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WORKING MON
Ford’s Mondeo has long been a firm favourite with business users but can the latest model meet the growing challenges of the modern fleet market? Steve Walker reports

For the lucky employees that get to make it, the decision over which company car to choose is a big one. The boxes you tick on the selection form will define your place in the business world, demarking your allotted position on the rat race starting grid for the next few years. It’s not a call you want to get wrong.

This is the market where Ford Mondeos have traditionally flourished. Along with fellow medium range stalwarts like Vauxhall’s Vectra and Volkswagen’s Passat, it has been the darling of fleet managers and browbeaten sales reps for more than a decade. Competition, though, has never been stiffer. Prestige brands are turning the heads of the Mondeo’s core market with lustrous premium hatchbacks and lower-end compact executive models. There’s also the growing band of compact 4x4 models to consider and all the time, the taxation burden is prompting more people to take the cash allowance and buy their vehicles privately. So where does all this leave the latest Mondeo? Is its traditional blend of qualities still relevant enough to maintain its position as a fleet sector favourite? Given the importance of the company car as a status symbol, it’s hardly surprising that the prestige brands are enjoying increasing success in the fleet sector. When faced with the choice of a bog standard 3-Series or a well-specified Mondeo, there’s a definite tendency amongst corporate climbers to go German. But are they making the right choice? Cost is king in most company car selection decisions. The 2.5T Mondeo variant we’ve been testing comes in at nearly £24,000 which puts it dangerously close to some decent compact executive metal. The car is fully-loaded, however, with Titanium X trim and a 217bhp 2.5-litre turbocharged engine that is never going to be popular choice amongst fleet customers. The engines that are far more likely to appear on the radar of company car buyers are the economical 1.8 and 2.0-litre TDCI diesels. Priced predominantly in the £16,500 to £21,000 bracket, these Mondeos are at a level that will only get you into the reediest petrol-engined 3-Series. They’re also well-equipped to help company car users circumvent the chancellor’s best efforts to get his hands on their cash.

"Cost is king in most company car selection decisions"

The entry-level diesel is a 98bhp unit but at motorway speeds it feels like its working hard. The 123bhp 1.8 is much better for big mileages, adequately powerful and reasonably composed when cruising. It will return 48.7mpg which is only 1mpg down on the 98bhp unit and CO2 emissions of 154g/km aren’t half bad. The 2.0-litre TDCI is better still. 138bhp gives this car a muscular turn of speed for overtaking and firing up those motorway on ramps. The hefty torque delivery gives an effortless quality to the driving experience and with 47.9mpg possible, there’s no great penalty at the pumps. The CO2 emissions rating is low as well, at 156g/km. In terms of running costs, there isn’t a huge difference between the diesel Mondeos but the performance benefit of the bigger engines does make itself felt. The message is go for the most powerful TDCI you can afford. The latest Mondeo has impressed us consistently. It’s a car that edges extremely close to the best compact executive models in terms of interior ambience and build quality while setting new standards for its medium range contemporaries. Some doubts have been expressed over the excessive use of aluminium-effect plastic on the centre console of our Titanium X test vehicle but the slick control interfaces and the general solidity of the construction are real eye-openers. The boot is enormous. Press the release and the tailgate of our hatchback model yawns open to leave you teetering on the precipice of a veritable pit of practicality. Family holidays, business trips or the weekend DIY blitz - the Mondeo will accommodate more stuff than you’d credit in any number of situations. When it is time to load up and run for the sun, there should be little complaint from back seat passengers either, with exemplary head and legroom right across the rear bench. The downside of all this space on the inside is that the Mondeo is a seriously big car outside, bigger than the old Ford Scorpio executive saloon. It feels substantial and extremely solid on the road but the sheer size becomes a real issue in tight situations and when parking. Get the Mondeo out in the open and all this is forgotten. It shines brighter than any other medium range offering whether you’re attaching a set of sweeping bends or a marathon motorway trip. The suspension is extremely well judged, giving the firmness and control you want for spirited driving but without crossing over into the harshness that makes mundane trips a chore. The car is a pleasure to use on longer journeys where wind and road noise are never intrusive and the engine idles away meekly in the background until called upon to deliver the goods. This Mondeo is a very different proposition to the iterations that have gone before. The squeeze has been put on the medium range sector from all sides and the usual low cost, low quality repmobile recipe is no longer good enough to secure sales from fleet or private buyers. The Mondeo upped its game and the results are genuinely impressive. There will be company car buyers who simply must have the car park cachet of a German badge on their bonnets but the amount of Mondeo you get for the same money makes the Ford a highly tempting option for free-thinking buyers. The gap from medium range to compact executive metal has never looked smaller.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 2.5T Titanium X PRICE: £23,945 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 222g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.3s / Max Speed 152mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE:

METAL AS ANYTHING
Although the big money for Ford comes in the base specification Mondeo models, the company likes to show what it can do when the purse strings aren’t drawn so tight. The range-topping Titanium X Sport model is quite some display as Andy Enright reports.

Solely available with the punchiest petrol and diesel engines in the Mondeo line up, the Titanium X Sport isn’t cheap but will tempt those who are quite impervious to the allure of premium German badges. The 175bhp diesel engine and the 218bhp petrol unit certainly have the drop on anything equivalently priced from the BMW or Audi.

Agreed, the Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport doesn’t have the snappiest name. In fact it’s about as elegant as a frog in a sock but get past the explosion of badging and what lies beneath is well worth your consideration. Any current generation Ford Mondeo is an impressive piece of engineering. The cheaper cars are, if anything, more admirable in terms of what they get done within their strict budgetary remits but it’s liberating to find out what Ford could do when the bean-counters are temporarily distracted or otherwise seized up over their copy of Excel. The result is a car that asks some very searching questions about your motivation for buying a vehicle in this class. It’ll force you to consider whether you’re buying a car or buying a badge. Some will avoid the issue. Ford is banking on a proportion of these potential customers deciding that the Mondeo Titanium X Sport is a lot of quality metal for the money compared to the usual compact executive car crop. The 2.5T engine produces 218bhp and can punch the hefty Mondeo through the 0-60mph sprint in 7.3 seconds. That’s sufficiently rapid to retain the interest of all but the most power-crazed photocopier salesman. Top speed is 152mph. An arguably even more impressive engine is the 2.2-litre TDCi diesel that Ford has shoehorned beneath the Mondeo’s bonnet. This generates 174bhp which means a sprint to 60mph in just 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 139mph. The Mondeo always feels a quality product. The slick steering, the weighting of the pedals and gearchange and the excellent damping are reminiscent of Lexus rather than Ford. Minus points would include rather poor visibility due to the chunky pillars and some terrible reflections in the rear window caused by the air conditioning vents in the four-door car. Prod the ‘Power button’ and you’re then treated to a masterclass in vehicle dynamics. Once you learn to trust the front end, handling is excellent with a very clever ESP stability control system.

"A car that asks some very searching questions about your motivation for buying a vehicle in this class…"

