TMR News and Features
Sometimes you have to be sensible. You have to do things that please your accountant more than they might please you. You even have to think like an “accountant”. (This is an interesting exercise in itself, if you find seeing things only in black and white interesting.)
Should you decide to start thinking like an accountant, and not like the complete rabbit you’ve made a practice of until now—your next car won’t be a V8. It might not even be a ‘six’. Because with fuel pegging along at a million or so ducats a litre, it’s not sensible, fiscally speaking, to pour great wads of the hard-earned into the fuel tank each week.
It’s more sensible to buy a four cylinder, or even a hybrid. But, of course, for some of you, this creates a problem. I know, because I know quite a bit about rabbits (having been acquainted with one for quite some time now). I know that there are some of you who would rather kill yourselves slowly with a fork than drive a ‘family four’ or, worse, much worse, a hybrid.
So what do you do if you’re not quite up to death by fork, but you feel compelled to ‘be sensible’?
You buy an ‘oiler’, friends—a modern turbo diesel.
Something like the new Mondeo TDCi. It’s a very sensible car: you can snag one for just $37,990 plus on-roads, and it runs on the smell of an oily rag. Under the bonnet, in case your accountant asks (and you won’t even have to lie), is an advanced 2.0 litre Duratorq four-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel engine. It’s a very well-proven unit and produces 96kW and peak torque of 320Nm from an un-fussed 1750rpm.
It’s the torque figure that is important here: 320Nm. That’s the kind of figure you might once have expected from your average V8. Ok, it doesn’t bellow like a V8, or shred rubber from the line like a ‘bent vee’ on the nail; but once moving, the twisting force of all that torque pushes things along nicely.
Very nicely indeed. There’s something about forced induction and a modern diesel that becomes a bit intoxicating. What’s more, you can wring its neck and the effect on the fuel consumption is… nothing… nil. No effect, well, almost none. Diesels are good like that, they just love hard graft.
Here at TMR, we were mightily impressed with the Mondeo TDCi; so impressed that we thought we’d better find something to compare it with: a benchmark, a standard against which we could make a meaningful comparison.
That means it was time for a ‘COMPARO’. (Wooo, now TMR is really cooking.)
So we got the new SAAB TTiD. Now this is not to be confused with its lesser sibling, the TiD. No, the TTiD is a much more serious set of wheels. It is the first diesel Saab to carry the coveted Aero badge and comes with not one turbo, but two – a little one to get things going, and a big one to chip in when things are really happening.
And that’s why the badge gets an extra ‘T’ – TTiD.
Mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, the 1.9-litre, 16-valve two-stage turbo engine produces a grunt-filled 132 kW and 400 Nm of torque (in manual trim, 370Nm for the auto) while returning combined consumption of an extremely sensible 5.7 l/100km for the manual Sport Sedan, and 6.8 l/100km for the auto.
On the face of it then, the Saab holds a considerable power advantage over the Ford. The second point of departure from the Mondeo is in the price; the Saab Aero TTiD retails at $65,100 for the auto, and $62,600 for the manual. That’s around $25,000 more than the Mondeo TDCi (and you can do a lot with $25,000).
So, your accountant will be asking, is the Saab $25,000-better than the Ford and which car would be the ‘more sensible’ purchase?
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Comment by roy fokker
27 July 2008
Congrats on your first comparo guys!! Good read!!
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Comment by jbot
27 July 2008
Just a tip, if you have any interior pics of the Saab, it would probably be worth sticking it in there.
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Comment by Steane Klose
27 July 2008
Fair point jbot. We were relying on Saab/GM having some available at their media centre but they don’t - not the Aero anyway - they take better interior pics than we do.
The Aero has a few unique touches, silver trim on the steering wheel, two tone leather etc. We will talk to our Saab contact tomorrow and see what they can get to us.
We are moving to doing more of our own photography (as in the exterior shots in this review), you’ll see it in some of the coming reviews ie Mondeo XR5 and others.
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Comment by jbot
27 July 2008
I know exactly what you mean Steane. Unfortunately the flash from most cameras ruin most interior shots! The article was a good read as always.
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Comment by Steane Klose
27 July 2008
Appreciate the feedback as always too jbot.
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Comment by laurie
27 July 2008
Hmmm red engine bay on a silver Mondeo
laurie
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Comment by Steane Klose
27 July 2008
Green Mondeo Laurie - its deceiving in the pics but its actually light green. The Mondeo we drove was stolen and resprayed quickly as the police were all over us - thankfully we got away with it and bumped into this guy who’d just stolen a Saab. Big photo opportunity ensued!
Seriously though, the engine shot is a Ford press image, they don’t have one in green, neither do we. You’ll be able to enjoy plenty of our own pics in coming reviews - we are getting our act together - promise.
More importantly, what are your thoughts on the cars in the review?
