The latest edition of CAP Monitor puts the Mondeo 1.6 LX second only to the Renault Laguna 1.8 RT in the upper medium sector with a residual value of 39% after three years/60,000 miles. The 406 1.8 LX and Vectra 1.6 LS however, languish at 35% of their purchase price after the same period - nevertheless it is an uplift of around £700 over the old 405 and Cavalier.

Vauxhall fleet director Mike Bonner said that compared with the residual values currently being set by contract hire companies, CAP Monitor was wide of the mark by around £300. CAP chief economist Mark Cowling defended Monitor's view but stressed that the novelty premium currently enjoyed by the Mondeo would be fairly short-lived.

VAUXHALL'S new 16 valve 1.4 Astra estate is among the front-runners in the lower medium estate sector, according to CAP predictions. With a residual value of 37% of its price new after three years/60,000 miles, the Astra is second only to the VW Golf 1.8 CL on 39%. The equivalent Citroen ZX and Ford Escort 1.4 estates are predicted to hold 36% and 34% of their values respectively.