Take a seat inside the car and you’ll notice high quality surfaces, materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are again evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The dashboard is clear and the major controls for the electronics systems largely intuitive. Both estate and five-door models are offered in Titanium X Sport guise. The design team has also paid great attention to interior detailing, and examples of this include new generation infotainment systems, plus the next generation of Ford's Human Machine Interface (HMI). This easy to use system features the same steering-wheel toggle switches seen on new Galaxy and S-MAX, but introduces the availability of a large central LCD screen with full colour graphics situated between the main analogue instruments in front of the driver. Rear seat headroom and legroom have also come in for scrutiny by the Mondeo development team and these have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety. I’m 6’4" and I was easily able to fit comfortably in the back seat behind a front seat virtually all the way back on its runner. The Galaxy and S-MAX tie-in isn’t coincidental as the Mondeo runs on the same chassis as these models and is built in the same factory. Ford is confident it can handle capacity issues and cites a flexible manufacturing process that can rapidly switch from model to model to meet demand. Prices for the 2.2-litre TDCi 175 diesel engine and the 2.5T petrol-engined versions of the Mondeo Titanium X Sport are identical (starting at £25,355), so take your pick as to which you prefer in terms of power delivery and ongoing costs. Equipment levels are also identical, with both cars getting 18-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension, twin chromed exhaust tail pipes and body coloured side skirts to differentiate them from lesser Mondeo models. Inside you’ll find leather and alcantara seats trimmed with red stitching, a leather-finished steering wheel and gear shift lever and piano black trim replacing the aluminium inlays. This is as well as a Sony six-disc in-dash CD stereo, voice control, rain sensing wipers, automatic bi-xenon headlights, front and rear parking sensors and dual zone climate control. All of which will lead you to then wonder whether this represents better value than an Audi A4 2.0 TFSI S Line or a BMW 320i M Sport, two cars that are also rather well equipped and which both have a different and discrete appeal. The Ford scores in being bigger and better equipped although not having standard fit satellite navigation seems a bit mean at this price. Cost of ownership for the Mondeo Titanium X Sport comes in two sizes, medium and large. Choose the diesel version and you’re greeted with fairly modest running costs for a vehicle of this size and performance. It’ll return an average of 45.6mpg with carbon dioxide emissions of 165g/km. Opt instead for the 2.5T model and you’ll need to set a little more money aside. Fuel economy is officially measured at just over 30mpg and Ford claim that you can expect 40mpg on a motorway run but we found both marks difficult to achieve - possibly because the car nags you to let it off the leash at any and every opportunity. CO2 emissions of 222g/km will also be problematic for company car market and that more than anything will restrict its appeal in fleet circles. These costs are also reflected in residual values for the two models. The diesel car will retain a healthier proportion of its original sale price but in general terms, Mondeos look to be standing up very well with initial estimates around ten percentage points better than the outgoing car. Compared to cars like the Mazda6, the Peugeot 407 and the Renault Laguna, these are extremely strong indeed. Only the Honda Accord really gets close in terms of mainstream brands. Up against the premium brands, however, the Mondeo Titanium X Sport will struggle. Taken in isolation, there’s a lot to like about Ford’s Mondeo Titanium X Sport, especially in 2.2-litre TDCi 175 diesel guise. It’s big, it’s well equipped, it handles well and it feels strongly built. The diesel car also makes some impressive economy figures and the 2.5T petrol is quicker still. It’s quite an achievement. The trouble comes when casting the net for rivals. As far as mainstream vehicles go, this is about as good as it gets. This car’s inherent problem is its price tag. It puts it into direct comparison with some very good cars from BMW and Audi and while the Ford may offer more power, more toys and more space, the premium brands counter that with beefy residuals that make them cheaper to run in the longer term. UK buyers have cottoned onto this fact and as good as this Mondeo is, you’re really got to want one to overlook the German brands.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo Titanium X Sport range PRICES: £25,355-£26,605 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 12E-14E CO2 EMISSIONS: 165-222g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.2 TDCI 175] 0-60mph 8.1s / Max Speed 139mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.5T] (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and driver’s knee airbags, ESP stability control, ABS with electronic brake assist WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4778/2078/1500mm

GREEN MACHINE
Big cars can be green too, at least that’s what Ford’s Mondeo ECOnetic would like us to believe. Steve Walker reports

Some tweaks to the aerodynamics and a set of low rolling resistance tyres make a small but significant impact on the Ford Mondeo ECOnetic’s fuel economy and emissions. The car has the potential to save company car buyers quite a sum and the general competence of the standard Mondeo package sweetens the deal further.

A logical first step towards greener motoring is to get a smaller car. Typically, smaller vehicles weigh less and use smaller engines so they’ll tend to use less fuel and emit fewer of the nasties we’re all trying to curb. Problems start to arise when your family just won’t fit in a supermini or hatchback and you’re forced to go with something bigger. How do you cut costs and do your bit for the environment from behind the wheel of a full-size family car? Ford thinks it might have the answer: it’s called the Mondeo ECOnetic. Ford has wheeled out ECOnetic versions of vehicles from across the more compact end of its model range but the Mondeo is far from compact. The ECOnetic formula is a relatively simple one of low rolling resistance tyres and aerodynamic tweaks made to a standard car which result in the economy and emissions savings but with a vehicle the size of the Mondeo, the effect of such alterations tends to diminish. Still, high mileage drivers in the current climate will take any reductions in fuel costs and taxation they can get, so the Mondeo ECOnetic certainly appears to have a potential market to target. Power comes from the 1.8-litre TDCi diesel engine with its common-rail injection architecture and 123bhp power output. It actually moves the Mondeo with some vigour, pulling strongly through the rev range on the back of the 340Nm of torque that’s developed at just 1,800rpm. The 0-60mph sprint takes 10.6s and there’s a top speed of 126mph so this environmental special hardly forces major sacrifices upon the driver who likes to get a move on. The benefits of the low rolling resistance tyres fitted to the ECOnetic are a little less clear cut. They obviously help the car achieve its modest fuel consumption but they grip less effectively than standard tyres, increasing braking distances and acting as a blemish on the Mondeo’s otherwise highly polished driving experience.

"The ECOnetic formula is a relatively simple one of low rolling resistance tyres and aerodynamic tweaks"

The Mondeo always feels a quality product. The slick steering, the weighting of the pedals and gearchange and the excellent damping are reminiscent of Lexus rather than Ford. The car glides down the road but you can feel the suspension doing its thing and the set-up is taut enough to really reward spirited driving. So what separates the ECOnetic from more profligate Ford Mondeos? Visually, not a lot. There’s a very subtle rear spoiler on the five-door hatch model, lowered sports suspension and wheel covers for the little 16" steel wheels that are shod with those low rolling resistance tyres but other than that, the only giveaway is the ECOnetic badge on the tailgate. The most significant changes are made out of sight underneath the Mondeo where the under tray has been smoothed out to help the car cut through the air more effectively. Take a seat inside the car and you’ll notice high quality surfaces, materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are again evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The dashboard is clear and the major controls for the electronics systems largely intuitive. Rear seat headroom and legroom have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety and the boot in the Mondeo is vast at 528-litres in the hatch, Prices start at £18,745, a figure that represents a reasonable premium of around £250 over a standard Mondeo 1.8 TDCi Zetec variant. You might expect a green-special model to be fairly austere inside in the interests of keeping the weight down but the Mondeo ECOnetic has quite a specification to its name. Fortunately, none of the extras seem overly heavy. There’s Bluetooth phone connectivity, front fog lights, a leather steering wheel, electric windows and electric adjustment for the front seats. The Mondeo’s core market of fleet customers and company car users always has an eye open for cost savings and the ECOnetic model can give them what they want. Of course, there are alternatives for family car buyers looking to minimise their environmental impact and financial outlay and the Mondeo’s figures will need to stack-up well in comparison to these. The bottom line with the Mondeo ECOnetic is the fuel economy figure of 53.3mpg on the combined cycle. This is a decent showing for a car of the Mondeo’s size although how close you’ll get to it in real world driving conditions is open to debate. The resulting emissions figure of 139g/km will help owners dodge a sizable chunk of taxation, especially if their Mondeo ECOnetic is a company car. Residual values for the Mondeo look to be standing up very well with initial estimates around ten percentage points better than the previous generation car. Compared to models like the Mazda6, the Peugeot 407 and the Renault Laguna, these are extremely strong indeed. Only the Honda Accord really gets close in terms of mainstream brands. Ford hasn’t done anything too spectacular with its Mondeo ECOnetic. There’s no advanced new technology, just a series of aerodynamic tweaks and some skinny tyres but the results will be enough to persuade many of the car’s merits - especially those looking to reduce their company car tax burden. The Mondeo ECOnetic’s slippery underside, lowered suspension, rear spoiler and low-rolling resistance tyres work to give combined fuel economy of 53.3mpg and 139g/km emissions. That’s a small but significant improvement on the 50.4mpg and 149g/km of the standard 1.8 TDCi Mondeo. Is it worth the additional outlay? For some the answer will be yes and for others it will be a no but it may take some time in a darkened room with a calculator to work where you stand.  

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo ECOnetic PRICES: £18,745-£19,995 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 8 CO2 EMISSIONS: 139g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 10.6s / Max Speed 126mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 53.3mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE:

T-PARTY
The running costs might have company car drivers thinking twice but the driving experience of Ford’s 2.5T Mondeo is as much fun as the medium range sector can muster. Steve Walker reports…

With the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine installed, the Ford Mondeo has the means to make the most of its polished driving dynamics. The car’s core fleet market may baulk at running costs some way in excess of the diesel alternatives but the oil-burners don’t bring a grin to the chops like a 2.5T.

