C30 T5 R Design SE Lux? questions questions

[baldmosher]

It's not for me (he says, honest ), it's for The Wife™ who says she likes the look of the C30. Yes, I know it's a Ford not a Volvo but I like it too, it's tall enough inside for me (I'm 6'3") and seems they have a lot of fans. Nothing I've read has put me off one (but my aunt had one, and she said it gave her a bad back). I've sat in a base level one and it seemed OK but a bit plain inside.

The Wife™ will be using it for 50 mile round trip commute in light traffic, mostly motorway cruising with a bit through town at each end. We have the V40 for longer motorway hauls. So mpg is a consideration but not huge.

As I won't be driving it all that much, when I do, I would quite like 221bhp under my right foot... so the only thing I think I really want as a definite is the T5 -- am I making a mistake there? will it just cost us a fortune in fuel/tax? Should I go for the D5 and remap? -- and cruise control (I think that's standard on all the range right?)

Is there really that much difference in the trim/equip levels? Would I regret going for lower spec (I did with the V40 S) or is the low/mid spec pretty good anyway?

What about the R Design suspension... a bit hard or just right?

As you can see I am fairly undecided on specifics. I'll be seriously looking for one after the summer but for now I'm open to recommendations. Never been in this sub forum before, I stick to the S/V40 forum, but figure now is the time to start thinking about this

Oh, and it has to be 2005 onwards which I gather won't be a problem, and high mileage isn't an issue if it's got full history, as you can see from my signature....

[merf777]

Hello,

I have been driving an 08 C30 T5 SE Lux R Design for a few years. It is a very nice, fast and comfortable car.

I am putting it up for sale, as the wife wants a new 4x4!

Tax is £285 per year, and I get around 25MPG from it, but you would get a bit more from a long commute.

I think it is a very good car for crusing, you have to be carefull as it gets to a high speed very quickly! It is also a lot of fun driving round country roads, feels more solid and safe than a Focus, which I have also had.

Since owning, I have not had one single problem with mine, but you need good front tyres, as it has a lot of power for a relatively light car.

I would say if you want to add a very hight spec, all bells and whistles stereo the fibre optic HU in the C30 is a bit of a pain, but it is absolutely fine in standard spec.

Paul!

[baldmosher]

Do you feel the C30 needs that much power? Obviously you don't have to use it all at once, but is the T5 overkill by most measures? Would the D5 be a sensible alternative, particularly as it's not "just a weekend car" for us?

Quite impressed you think it handles* better than the Focus as I found the Mk2, Mk3 and Mk4 to handle excellently, and a friend of mine raved about his Mk1, although none are as stable as the last two Mondeos which sail around bends like sticky rubber tanks. All the above likely to be an improvement on the V40 though, which is a bit like a scared sailboat captain in a storm, although it's not as wafty as the V70 which is like an armchair on a barge

*I realise that you might have been speaking more generally there... the Mk4 Focus is a big improvement on build quality.