Expert answer

Hi Hugh,

It’s only a rough guess, as ever with VRT, but it should be in the region of €3,300.

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Hi Fergal,

The Mondeo is a fine car, but it has fallen back a bit compared to previous versions and I don’t think it’s really comparable to the current crop of premium-badge saloons, which is a shame. The A4 is very, very good, but if you’re going to have to ‘rob a bank’ to get a BMW 520d then you’re going to have to do the same for the new A6.

That said, there are some very good mid-size saloons around at the moment that are better than a Mondeo, and which can give an A4 a serious run for its money. A Skoda Superb, perhaps? Volkswagen Passat? Mazda6? All well worth a look, and better value all-round than the A4.

Here are a few of our reviews to help you decide:

Audi A4 review

Ford Mondeo review

Volkswagen Passat review

Skoda Superb review

Mazda6 review

BMW 520d review

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Hi Peter,

Ford recommends a change every 200,000 kilometres or every 10 years, whichever comes first. We would always advise readers to make the change earlier than that.

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Hi Ben,

It should take about seven hours of labout to do that, but every garage charges a different hourly rate and may do fixed rates for such tasks so you really need to check with a garage you are considering using. The head gasket set itself costs about €190 from an independent motor factors.

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Hi Eamon,

Well, obviously the bigger the car the better, and if you can stretch to a long-wheelbase Range Rover...

At a more sensible level, the best car for long legs in both front and back is the Skoda Superb (both current and previous generation models). Also good choices are the Ford Mondeo, Toyota Avensis and Hyundai i40. If you need to come down a size, go for a Skoda Octavia or Honda Civic.

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Hi Michael,

You've got a lot of options depending on the year and size of car you want. How about an Audi A4 2.0 TDI? Perhaps a BMW 520d? Something simpler? How about a Ford Mondeo 1.6 TDCi? Or a Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 TDI? A Mazda6? A Lexus GS? There's a whole world of choice out there for €12k. 

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Hi Fergal,

Well, it depends on which model you're looking at. In general buying an automatic these days doesn't have the fuel consumption (and CO₂) penalties of old, although it's fair to say that not all automatics are equal. They can be very expensive up front though (BMW asks €2,500 for an auto) and, depending on the car, you won't always make that back at resale time. Certainly on a Ford you might struggle with automatic resale, but a BMW or Audi should do better as people expect the auto in those. 

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Hi John,

If it's the oil light that came on, usually a red light with a dripping oil can icon, then you really shouldn't drive anywhere until you get to the bottom of the reason for it. That usually means low oil pressure, so the level may just need topping up.

If it's a service light, then it's recommended to get it seen to as soon as possible, but it should not be urgent. It's always recommended to change the oil filter when you are replacing the oil in a car.

Hope that helps

Expert answer

Hi Mike,

Expert answer

Hi John,

I think given the criteria you’ve given us it has to be the Kia. It’s good looking and nice to drive, roomy, comfy and well equipped and above all it has the longest warranty by far. The Ford is great looking and good to drive but the quality isn’t as good as it was on the last Mondeo and while we love the Skoda Superb, it sounds like the Kia would suit you better.

Here are our reviews to help you decide:

Ford Mondeo review

Skoda Superb review

Kia Optima SW review