An engine that makes a small car fast often only succeeds in making a larger car thirsty. Recent automotive history turns up numerous examples of powerplants lifted from rip-snorting hatchbacks and optimistically fitted to a bigger vehicle only for the laws of physics to lower a big dampener onto proceedings. This factor initially encouraged a degree of scepticism where Ford’s Mondeo 2.5T was concerned. The car’s engine first rose to prominence in the flying Focus ST but how would it fare powering less hardcore models in the mid to upper echelons of the Mondeo range? We’ve been running one on our longterm fleet to find out. A unit that feels unstoppable in a small, lightweight vehicle can easily be rendered distinctly average when it’s burdened with extra weight to lug around. That averageness is then compounded by the spectre of increased fuel consumption and emissions. Running costs are always going to be a thorny issue for a 220bhp turbocharged petrol engine in the fleet-dominated medium range sector, so the Mondeo’s big hitter needs to deliver some real sparkle in order to avoid being passed over in favour of prosaic diesel alternatives. The 2.5T engine produces 217bhp and can punch the hefty Mondeo through the 0-60mph sprint in 7.3 seconds. That’s sufficiently rapid to retain the interest of all but the most power-crazed photocopier salesman. Top speed is 152mph but the most telling figures where this engine is concerned relate to its torque output. We’re used to making torque-based comparisons between petrol and diesel engines that highlight the relative limp wrists of the petrol unit. The 2.5T, however, produces its 320Nm maximum between 1,500 and 4,800rpm while the Mondeo’s 2.0-litre 138bhp TDCi diesel develops its identical 320Nm top whack between 1,750 and 2,240rpm. The petrol’s wider torque spread actually gives it greater flexibility and that goes in the plus column alongside its superior refinement and sporty character.

"If saving cash is your top priority, you’d best avoid any sort of contact with the 2.5T - it could easily suck you in…"

Like the best turbo engines, the 2.5T doesn’t feel as though it’s relying on forced induction to achieve its performance. Acceleration eases on smoothly almost from the first prod of the throttle, reaching its zenith at 5,000rpm where maximum power is produced. Persevere at this point and a distinctive burbling exhaust note will spur you on to the red line. The diesel-style muscle low down in the rev-range makes the 2.5T Mondeo a relaxed everyday companion but the engine still rewards when extended, inviting you to enjoy the Mondeo’s fluid ride and taught chassis. Quite simply, if you’re looking for an involving drive, the Mondeo trumps everything else in the medium range sector and even gives the compact executive elite cause for concern. Ford obviously had BMW and Mercedes products in its sights when creating the Mondeo. Some of the essential sharpness of the previous generation car was sacrificed this time around in favour of superior refinement and quality. The independent multi-link rear suspension works with the MacPherson strut set-up at the front to achieve a litheness and composure over poor surfaces. Anti-roll bars fore and aft help the Mondeo corner flat and the sound insulation reduces wind-noise to a murmur at high speeds. The 2.5T engine is barely audible at idle and only minor vibrations find there way inside. Take a seat at the wheel and you’ll notice high quality materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The dashboard is clear and the major controls for the electronics systems largely intuitive, although there was rather a lot of brushed aluminium in our Titanium X test vehicle and the wood veneer finishes fitted to the Ghia models will have anybody under the age of 50 recoiling in horror. The Mondeo is a seriously big car with generous room for five occupants and a boot of epic proportions. It’s big on the outside too of course, but the expertly-judged driving experience masks the cars substantial dimensions when you’re on the move. The high window line and steeply raked rear mean parking is less straightforward than in frumpier rivals. The 2.5T engine is available in the up-spec Ghia, Titanium and Titanium X trim levels at prices that kick off at £20,945. The saloon and 5-door hatch bodystyles are priced identically but the estate carries a £1,250 premium model for model. It mean that the ultimate 2.5T Mondeo is the Titanium X estate at £24,195. At this rarefied end of the Mondeo line-up, equipment levels are of course generous. Even the Ghia features a 6 CD Sony branded stereo, powered mirrors, automatic headlamps and wipers, 17" alloy wheels and ambient interior lighting. By the time you’ve ascended to the Titanium X, you’re positively swamped by desirable titbits. It’s only at this level that you get the engine starter button that’s dramatically labelled ‘POWER’. Ford has made a conscious effort to nudge the Mondeo upmarket. The traditional medium range sector has been squeezed of late by the glut of equivalently-priced compact 4x4s and premium hatchbacks and no longer has the cash cow potential it once did. By endowing the Mondeo with extra desirability, the thinking is that base models will still mop up medium range sales while the higher spec derivatives like the 2.5T range may pinch less badge-conscious buyers from the arms of the prestige brands. Company car drivers tend towards diesel engines in order to avoid the crushing sensation that they’ve financially shot themselves in the foot, the feeling plaguing them on their daily slog to and from work. It’s true that a diesel Mondeo represents a more affordable choice but if saving cash is your top priority, you’d best avoid any sort of contact with the 2.5T - it could easily suck you in. Fuel economy is officially measured at just over 30mpg and Ford claim that you can expect 40mpg on a motorway run but we found both marks difficult to achieve - possibly because the car nags you to let it off the leash at any and every opportunity. CO2 emissions of 222g/km will also be problematic for company car market and that more than anything will restrict its appeal in fleet circles. By way of comparison, the Mondeo’s 140bhp TDCi diesel officially returns almost 48mpg and emits 156g/km of CO2, making it a notably more cost-effective proposition as a company motor. The benefits of the 2.5T engine may be lost on traditional Mondeo buyers who choose the car as a tool of their motorway pounding trade. The associated economy and emissions don’t stand up well to on-paper comparisons against the alternative diesel engines. If you can put the taxman’s machinations to the back of your mind, however, you’ve got to love the 2.5T Mondeo. The engine’s mix of diesel-esque torque output and petrol engine refinement make it an unbridled pleasure on longer trips but that sporty character always bubbles under the surface. Fierce performance evokes the unit’s Focus ST origins and a snarling engine note invites you to use the excellent Mondeo chassis as its designers intended. The head will always plump for diesel but when the heart cries out for a 2.5T, it’s well worth a listen. Overall, the Ford Mondeo makes a commendable attempt at surpassing established medium range levels of design, build, surprise and delight. It certainly feels special inside with an aura of quality about the cabin even if some of the trim finishes do try a little too hard in the up-spec models where the 2.5T engine is available. Outside, the Mondeo looks great with its coupe-like profile and distinctive front end and on the road, the sporty character of the driving experience really comes through. If you bought this car with a premium badge on its nose, you really wouldn’t be disappointed.  

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 2.5T PRICES: £20,945 - £24,195 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 222g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.3s / Max Speed 152mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE:

WORLDS APART
Ford had to take a few risks with the latest Mondeo to keep at the front of the medium, range marketplace. They have and it’s paid off, as Andy Enright reports

It’s probably fair to say that Ford don’t have quite as much as they would have liked riding on this current Mondeo. Had the market sector where the Mondeo campaigns been in the rudest of health, Ford probably wouldn’t need to be hawking parts of its business around to the highest bidders but the Blue Oval is dealing with some tough trading conditions the best way it knows how – through bold and innovative product development. Certainly, the latest Mondeo clearly demonstrates that Ford hasn’t bottled it when it comes to putting its money where its mouth is.

The third generation Mondeo was on sale for six years and although it did extremely well for Ford, its marketplace has in recent times been drying up quite severely. Back in 2000 when this car first appeared, sales for this segment were a healthy 339,000 cars per year. By 2005, it had shrunk to 270,000 models and projections for the next few years show the curve bottoming out but nevertheless still heading downhill. Small 4x4s and compact MPVs as well as premium small cars and compact executive models have all tempted drivers out of the traditional middleweight and Ford have had to think long and hard about how to woo these customers back. When I first saw this Mondeo, I was struck with an intense feeling of déjà vu. The reason was quite simple. I’d driven to work that day in a Ford S-MAX MPV and the Mondeo’s interior, its detailing, its exterior proportioning and most of its mechanicals are shared with that vehicle. Anybody who’s driven an S-MAX will attest to the fact that this is no bad thing.

"Ford took some risks with this car. It’s paid off…."

