PREDICTIONS of a £1,000 residual value premium over its predecessor for the new Ford Mondeo have again come under fire. Kent-based ABC Vehicle Consultants joined the attack on projected used values published in the November edition of CAP Monitor, saying the price guide was around £700 wide of the mark.

Last week, Vauxhall fleet director Mike Bonner hit out at CAP's predictions, which placed the revamped Mondeo 1.6 LX £575 higher than the Vauxhall Vectra 1.6 LS after three years/60,000.

Comparing Mondeo 1.8 LX and Vectra 1.8 LS, the difference is £775, with the new Mondeo enjoying a £1,075 premium over the old model - a 23% increase which ABC managing director Denis East said was almost impossible to justify.

'CAP's predictions are merely that,' said East. 'They are not values written on tablets of stone. CAP is very professional and much respected, but at the end of the day, market alone will decide RVs. That market is already unstable and I can't see this inconsistency in valuations helping to restore any stability.'