AS luck would have it, several months ago my uncle bought exactly the same model as our long term Ford Mondeo 2.0-litre TDCi. This means it only took a few miles for me to settle in to a really enjoyable driving experience.

The C in the TDCi stands for common rail, and I am reliably informed by the 'petrol heads' in the office that this makes a world of difference to the driving performance of this car.

For my money, it is one of the smoothest, most responsive and pleasurable cars I have ever driven. And what's more, the previous testers agree too.

Apart from performance, the other great benefit of the Mondeo's common rail diesel engine is the fuel consumption, consistently in the 40-plus mpg on all our tests, and with a huge fuel tank, taking more than £40 worth of fuel, you could, for instance, get from Aberdeen to Aberystwyth without stopping.

The 18in alloy wheels (standard along with a host of other goodies) look great. The black and brushed aluminium interior suits the persona of the car, and having been a passenger in the back I can vouch for the acres of legroom and its capacity to take three adults in the back comfortably. The Mondeo 2.0 TDCi Zetec-S is a good car, great to drive, economical and with a company car tax bill of only £61.85 per month for a 22% taxpayer, a good choice for any high mileage company car driver.