Getting down to Mondeo specifics, prices start at around £16,000 for the entry-level Edge 1.6-litre 110PS five-door and rise to £27,045 for the 2.5T 220PS Titanium X Sport estate. On average the latest Mondeo is priced £300 below the outgoing equivalent models. That’s despite the fact that it benefits from £700 worth of added equipment across the range including things like Ford’s Electronic Stability Program (ESP), a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm, ISOFIX child-seat fixings, steering wheel controls for the key vehicles technologies, a driver's knee airbag, 'follow me home' lighting and a feature unique to Ford – Easyfuel. This prevents drivers putting petrol into a diesel powered car or vice-versa. It is estimated this accidental mis-fueling affects over 150,000 UK drivers every year. As you’d expect, all the usual features are in place. Even the basic Edge variant gets air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel, a CD stereo with an MP3 connection socket, seven air-bags, ABS with Electronic Brake Assist (EBA), power front windows, remote central locking, a quick clear heated front windscreen, plus power and heated door mirrors. Zetec trim is what most buyers will opt for, recognizable by 16-inch alloys and front foglights. Prices range from £17,395 for the 1.6-litre 125PS saloon and hatchback variants to £20,795 for the 2.0-litre TDCi 130PS estate. The most popular derivative is expected to be a Zetec five-door 140PS TDCi diesel which is priced at £19,545. Next up are Ghia and Titanium trims, both priced from £19,145 for the 2.0-litre 145PS saloon to £22,895 for the 2.5 220PS estate. With the Ghia, you get larger alloys, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, power fold door mirrors, a Sony stereo with six CD in-dash auto-changer. The Titanium gives you a more luxurious feel with brushed metal interior trim, a different wheel design and sports front seats. At the top of the range, the Titanium X series aims to emphasise modern technology with a ‘contemporary’ interior further and costs from £21,645 for the 2.0i five-door to £25,545 for the 2.2 TDCi estate. At the top of the range, there’s the Titanium X Sport models (priced from £26,895) offer everything but the kitchen sink in terms of equipment. There’s a big degree of carry-over of engines with the entry-level powerplant being the 1.6-litre petrol Duratec engine and the range-topper being the 2.5-litre turbocharged 222bhp unit that’s seen in vehicles like the S-MAX and the Focus ST. Diesel engine provision is decent as well, with the 1.8-litre Duratorq TDCi unit marking the first point of entry, an engine which also comes in the eco-friendly ECOnetic variant of this car, a model which puts out emissions of just 139g/km. This 1.8 TDCi engine and the well-proven 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi unit mop up a big percentage of Mondeo sales. A 2.2-litre TDCi unit sits at the top of the range. Take a seat inside the car and you’ll notice high quality surfaces, materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are again evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The flow-through centre console allows the gear shifter to be located high and within easy ergonomic reach of the driver. The design team has also paid great attention to interior detailing, and examples of this include new generation infotainment systems, plus the next generation of Ford's Human Machine Interface (HMI). This easy to use system features the same steering-wheel toggle switches seen on new Galaxy and S-MAX, but introduces the availability of a large central LCD screen with full colour graphics situated between the main analogue instruments in front of the driver. Rear seat headroom and legroom have also come in for scrutiny by the Mondeo development team and these have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety. The Mondeo has a very tough target to aim at, with all manner of different vehicles now nipping in to grab a mouthful of the medium range pie. As a result, Ford had to step out and take some risks with the design of this car. They have – and it’s paid off.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo range PRICES: £15,995-£27,345 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 139-222g/km PERFORMANCE: [TDCi140] 0-60mph 10.9s / Max Speed 124mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TDCi140] (urban) 37.2mpg / (extra urban) 57.6mpg / (combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS [est] WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE:

SUITED AND BOOTED
Ford won’t sell too many four-door Mondeos in the UK. That doesn’t stop it being worth looking at though. Jonathan Crouch reports

Ford built its reputation in Britain on building medium range family saloons. Remember the Cortina? It’s pretty rare to see one now though. Four-door versions of the company’s current offering, the latest Mondeo, are rare indeed.

Still, the company has to develop a three-box version of this class-leading car. Sales in Southern European markets like Spain are mainly centred around it. Which means that British buyers continue to get the saloon option. It costs the same as the comparable hatch and in some ways looks sharper. It’s also more versatile than you might think, offering 535 litres of bootspace, a figure that rises to 1,448 litres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seats down. Otherwise, the recipe, as you would expect, is almost exactly the same as the five-door hatchback version. I say almost because, for some reason best known to Ford’s marketeers, buyers of the top-specification Titanium and Titanium X variants don’t get the option of the 145PS 2.0-litre petrol engine you’ll find in comparable models using the hatchback bodyshape. You can have this unit in the saloon if you’re prepared to compromise on kit and go for a Ghia, Zetec or Edge variant however. At the other end of the saloon range, another difference is the absence of the 110PS 1.6i Duratec entry-level engine that you’ll find in the most basic Hatch variant. Ford believe (rightly based on sales data) that four-door buyers don’t really go for stripped-out entry-level models. It does however, mean that unlike the five-door, you can’t have a Mondeo saloon at under the significant £15,000 price point (according to list prices anyway). Saloon prices start at £15,695 for the 125PS 1.6-litre ‘Edge’ version, the same as you’ll pay for the equivalent 125PS Hatch variant. Diesel buyers also lose the entry-level Mondeo-designated engine, in this case the 100PS 1.8 Duratorq TDCi unit that powers base diesel versions of the Hatch. Instead, the entry point to diesel-powered four-door Mondeo motoring is provided by the same engine in 125PS guise. Again, this means that you’ll need to be a little careful in comparing bodyshapes with your budget and that diesel four-door Mondeo motoring prices start a little higher at £16,795.

"It’s more versatile than you might think, offering 535 litres of bootspace …."

No Mondeo these days could really be described as ‘stripped-out’. Even in basic ‘Edge’ trim, buyers get air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel, a CD stereo with an MP3 connection socket, seven air-bags, ABS with Electronic Brake Assist (EBA), power front windows, remote central locking, a quick clear heated front windscreen, plus power and heated door mirrors. Other features include Ford’s Electronic Stability Program (ESP), a Thatcham Category 1 Alarm, ISOFIX child-seat fixings, steering wheel controls for the key vehicles technologies, a driver's knee airbag, 'follow me home' lighting and a feature unique to Ford – Easyfuel. This prevents drivers putting petrol into a diesel powered car or vice-versa. It is estimated this accidental mis-fueling affects over 150,000 UK drivers every year. Zetec trim is what most buyers will opt for, recognizable by 16-inch alloys and front foglights. Prices range from £16,695 for the 1.6-litre 125PS variant to £19,495 for the 2.0-litre TDCi 130PS variant. Next up are the largely identically priced Ghia and Titanium trims. With the Ghia, you get larger alloys, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, power fold door mirrors, a Sony stereo with six CD in-dash auto-changer. The Titanium gives you a more luxurious feel with brushed metal interior trim, a different wheel design and sports front seats. At the top of the range, the Titanium X series aims to emphasise modern technology with a ‘contemporary’ interior further and costs from £21,245 for the 1.8-litre TDCi 125PS. There’s a big degree of carry-over of engines with the entry-level powerplant being the 125PS 1.6-litre petrol Duratec engine we mentioned earlier and the range-topper being the 2.5-litre turbocharged 222bhp unit that’s seen in vehicles like the S-MAX and the Focus ST. Diesel engine provision is decent as well, with the aforementioned 125PS 1.8-litre Duratorq TDCi unit marking the first point of entry and the well-proven 2.0-litre Duratorq (in 130 and 140PS guises) also set to mop up a big percentage of Mondeo sales. When I first saw this Mondeo, I was struck with an intense feeling of déjà vu. The reason was quite simple. I’d driven to work that day in a Ford S-MAX MPV and the Mondeo’s interior, its detailing, its exterior proportioning and most of its mechanicals are shared with that vehicle. Anybody who’s driven an S-MAX will attest to the fact that this is no bad thing. Take a seat inside the car and you’ll notice high quality surfaces, materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are again evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The flow-through centre console allows the gear shifter to be located high and within easy ergonomic reach of the driver. The design team has also paid great attention to interior detailing, and examples of this include new generation infotainment systems, plus the next generation of Ford's Human Machine Interface (HMI). This easy to use system features the same steering-wheel toggle switches seen on new Galaxy and S-MAX, but introduces the availability of a large central LCD screen with full colour graphics situated between the main analogue instruments in front of the driver. Rear seat headroom and legroom have also come in for scrutiny by the Mondeo development team and these have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety. The saloon bodyshape will account for only a tiny proportion of UK sales but that doesn’t stop it being worth looking at if you don’t need to convenience of a Hatch or simply because you want to be different. In fact, kit your four-door up carefully from the Ford options catalogue and it can actually look quite menacing. Suited and booted, as they say.

 Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 4dr range PRICES: £15,695-£22,945 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 156-222g/km PERFORMANCE: [TDCi130] 0-60mph 10.9s / Max Speed 124mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TDCi130] (urban) 34mpg / (extra urban) 55mpg / (combined) 46mpg [est] STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS [est] WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE:

WORLD BEATER
Ford’s Mondeo made a big impact when it arrived on a long term test. Steve Walker reports.

Crikey, there it is. The new Ford Mondeo had just surfaced in the incessant traffic stream that darts past all day every day on the road outside the office and swept into the car park. At this early stage in its lifecycle, Ford’s medium range stalwart was still a rare sight and that’s an important time for a mainstream car’s visual impact to be assessed, before the fog of ubiquity descends and eyes grow accustomed to its form. It looked good.

