Ford Mondeo
On sale June 2007

It was Tony Blair who immortalised one of Britain’s best loved fleet cars when he referred to the more affluent professional middle class person as ‘Mondeo Man’. The Ford Mondeo has remained in the top ten of UK cars since its launch in 1993 and has been particularly popular with company car drivers with 70% being sold to fleet drivers. However it sits within a falling segment in the UK car market with more and more buyers wanting a bigger vehicle and choosing a compact MPV or a four by four. In order to attract more customers, Ford’s new family car will be specifically targeted at the retail market. Its brief appearance in the latest James Bond film will help sell a more emotional image.

The new Mondeo, which goes on sale in June this year, is a lot more stylish and more spacious than its predecessor. The exterior has a new very large lower front grille, typically Ford pronounced wheel arches and new more modern headlights. The belt line along the side length rises sharply at the rear and looks particularly stunning on the estate version. There is a saloon, an estate and a five door hatchback which is likely to take the mammoth share of sales at 72%.

The interior even on the bottom of the range ‘Edge’ trim is very luxurious. It has a solid quality which the German competition will find difficult to compete with. Even the indicators tick with a quiet resolve. There is a new wide silver centre console and the audio and climate control buttons are large and well labelled. There is more width and stacks of leg space in the rear. I could really stretch out in the saloon model and the estate is even larger with a massive cargo space.
The other three trim levels include Zetec, which will be the most popular, Ghia and top of the range Titanium X. Standard features include steering wheel controls, touch screen satellite navigation and cruise control. Voice control activates heating, phone and audio systems.

Optional new technology includes adaptive cruise control, halogen high intensity discharge headlights, keyless entry, and a stop and start ignition button. Over 100,000 times per annum people put the wrong fuel into their tank but this won’t happen to owners of the new Ford Mondeo. It has a new Easy Fuel system which guarantees drivers won’t be able to put the wrong fuel in. There is a host of safety systems including airbags and safety braking systems.

There is a wide range of Ford powertrains. A 1.8 litre diesel and a 2 litre diesel which will be the most popular, accounting for 39% of sales, a 1.6 litre petrol, a 2.5 litre turbo petrol and a 2 litre petrol which will be the most popular. At its launch I drove the 2 litre diesel which is extremely quiet but lacked the torque I found I needed below 2,500 revs so I constantly had to work the very slick 6 speed manual gearbox. There is an automatic transmission with the 2 litre diesel engine.

I also drove the 2.5 litre turbo petrol engine which I much preferred. It has bags of power and it is so quiet. In fact inside the cabin I struggled to hear anything beyond a bit of wind noise. It is a very relaxing calming environment, particularly on motorway journeys.

In 2008, Ford is introducing a new 2.3 litre engine and a 2 litre flexi fuel engine.

The new Mondeo has very precise steering, holds the road firmly and has excellent brakes.

The new member of the Ford family also has good insurance ratings. The Mondeo has achieved the lowest level rating of any car in its class. It also has better residual values, up by 10% than its predecessor and CO2 emissions have been reduced by 3-10%.

With such good value for money, priced from £15,010, a more stylish exterior, good handling and a refined interior package, anyone yearning to become the new Mondeo Man will have to wait a while. Ford’s very large newcomer has already sold out for the next three months.

By Sue Cooke