07 Mar 07
Still basking in the warm glow of its victory in the recent European Car of the Year award with the S-Max, Ford is now pushing onwards and upwards with the latest iteration of the Mondeo, one of the most important cars in its range, with nearly four million sold since its introduction in 1993.
The new Mondeo is a development of Ford's 'kinetic design' form language, seen in the S-Max and current Galaxy, plus recent concepts such as the Iosis X (seen in Paris last autumn). There will be three different body styles - four-door saloon, five-door hatch and estate - all of which will be launched simultaneously this summer.
Martin Smith, Ford of Europe's head of design, and his team have done well to maintain that difficult balance for a successful mass-market car - pushing design boundaries while at the same time not being so radical that mainstream consumers will be turned off. It's a balancing act that Ford has pulled off with the Mondeo: it looks modern, with a dynamic, sleek profile and an air of muscularity.
Inside, the Mondeo has also been modernised with new features such as piano black styling accents, soft-touch materials, new seat designs and the use of ambient lighting to illuminate the centre console and footwells. Equipment includes keyless entry and start, plus a new generation of Ford's scarily sci-fi-sounding Human Machine Interface, which controls comfort and entertainment systems.
The range of powertrains includes two diesels - 1.8- and 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi units, each with two different power ratings - plus four petrol engines; 1.6-litre (in 108 or 123bhp versions), 2.0-litre (143bhp), a new 2.3-litre (158bhp) that comes with a six-speed Durashift auto 'box, and the range-topping 2.5-litre Duratec five-cylinder engine found in the S-Max and Focus ST.
We fully expect to see it filling the UK's suburban garages and office car parks, starting this summer.