To be honest, it still does. Our Ford Mondeo has bedded in nicely to its long term test, the 2.5-litre turbocharged engine begging you to let it off the leash at every opportunity, the bling Titanium X trim level pandering to the wow factor of the seductive shape. This is a Ford Mondeo, the trusty steed of crusading photocopier salesmen everywhere, the progenitor of Mondeo Man, which makes the achievement of injecting so much excitement and verve into its latest incarnation all the more commendable. There’s nothing that’s likely to upset anyone about the Mondeo’s basic shape and that’s crucial for a car that has to sell in the kind of volumes that this one does. It’s chunky and solid looking with the thick door panels that step out from their windows but sporty with the wide, low stance and the tapering roofline that’s drawn out at the rear. The detailing also emphasises the car’s dynamism with the huge frowning intake in the bumper, the bonnet indents and chrome cutaways in front of the side repeaters.

"From the driver’s seat, the car exudes a premium feel…."

Climb aboard and you’ll soon stop sniggering at Ford’s claim that it benchmarked BMW’s 3-Series and Audi’s A4 when establishing the Mondeo’s quality standards rather than more humdrum medium range rivals. The string of less prestigious brands that have claimed ‘compact executive’ levels of build quality for their medium range saloons and hatchbacks grows every year but the Mondeo comes closer than any before it to the reality. From the driver’s seat, the car exudes a premium feel. The dashboard materials, the controls, the layout - it’s quality throughout. If you had to split hairs, you could say that the Mondeo’s design lacks the assurance of the top German products. The abundant aluminium-effect trim on our Titanium X model looks good but it is slightly over the top when compared to the clinical simplicity that characterises the best Germanic interiors. If you try hard, you can also root out some less than luxurious plastics hidden away around the cabin. The very fact that the Mondeo stands comparison with a 3-Series or an A4, however, is a clear ‘mission accomplished’ signal for Ford. Remember that our fully loaded 217bhp 2.5T Titanium Mondeo costs just under £24,000. You’d need over £30,000 for an equivalently specified 3-Series. The boot is enormous. Press the release and the tailgate of our hatchback model yawns open to leave you teetering on the precipice of a veritable pit of practicality. Family holidays, house moves or the weekend DIY blitz - the Mondeo will accommodate more stuff than you’d credit in any number of domestic situations. When it is time to load up and run for the sun, there should be little complaint from back seat passengers either, with exemplary head and legroom right across the rear bench. The downside of all this space on the inside is that the Mondeo is a seriously big car outside, bigger than the old Ford Scorpio executive saloon. It feels substantial and extremely solid on the road but the sheer size becomes a real issue in tight situations and when parking. Get the Mondeo out in the open and all this is forgotten. It shines brighter than any other medium range offering whether you’re attaching a set of sweeping bends or a marathon motorway trip. The suspension is extremely well judged, giving the firmness and control you want for spirited driving but without crossing over into the harshness that makes mundane trips a chore. The car is a pleasure to use on longer journeys where wind and road noise are never intrusive and the engine idles away meekly in the background until called upon to deliver the goods. When you do prod the 2.5-litre turbocharged powerplant into life, it piles on the speed in dramatic fashion. It’s the same unit used in the Focus ST hot hatchback and as you home in on the redline, the five-cylinder unit breaks into a gruff burble that only adds to the sporty experience. There’s 217bhp on tap but it arrives in a measured fashion making it much more usable in everyday situations than is the case in less advanced turbocharged cars. It’s a performance engine, so there’s always going to be a penalty in terms of fuel economy and we’ve been keeping a close eye on the gauge during our long term test. To date, the costs haven’t been too exorbitant. We’ve averaged a some way below the official combined cycle economy figure of 30mpg but the novelty of the Mondeo’s sparkling chassis and engine combo has yet to wear off. We’re not particularly confident that it ever will.  FACTS AT A GLANCE CAR: Ford Mondeo 2.5T Titanium X PRICE: £22,945 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 222g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.3s / Max Speed 152mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE: December 10th 2007

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 2.5T Titanium X PRICE: £22,945 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 222g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.3s / Max Speed 152mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE:

ESTATEMENT OF INTENT
Like the Ford Mondeo but need more luggage capacity? Say hello to the Mondeo Estate. Steve Walker reports

Given the choice, I’d take the estate version every time. Actually, let’s qualify that a little. There’s always the odd rogue monstrosity that people use to beat you over the head with after this kind of sweeping statement so let’s say that where one is offered, I prefer the estate versions of most modern cars. The bigger boot obviously helps but a saloon or hatch will often look better in estate form. It’s the visual lengthening and lowering of the car’s silhouette by the flat roofline that tends to tip the balance and Ford’s Mondeo Estate is prime example of the estate effect in action.

Aesthetically, if not in terms of sales, the estate has benefited greatly from the proliferation of MPVs. With these bluff, boxy people-movers becoming the staple choice of family buyers looking for ultimate space and practicality, the modern estate as been freed to grow sleeker and more thrusting in appearance. Now more likely to be titled sport wagon or sport tourer rather than plain old estate, these vehicles tend to deliver a more cohesive design proposition than before. They’re also less commonplace on the roads and you get the extra practicality of that bulked-out load area in the rear to boot. The Mondeo Estate is available with the full range of engine options meaning the entry-level choice is a 108bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine which is alternatively available in 123bhp form. The 2.0-litre 143bhp unit comes next, then there’s the 159bhp 2.3-litre option and the range-topping 2.5-litre 217bhp five-cylinder turbo unit. This most powerful petrol option has real character and pace, capable of 0-60mph in 7.5s whereas the refined entry-level choice takes 12.6s to do the same. Mainstream diesel customers get either 1.8 or 2.0-litres but the 1.8-litre is offered in 98bhp or 123bhp form while the 2.0-litre comes with either 128bhp and a 6-speed automatic gearbox or 138bhp and a 6-speed manual. There’s also a 175PS 2.2-litre TDCi engine in the flagship Titanium X Sport model. The automatic option is also available with the 2.3-litre petrol. The most powerful diesel takes 8.1s to go from 0-60mph and the entry-level model takes 12.4s. Around 70% of all Mondeos sold will be diesels.

"The Mondeo chassis is one of the finest in the sector"

Ford really has got the dynamics of the latest Mondeo well sorted. Some have bemoaned the loss of a little directness from the steering and feedback from the wheels but most Mondeo buyers will be delighted to pay that price for its exemplary comfort and low noise levels when cruising. Besides, it’s still just about the best handling car in the medium range sector, standing comparison with the top offerings from the compact executive class above. The suspension can clunk over potholes and drain covers when you’re pressing on down your favourite B-road but it’s beautifully balanced as it carves through corners and can be genuinely enjoyable on any road. The estate is available with self-levelling suspension at the rear to help it cope with big cargos and the lift back bodystyle actually has almost 160% more tensional rigidity than the its predecessor, which accounts in part for that polished driving experience. At 4.8m long and nearly 1.9m wide, the Mondeo Estate is a big car and the impression of size stays with you whether you’re in the back seat, at the wheel or standing outside looking at the thing. Most buyers will be attracted by these capacious dimensions rather than the Mondeo Estate’s elegant lines and with a massive 542 litres available in the boot, who can blame them? Fold down the 60/40 split rear bench and that capacity more than trebles to 1,733 litres. That’s one big boot and its usefulness is enhanced by tie-down points in the floor and fixing hooks for a luggage net. There’s also a 12v power supply in the rear for charging your appliances and the Estate comes with a full length load cover to shield the car’s contents from prying eyes. The design team has also paid great attention to interior detailing, and examples of this include new generation infotainment systems, plus the next generation of Ford's Human Machine Interface (HMI). This easy to use system features the same steering-wheel toggle switches seen on new Galaxy and S-MAX, but introduces the availability of a large central LCD screen with full colour graphics situated between the main analogue instruments in front of the driver. Rear seat headroom and legroom have also come in for scrutiny by the Mondeo development team and these have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety. Trim levels run from Edge through Zetec and Ghia to the Titanium, Titanium X and Titanium X Sport grades. The estate bodystyle is priced at £1,250 more than the identically valued saloon and hatch which puts the entry-level 89bhp 1.6-litre Edge model at £16,945 and the flagship 2.2 TDCi Titanium X Sport at £27,045. Even the bog standard car benefits from air-conditioning, cruise control, a CD stereo, a trip computer, the Quickclear heated windscreen and a leather steering wheel. Meanwhile, all Mondeos also get the handy FordEasyFuel filler cap that does without the filler cap and prevents you from putting the wrong fuel in the car. Safety provision includes ESP stability control and the Intelligent Protection System that includes a front side and curtain airbags plus a driver’s knee bag. One of the main criticisms that’s been levelled at each iteration of Ford’s Mondeo down the years is that everybody’s got one. Ford’s medium ranger has constantly commanded a place in the UK’s top 10 selling cars since 1993. Close to 1.2m cars have been sold over that time and around 70% of those have gone to fleet customers. It’s not surprising that the nation’s road network at rush hour has sometimes resembled a Mondeo-only car park. The car has always been pretty good too, placing buyers in a difficult quandary. Do you join the Mondeo meritocracy or go for something that another three people in your street haven’t already got? One way out of this is to look at the estate version. Only 24% of latest shape Mondeos are predicted to be estates, so this could be a great way to cash in on its benefits while retaining an element of exclusivity. Depreciation is always a big issue for private buyers in the medium range sector and despite benchmarking cars from the compact executive sector during its development, the Ford will hang onto its value significantly less effectively than a BMW or Mercedes. In order to keep everyday running costs down, 70% of buyers will gravitate towards the diesel engines. The 98bhp option is the most economical on the combined cycle, averaging 48.7mpg, but there’s little penalty even for choosing the 143bhp range-topper with its 47.9mpg returns. All the diesels emit between 154 and 156g/km of CO2 so there’s not much to split them here either. The 2.5T petrol engine is predictably thirsty with its 30.4mpg average and 222g/km CO2 emissions which won’t win it many friends in the fleet fraternity. The most fuel-efficient of the Mondeos on unleaded is the 39.2mpg 108bhp 1.6-litre option. The Mondeo Estate is only around 20kg heavier than the hatch or the saloon, which is actually the longest model in the range, and there’s no discernable fuel economy or emissions penalty for choosing it. The Ford Mondeo Estate capitalises on the spacious interior and striking looks of the standard car with additional load space and more elegant styling. The Mondeo chassis is one of the finest in the sector, build quality is very impressive and Ford have even managed to keep the pricing reasonable. The recent growth in popularity of MPVs and 4x4s amongst family buyers may have stolen some of the estate car’s thunder. The concept might be a little unfashionable but this is still about as good as medium range estates get. The long, low estate shape is never going to be as practical for families as an MPV but buyers seeking a great-handling good-looking car with some extra versatility contained within its interior will appreciate the Mondeo Estate. Most Ford Mondeo buyers will still opt for the five-door hatch bodystyle but this may serve as an extra benefit to those shrewd enough to pick the liftback, the rarer estate shape bestowing a little extra exclusivity onto one of the UK’s most popular cars.  

