Ford Cements Green Credentials with Important Win

The Ford Mondeo has scooped the award for 'Green Car Large Family Award' given by Next Green Car (NGC). Now in its seventh year, the winners are chosen from a shortlist of 36 of the UK's greenest cars of 2014.

The award, which is aimed at those green cars deemed to be the best on the market, reflects the best in class and Mondeo has certainly proven this, with emissions under the 100g CO2/km threshold.

Dr. Ben Lane, Managing Editor of Next Green Car said: "The 2014 winners reflect three key green car developments: the electrification of the drive-train (including fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids), the continuing improvements in fuel efficiency (for all fuels), and the realisation that petrols may have the environmental edge over diesels for urban use."

The Mondeo is on sale with two electric motors in the hybrid system – one to support the petrol engine in driving the wheels and the other to facilitate regenerative charging to the 1.4kWh lithium-ion battery, located behind the rear seats.

Joe Bakaj, Vice President of Product Development within Ford Europe commented, "With our first hybrid to be built in the UK, we've improved fuel efficiency and CO2 without sacrificing the power and driving experience Mondeo customers have come to expect."

With speeds of up to 85mph in electric mode, and the combination of the specially-developed 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine and electric drivetrain delivers 187PS with 67.3mpg and 99g/km CO2.

The all-new Ford Transit Courier was also highly commended by Next Green Car in the LCV category.

The full list of winners are as follows:

City Car Award 2014

WINNER: Volkswagen e-up! electric – CO2: 0 g/km

NGC View: "…a quality, practical and affordable electric city car…."

Supermini Award 2014

WINNER: Vauxhall Corsa 1.0 Ecotec – CO2: 100 g/km

NGC View: "…new three-cylinder engine provides excellent drivability with emissions well below the zero car-tax threshold."

Small Family Award 2014

WINNER: Peugeot 308 1.6 BlueHDi – CO2: 82 g/km

NGC View: "….the new Peugeot 308 combines a positive driving experience with class-leading fuel economy"

Large Family Award 2014

WINNER: Ford Mondeo 2.0 Hybrid– CO2: 99 g/km

NGC View: "Well done to Ford for bringing its hybrid know-how to the UK market. Helped by its EcoBoost engine, the Mondeo Hybrid delivers emissions just under the 100gCO2/km threshold."

Crossover Award 2014

WINNER: Citroen C4 Cactus 1.6 BlueHDi – CO2: 87 g/km – NGC Rating: 25

NGC View: "…. the Citroen C4 Cactus will get you noticed….., is zero car-tax rated and is the most fuel efficient car in its class."

Family Estate Award 2014

WINNER: Audi A3 Sportback e-tron – CO2: 37 g/km

NGC View: " the A3 Sportback e-tron perfectly combines conventional fuel practicality for long distance driving"

MPV Award 2014

WINNER: BMW 2 Series Active Tourer 216d – CO2: 99 g/km

NGC View: " successfully blending a quality brand with high fuel economy and low emissions."

SUV Award 2014

WINNER: Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – CO2: 44 g/km

NGC View: "sets the bar high offering plug-in capability for the price of a diesel"

Executive Award 2014

WINNER: Tesla Model S electric – CO2: 0 g/km

NGC View: "the most technologically advanced electric car on the market, the Model S combines a gadget-packed interior with an exhilarating electric driving experience."

LCV Award 2014

WINNER: Nissan e-NV200 Combi – CO2: 0 g/km

NGC View: "Nissan offers ground breaking affordability and practical zero-emission….it's a great alternative to the ubiquitous diesel van."

Next Generation Award 2014

WINNER: Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive – CO2: 0 g/km

NGC View: "…the Mercedes electric B-Class brings electric mobility to the compact MPV class for the first time. High on quality, long on range, and zero on emissions."

By Tracey McBain