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Comment by laurie
28 July 2008
Stenane
Funny you say that as I have just got one and agree with your report BUT there are many,many items on a Mondeo that are extras on others took it for a drive to Kangaroo Valley and Macaquarie Pass today and it was sensational that diesel is punchy and VERY easy on the wallet love to see the 2.2L 400NM the Poms get
ps the Bluetooth and Voice Control is a bargain and she has a very sexy voice
laurie
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Comment by Steane Klose
28 July 2008
Glad you like it. Personally, I’m a big diesel fan and had a few days with the Mondeo and liked it on the whole. I only had a couple of hours with the Saab (The Insider hogged the swede
) but instantly felt at home. In my opinion it was a noticeably superior car. Ride, handling, steering, brakes - it was my pick of the two - and at the price would want to be.
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Comment by Conquistador
28 July 2008
interesting, just how have saab managed to get the thing to ride, handle & steer better than the benchmark Mondeo particularly when it shares the categorically rubbish Vectra chassis.
My last experience with a saab gave me brusied kidneys.
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Comment by The Insider
28 July 2008
Yup, Mondeo sets a new high-bar and is a dead-set monty at the price. Was edged out here by the more-focused (as a sporting drive), but far more expensive Saab.
Interesting thing though Conquistador… don’t believe all you hear on Top Gear (Clarkson knows he’s nuts): the Vectra is not as underdone - I think Clarkson calls it “floppy” - as some would have you believe.
In normal UK trim, with a 90 kW 1.8 litre Family 1 Ecotec engine, or even with the 2.0 litre 129 kW turbocharged Family II donk, the Vectra’s GM Epsilon platform was up to the mark - even when under the whip for the occasional fast-blast.
(Er… better scrub the 1.8 there: “blast” is really overstating things - that donk would struggle with the proverbial greasy stick).
Now when Vauxhall put an Aussie GM turbo-charged 2.8 litre V6 with 205kW and 356Nm in the nose of the Vectra however - without adequately re-engineering the chassis for those extra ergs - that’s when things started to go astray.
But the Saab TTiD is a much friendlier unit (and even in their dark days, Saab engineers have produced some more than reasonable steers). Things are working pretty well with the TTiD and ‘that’ chassis. And, at just 1.9 litres, there’s not a lot of engine sitting over the nose: that may be the secret.
Funny thing about motoring writers is that they play follow the leader: if someone further up the food chain takes the hatchet to a car, then a bunch of others will slip into a feeding frenzy. Not many trust themselves to buck the trend.
There are not enough who can translate what they feel at the wheel into sensible comment about what’s really happening underneath, and where the engineering is actually failing.
This is not to say we won’t get it wrong sometimes, or even a lot. We will. But we won’t play follow the leader.
The Insider
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Comment by Gunnar
28 July 2008
Neat comparo. High praise for the Mondeo, indeed.
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Comment by Conquistador
28 July 2008
Sometimes insider the scribes get it right. An unsophisticated chassis can feel much sportier than it actually is. To get control over such a simple suspension setup the engineers have to wind up the dampers and spring rates.
For the same reason to the uniniated an Astra can feel “sportier” than a Mazda 3. but ask the car to turn in, handle a bit of off camber with a bump or two and you can immediately tell the difference.
Besides i think the saab actually proves the point. Seems they binned the Twist beam rear end of the Vectra and put in a multilink. Not exactly a glowing endorsement of the vectra from within GM’s ranks now is it?
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Comment by Alexander
7 August 2008
A nice read, I really like the Aero TTiD, and think I’ll have a go at test driving one soon. The Mondeo surely is great value, but I like to feel “special” in my cars, and the Mondeo doesn’t give me that feeling. Saabs however, have always felt unique.
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Comment by Ricardo
12 August 2008
I’ve just purchased a mondeo and i have to say compared to some of the others within the price range it was a sure winner. Possibly the only downside i could come up with was that they could thrown in a memory drivers seat as it does take a bit of setting up to get the driving position right. Compared this to the 3, 6, and a couple of subarus. Mazda, shock horror, felt very plasticky in the interior, which i’m surprised no one has really picked up on. I feel the mazda interiors have really weakened with their newer models (and i have had a 98 323 and a 2002 sp20!). Always fun to read a positive review about a car you have though
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Comment by Soulnet
12 August 2008
Oh, btw, good articles to read on this site. Great work!
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Comment by Cupid Stunt
12 August 2008
Good stuff folks - Love that Saab over the Mondy anytime. Having driven the Vectra is 113Kw form its equally as good as the Mondy, I’d even say better on a long run. There was a slightly more sporty edge to it. So I guess the Saab on the same platform should be similar.
Conqestador - Don’t forget the post 2005 Vectras are slightly modified and are different to the earlier version, far nicer to drive. I have a 2004 Vectra 3.0CDTi wagon and also drive the later 1.9CDTi (hire cars) weekly and theres a noticeable difference. The insiders right ignore the gung ho Clarkson (can’t drive smoothly for toffies) comments, yep the car was dull to look at but its much better now. Pity you Aussies gave up on it in 2005, guess you voted with your wallets.
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Comment by Matt
19 September 2008
Picked up the Mondeo TDCi around release and it’s an absolute winner in every way. I do totally agree with Ricardo though, a memory drivers seat would be a welcomed addition. Coming from a 2002/3 model Focus, I was initially worried that I would be let down by the handling, but for a big car like this it’s amazing!
A new ad for the Mondeo wouldn’t go astray though.
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