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo Estate range PRICES: £16,945-£27,045 – on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 156-222g/km PERFORMANCE: [TDCi140] 0-60mph 9.3s / Max Speed 130mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [TDCi140] (urban) 37.2mpg / (extra urban) 57.6mpg / (combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS, ESP WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4830/2078/1512mm WHO TO SEE:

TOO GOOD FOR MONDEO MAN?
The Mondeo used to be the car for the common man. Looks like common man is getting ideas above his station. Andy Enright reports on the 1.6-litre petrol-engined models

It’s rare that a new car gets a virtually unblemished scorecard but the latest Mondeo 1.6-litre gets within a squeak of exactly that. Roomier, more handsome, better built and packed with features, the Mondeo has left its rather proletarian roots behind and absorbed some genuinely premium look and feel. The best bit? The prices haven’t marched upmarket with it.

You must remember Mondeo Man. He was the everyman, the no-nonsense bloke who brought Labour a landslide in ’97 and who represented the honest grafter just trying to get ahead. These days you don’t see too much of him. Perhaps it’s because graduates are now working behind the counters in Nandos whereas plumbers and plasterers now hanker after BMWs and Audis that the false promise of ‘education, education, education’ rather dropped the bottom out of the Mondeo man’s core market. Ford’s response wasn’t predictable. Rather than stick to what it’s been doing well for years, the Mondeo has attempted to shin up the greasy pole a bit, offering the sort of tactility and soft touch, silicon-damped, deep pile quality we’ve come to expect from the premium brands. Even James Bond took a turn behind the wheel. Ford showed with the GT sports car that the Blue Oval badge was no impediment when a brilliant product was on offer. Now it’s the Mondeo’s turn to follow suit. It helps to do a soft reboot and try to forget what you knew about the old Mondeo when it comes to driving the latest car. Not because it’s worse; merely because it’s very different. Throw it at a corner and expect that same pointy front end, the detailed feedback through the wheel and the sporty lack of body roll and you’ll wonder where the progress has gone. Instead everything feels polished, buffed to a sheen with glassy steering responses and a ride that’s wrapped in cotton wool. It’s not wholly sporty but, if anything, the absolute levels of grip and go are better than before. It’s when you’re not trying to corner the Mondeo on its door mirrors that it all feels so sublime.

"Refinement is massively superior to the old car…."

Refinement is massively superior to the old car and even the base 1.6-litre car has ride quality that shames an Audi A4. Two engines are available, both four-cylinder 16-valve Ti-VCT units fronting up either 109bhp or 124bhp, depending on how deep your pockets are. Once you learn to trust the front end, handling is excellent with a very clever ESP stability control system. Given the car’s roadholding levels, the wide front seats lack a little in terms of lateral support. Take a seat inside the car and you’ll notice high quality surfaces, materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are again evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The dashboard is clear and the major controls for the electronics systems largely intuitive although the wood veneer finishes fitted to the Ghia models will have anybody under the age of 50 recoiling in horror. The design team has also paid great attention to interior detailing, and examples of this include new generation infotainment systems, plus the next generation of Ford's Human Machine Interface (HMI). This easy to use system features the same steering-wheel toggle switches seen on new Galaxy and S-MAX, but introduces the availability of a large central LCD screen with full colour graphics situated between the main analogue instruments in front of the driver. Rear seat headroom and legroom have also come in for scrutiny by the Mondeo development team and these have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety. I’m 6’4" and I was easily able to fit comfortably in the back seat behind a front seat virtually all the way back on its runner. Ford’s old ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’ tactic has been replaced with a more responsible approach that safeguards residual values. Whereas the old car was initially offered at a relatively high price but with plenty of scope for negotiation, this time round Ford has slashed list prices by £300 or so model for model but wants to keep a cap on discounting. The company also wants to avoid sullying the car’s image by selling thousands to operators like hire car companies. The 1.6-litre range does without the ritzy Ghia and Titanium trim levels, the line up consisting of just two trim levels, Edge and Zetec, appealing respectively in terms of value and a modicum of sportiness. As you’d expect, all the usual features are in place. Even the basic Edge variant gets air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel, a CD stereo with an MP3 connection socket, seven air-bags, ABS with Electronic Brake Assist (EBA), power front windows, remote central locking, a quick clear heated front windscreen, plus power and heated door mirrors. Zetec trim is recognizable by 16-inch alloys and front fog lights. Prices start at £15,495 for the entry-level five-door hatch ranging up to £17,945 for a 124bhp Zetec estate. You wouldn’t expect a 1.6-litre Ford Mondeo to cost serious money to keep on the road and so it proves. For those not covering big mileages, this may well be the model to go for, especially with the more powerful of the two engines putting up a better battle against the Mondeo’s bulk. Residual values look to be standing up very well with initial estimates around ten percentage points better than the outgoing car. Compared to cars like the Mazda6, the Peugeot 407 and the Renault Laguna, these are extremely strong indeed. Only the Honda Accord really gets close in terms of mainstream brands. Fuel economy figures are fairly decent but it’s worth reiterating that once fully loaded, the 1.6-litre engines will struggle. Both feature the same 160Nm torque figure which is a fair bit less than the 295Nm of the entry-level 1.8-litre diesel model so if you’re planning o some heavy haulage best to go for a Mondeo that drinks from the black rather than the green pump. Emissions are within sensible scope of business car user choosers too and Ford estimates the hatchback body style will account for 70 per cent of those sales, the remaining 30 per cent split between the four-door saloon and the five-door estate. The latest Mondeo could so easily have landed Ford with a whole chicken coop of egg on its face. The worst case scenario would have been a Mondeo that was overstretching itself; trying to be something that it palpably was not. Were the pretence gossamer thin, that would undoubtedly have been the case. But it’s not. There’s proper depth of engineering in the latest Mondeo and the ability to see eye to eye with cars nominally viewed as above the Ford’s station. Both engines have something to be said for them, but the higher power unit gets the nod due to the fact that you won’t have to pedal it quite so hard to get the job done and fuel economy is therefore not markedly worse. There will probably be a small lag before public perception of this car catches up to the reality but the smarty money is already hitting the sales desks in Ford dealers up and down the country. Perhaps education, education, education had some lasting legacy after all.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 1.6-litre Ti-VCT range PRICES: £15,695-£17,945 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 9-11 [est] CO2 EMISSIONS: 175-182g/km [est] PERFORMANCE: [1.6 Ti VCT 124bhp] 0-60mph 9.9s / Max Speed 125mph [est] FUEL CONSUMPTION: [1.6 Ti VCT 124bhp] (combined) 37.5mpg [est] STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and driver’s knee airbags, ESP stability control, ABS with electronic brake assist WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4778/2078/1500mm

A MONDEO THAT’S ANYTHING BUT MUNDANE
The Mondeo used to be considered a mundane choice. The 145PS 2.0-litre Duratec petrol version of the latest model that many customers will opt for is anything but. Jon Elliott explains why….

