the power tails off in the upper rev limits, it actually pulls harder at the top end; between 5000rpm and 7000rpm it absolutely flies!!

I have had it rolling roaded, and it put out 247bhp, which is 27bhp more than factory figures, which is pretty impressive for a 7 year old engine with 90k miles on the clock.

Handling wise it's superb; very sharp and great feeling through the steering. I can push it harder than I could the M3 on the twisties.

The ride is great quite firm, but the leather Recaros are the show stopper in this car; superb comfort, great heated seat elements too, they really heat up well...

Build quality is superb. It's 7 years old, and not a single squeak or rattle anywhere. It just wafts along with a fantastic sound from the V6.

I have always had German cars... Audi TT, A4, A3, VW Golf mk4, BMW 330i, and then an E46 M3... I had never entertained the thought of buying a Ford, but when money became tight, and I was offered an ST 220 cheap, I took the offer... and do you know, what I'm blown away by it...

Very underrated car in my opinion... (written by a German car fan)