Ford’s fourth generation Mondeo has been gaining some creditable reviews of late as a hugely practical everyday car for the masses. Now with improved looks, greater levels of build quality allied to a dynamic drive, this car has raised its standing amongst its peers. The 145PS 2.0-litre Duratec petrol engine is the one many customers will choose and, though the comparable diesel is a compelling choice, still makes a powerful argument for itself.

Ever since the introduction to the UK market of the Mondeo, Ford has attempted to put a smile on their customers’ faces. The USP of this car has always been that it’s great to drive. It still is. With the latest generation model however, the engineers tried also to match some of the sector leaders in terms of ride comfort and day to day usability. Largely, they’ve succeeded and no variants show off their efforts better than those fitted with the 145PS 2.0-litre Duratec petrol unit. Rest to sixty takes 9.7s on the way to 130mph – which ought to be fast enough for anyone. As you drive the car, you really notice the difference over the entry-level 1.6-litre model. There is plenty of pace here and the feedback through the wheel is excellent; the driver is engaged, feeling at the centre of the experience. This generation Mondeo certainly seems roomier inside and consequently feels bigger on the road. This isn’t a problem though as the lustful engine carries the Mondeo’s considerable bulk along swiftly. You have to remind yourself just what you’re driving. The torque comes low down punching you through the gears as you press on. Pleasingly though, it has a sedate side too, happily cruising along a decent A road. The ride is comfortable yet taught, and only over the worst road surfaces is it ever unsettled. There’s a little wind noise at motorway cruising speeds, but any faults are minor as the whole package serves up something with more prestige than you may understand or associate with a Mondeo.

"In either estate, saloon or hatch form, the Mondeo offers exactly what the family wants…"

Sitting in this model is a pleasure; the seats are roomy and comfortable as well as being electrically adjusted and heated in plusher versions. There’s so much room in the cabin, it simply doesn’t feel like a Mondeo. Ford’s Human Machine Interface (HMI) which controls the stereo and sat nav in plusher variants is also a joy to use. Outside the trim on the plush Titanium X variant we tried includes 18inch alloys which clearly set the car apart from others in the range. There’s also some swanky lights and boot spoiler to finish off the stylish looks. Inside, my only slight gripe would be the satin aluminium finish to the facia. It could perhaps be described as an acquired taste, although it’s not overly offensive. The layout of the dials, switches and knobs is well thought out and their build quality that of a class above. As seems to be the way in modern family cars, Ford haven’t scrimped on the storage space, with plenty of glove-box space and cubby holes within arms reach. All models offer plenty of space for the family and enough luggage for several days on the road. As with all variants, this one is also available in estate form offering a staggering 1733 litres of space with the seats down. Putting it into perspective, that’s comfortably more than the current Volvo V70 and Audi A6 estate equivalents. Rear leg room is plentiful; with the drivers seat set for my 6ft 3in frame, rear space could still be described as commodious and certainly more generous than a host of it’s would-be competitors. The 5 door 2.0 Titanium X, which I tested, is priced competitively for the level of refinement offered. Add Sat Nav and metallic paint from the options list and you should still come in at under £22,000. This model features all the extras you’re likely to need including a quick clear front screen, a useful accessory for the UK market. Prices start at £16,395 for the entry-level Edge 2.0-litre Duratec variant, with a premium of around £1,300 for the estate bodystyle. You can also opt for a four-door saloon. Against its peers, the Mondeo appears to have the competition well and truly licked. In fact, Ford has raised the bar so significantly many would consider the Mondeo to have progressed a class. This is a considerably better car than the outgoing Audi A4. Better too than the C-Class Mercedes and BMW 3 series? Perhaps not. However, the Mondeo has clearly achieved something previously out of reach, these more expensive German rivals now feeling a tad uncomfortable in their small executive category. With so much quality, standard kit and driver appeal on tap, the Mondeo appears to offer by far the greater value at this money. Traditionally, the previous larger engine Mondeos have been hit hard by depreciation, and it’s hard to see this being any different. However the depreciation issue may not be so bad in the long run if the Mondeo goes on to prove itself above its traditional peers, which may keep second hand values strong Adding weight to the argument is the combined mpg, a relatively sensible 35.8. CO2 emissions are measured at 189g/km. Reliability isn’t likely to be a problem with an engine this well proven, and Ford’s 60,000 3 year warranty is there to back you up should you ever need it. Service intervals are set at every 12,500 miles lessening the cost burden for the family purchaser. Insurance is from group 8, which shouldn’t prove a problem for all but the youngest drivers. The whole Mondeo range ticks a lot of boxes and even in this variant, clearly offers what should be enjoyable, trouble free motoring. This car is selling strongly and the 2.0 Duratec variants should see enough sales to continue their position amongst the more popular Mondeo variants. The car offers so much practicality, safety and durability for the family driver in any body style. Its improved dynamics and styling clearly put in a class above its traditional peers. Add this to the lustful 145PS engine and the pinpoint handling the 2.0 Duratec serves up and you have a winning combination which should see it gain a firm following. In either estate, saloon or hatch form, the Mondeo offers exactly what the family wants. Add this to its ability to serve as a motorway workhorse and there appears no reason why this car shouldn’t be on your shopping list. Traditional rivals such as the similarly potent Vectra, 407 and Laguna now have serious catching up to do; by which time the Mondeo will surely have firmly grasped the market place. The Mondeo is now a car to be proud of owning.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 2.0 Duratec range PRICES: £16,395-£21,895 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 8-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 189g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 9.7s / Max Speed 130mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 25.2mpg / (extra urban) 47.1mpg / (combined) 35.8mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and driver’s knee airbags, ESP stability control, ABS with electronic brake assist WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: [5dr] length/width/height 4778/1886/1500mm

WORLDS APART
Ford has decided that the best way to face down the assault from the premium manufacturers is to endow the Mondeo with equivalent quality. Andy Enright reports on the TDCi diesel models

Bigger, better looking, more refined and hugely improved in terms of perceived quality, this generation Ford Mondeo has stepped upmarket but kept prices low. The diesels are the most attractive engines and even if it is no longer the sharpest drive in the sector, it’s certainly the best all-round offering.

It speaks volumes about the enormous step change that this car represents that Ford was seriously considering calling it something other than Mondeo. Drive one and it’s easy to see why. This generation car has very little in common with its predecessor. Where the old car majored on being sharp to drive and in offering a reasonable quality of finish, this generation Mondeo has become bigger and plusher. This is understandable given that the premium brands have all but decimated the traditional family saloon, hatch and estate markets. Why not beat them at their own game? Jump in and expect the same dynamics as the old Mondeo and it’s possible you could come away disappointed. The front end of the car never feels quite so ‘pointy’ and you’ll always feel that there’s a lot of car around you. Five diesel engines are offered. There are 1.8-litre 100bhp and 125bhp entry-level units, with the latter engine used in the eco-friendly ECOnetic model which boasts emissions of just 139g/km. Then there’s a pair of 2.0-litre Duratorq powerplants in either 130 or 140bhp guises. At the top of the range, there’s a 2.2-litre 175PS TDCi unit for the flagship Titanium X Sport variant. Most of these units are carried over and mildly modified from either the old Mondeo or Focus line ups but the massive improvements in refinement make these diesel models feel completely different to the old car.

"…this generation Mondeo has become bigger and plusher"

The Mondeo feels a quality product. The slick steering, the weighting of the pedals and gearchange and the excellent damping are reminiscent of Lexus rather than Ford. Minus points would include rather poor visibility due to the chunky pillars and some terrible reflections in the rear window caused by the air conditioning vents in the four-door car. Performance from the 2.0-litre TDCi 140 engine I tried was certainly enough to dispatch dawdling traffic, the hatchback version recording a sprint to 60mph in just 9.3 seconds and a top speed of 130mph. Once you learn to trust the front end, handling is excellent with a very clever ESP stability control system. Given the car’s roadholding levels, the wide front seats lack a little in terms of lateral support. Take a seat inside the car and you’ll notice high quality surfaces, materials and finishes. As with the outside, dynamic lines and styling curves are again evident, plus the low profile instrument panel provides very generous cabin space for front seat occupants. The dashboard is clear and the major controls for the electronics systems largely intuitive although the wood veneer finishes fitted to the Ghia models will have anybody under the age of 50 recoiling in horror. The design team has also paid great attention to interior detailing, and examples of this include new generation infotainment systems, plus the next generation of Ford's Human Machine Interface (HMI). This easy to use system features the same steering-wheel toggle switches seen on new Galaxy and S-MAX, but introduces the availability of a large central LCD screen with full colour graphics situated between the main analogue instruments in front of the driver. Rear seat headroom and legroom have also come in for scrutiny by the Mondeo development team and these have been maximized for occupant comfort and safety. I’m 6’4" and I was easily able to fit comfortably in the back seat behind a front seat virtually all the way back on its runner. The Galaxy and S-MAX tie-in isn’t coincidental as the Mondeo runs on the same chassis as these models and is built in the same factory. Ford is confident it can handle capacity issues and cites a flexible manufacturing process that can rapidly switch from model to model to meet demand. Just as Ford has changed the way the car is built, the way it drives and the way it feels, there are also some fundamental changes going on with the way the latest generation Mondeo is being sold. The old ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’ tactic has been replaced with a more responsible approach that safeguards residual values. Whereas the old car was initially offered at a relatively high price but with plenty of scope for negotiation, this time round Ford has slashed list prices by £300 or so model for model but wants to keep a cap on discounting. The company also wants to avoid sullying the car’s image by selling thousands to operators like hire car companies. The range consists of six trim levels, Edge, Zetec, Ghia, Titanium, Titanium X and Titanium X Sport. As you’d expect, all the usual features are in place. Even the basic Edge variant gets air-conditioning, cruise control, a leather steering wheel, a CD stereo with an MP3 connection socket, seven air-bags, ABS with Electronic Brake Assist (EBA), power front windows, remote central locking, a quick clear heated front windscreen, plus power and heated door mirrors. Zetec trim is recognizable by 16-inch alloys and front fog lights. With the Ghia, you get larger alloys, automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, power fold door mirrors, a Sony stereo with six CD in-dash auto-changer. The Titanium gives a more luxurious feel with brushed metal interior trim, a different wheel design and sports front seats. At the top of the range, the Titanium X series aims to emphasise modern technology with a ‘contemporary’ interior further. Fuel economy is naturally very good, all the diesels getting figures that belie the car’s Scorpio-like dimensions. The claimed economy for the 2.0-litre TDCi 140 I drove is 47.9mpg and even on a hilly test route, the car was averaging more than 40mpg. Given that some manufacturer economy claims seem outlandish in the extreme, this is very good going. Emissions are within sensible scope of business car user choosers too and Ford estimates that fully 70 per cent of all Mondeo sales will be accounted for by these three oil burners, with the hatchback in turn accounting for 70 per cent of those sales. The upshot of all this is that the Mondeo has shifted focus from something that the enthusiast would turn to first to a car with a rather fuzzier agenda. Who is the new Mondeo TDCi buyer? As much as Ford would want to scalp a few sales from the premium sector, it’s hard to see that happening, no matter how good this car is. After all the hard work, I suspect that sales will return to a similar fleet-biased situation. Photocopier salesmen the length and breadth of the country have cause for celebration.

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo TDCi range PRICES: £17,195-£27,045 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 7-9 CO2 EMISSIONS: 139-189g/km PERFORMANCE: [2.0 TDCI 140] 0-60mph 9.3s / Max Speed 130mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0 TDCI 140] (urban) 37.2mpg / (extra urban) 57.6mpg / (combined) 47.9mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and driver’s knee airbags, ESP stability control, ABS with electronic brake assist WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4778/2078/1500mm

FAMILY FORTUNES
The Ford Mondeo we’ve chosen for our long term family test isn’t cheap but it is impressive. Jonathan Crouch reports

Thirty years ago, it seemed like every other family in the country had a Ford Cortina. This car, in all its guises, was the staple transport of the average British brood. But then came the foreign invasion of other brands. And after that we had the rise and rise of the MPV people carrier. Is there still a market for a conventional Ford-badged family car?

We thought we’d find out by subjecting the Cortina’s modernday successor, the Mondeo, to our long term test treatment. Or more specifically, to the Crouch family treatment in this case. Giving over any car to my wife and three small children is, in my view, as tough an automotive test as has yet been devised. As I’ve remarked before in these pages, the combined efforts of Amy (2), Ellie (6) and Caris (9) with the remains of the post-school pick-up packed lunches can reduce the interior of any given car to slum proportions within minutes. Subject any car to day upon day of this kind of sticky-fingered treatment and only the best designs really survive the test. And make no mistake. The latest generation Mondeo is one of the best designs available, if in our 2.5T test guise rather more orientated to the needs of high mileage business people than school run mums. We should of course have specified the far more sensible TDCi diesel version but when the time came to choose, we just couldn’t resist the pull of the turbocharged 2.5-litre 217bhp Volvo-derived flagship petrol engine. OK, so we’ve paid for this at the pumps but this engine really is the perfect complement to a car that remains one of the finest handlers in its class. It shines brighter than any other medium range offering whether you’re attaching a set of sweeping bends or a marathon motorway trip. The suspension is extremely well judged, giving the firmness and control you want for spirited driving but without crossing over into the harshness that makes mundane trips a chore. The car is a pleasure to use on longer journeys where wind and road noise are never intrusive and the engine idles away meekly in the background until called upon to deliver the goods.

"And the kids daily packed lunch blitz? No problem…."

We had the chance during our test to also try a Mondeo fitted with Ford’s top 2.0 TDCI diesel engine. The 138bhp output gives this car a muscular turn of speed for overtaking and firing up those motorway on ramps. The hefty torque delivery gives an effortless quality to the driving experience and with 47.9mpg possible, there’s no great penalty at the pumps. The CO2 emissions rating is low as well, at 156g/km. In terms of running costs, there isn’t a huge difference between the diesel Mondeos but the performance benefit of the bigger engines does make itself felt. The message is go for the most powerful TDCI you can afford. But I digress: we are, after all, supposed to be talking about the car’s performance when it comes to family duties here. Well, let’s start with the boot: it’s enormous. Press the release and the tailgate of our hatchback model yawns open to leave you teetering on the precipice of a veritable pit of practicality. Family holidays, business trips or the weekend DIY blitz - the Mondeo will accommodate more stuff than you’d credit in any number of situations. When it is time to load up and run for the sun, there should be little complaint from back seat passengers either, with exemplary head and legroom right across the rear bench. The downside of all this space on the inside is that the Mondeo is a seriously big car outside, bigger than the old Ford Scorpio executive saloon. It feels substantial and extremely solid on the road but the sheer size becomes a real issue in tight situations and when parking. Get the Mondeo out in the open and all this is forgotten. And the kids daily packed lunch blitz? No problem. After all, the surfaces are easy to wipe clean and the carpets show no ill effects from constant hovering. We’ve had to keep the young ones away from the silver-trimmed surfaces on the dashboard however as these look as if they would scratch very easily. The rear doors openly widely, which is a boon for getting Amy’s chilod seat in and out. And there’s no real boot lip over which heavy bags of shopping might otherwise have to be lugged. Our car came with Ford’s clever and intuitive ‘Convers+’ sat nav information system, which proved invaluable when I nabbed the car one day for a business trip to South London. It was constantly able to correct the route based on ongoing traffic conditions. Not that this stopped me from being late anyway….. Knew I should have taken the train…. Most Mondeos are priced predominantly in the £16,500 to £21,000 bracket. The car we’ve been testing however, comes in at nearly £24,000 which puts it dangerously close to some decent compact executive metal. As I’ve suggested however, it did come fully-loaded, however, with Titanium X trim that gives you beautifully-trimmed leather seats and electric almost everything. Overall? Well the latest Mondeo has impressed us consistently. I always thought that a family of less than four children really doesn’t have much need of a people carrying MPV and ownership of this car has reinforced that notion. Not only is it practically impressive but it’s a car that edges extremely close to the best compact executive models in terms of interior ambience and build quality, while setting new standards for its medium range contemporaries.  

Facts At A Glance CAR: Ford Mondeo 2.5T Titanium X PRICE: £22,945 – on the road INSURANCE GROUP: 14 CO2 EMISSIONS: 222g/km PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 7.3s / Max Speed 152mph FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.8mpg / (extra urban) 41.5mpg / (combined) 30.4mpg STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front & side airbags, twin airbag curtains, ABS WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4778/2078/1500mm WHO TO SEE: