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The Ford Mondeo - now in its fourth generation - is the largest and priciest it has ever been, although the family car is also a more premium, refined and high-tech offering than it was before. It faces fierce competition from the likes of the Skoda Superb, Mazda 6 and VW Passat, but its core strengths ensure that it holds its own.
The Mondeo is available as either a hatchback or an estate, and both body styles have an abundance of space for passengers and luggage, making them very practical for families. The engine line-up is blessed with performance, it has to be said, but the diesels are very smooth and efficient, and offer enough power to get by on the road.
The disappointment with the current Mondeo is that it lacks the handling characteristics that made its predecessors shine. It’s not woeful by any means, but the fun of the old cars has been lost to a more comfortable set-up that’s more at home on the motorway than on a fast country road. That’ll deter some drivers, but the Mondeo is still a good family car nonetheless.
Despite the shift upmarket, the Mondeo is still a little behind on the curve compared to higher end brands, and although it used to be a common sight in company car parks, its popularity with buyers has clearly waned since it first went on sale 25 years ago.
Whether you choose a basic Mondeo, an upmarket Vignale or the Mondeo Hybrid, you're getting a spacious family car with plenty of kit and handsome looks. An update in 2019 saw those looks given a subtle revision, although the Mondeo still has hints of the Mustang sports car about its appearance, especially up front.
Under the skin, the Mondeo shares its platform and running gear with the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy MPVs, as well as the Ford Edge SUV. Unlike past models that used a platform developed by Ford Europe, the current Mondeo platform was developed in the US, and its bias towards comfort over sharp handling was a distinct change for the Mondeo when it arrived in 2014, some 12 months after it had gone on sale in the US as the Ford Fusion.
Engines comprise of the 2.0 EcoBlue 150PS and 190PS diesels, plus a 2.0 TiVCT 187PS petrol hybrid. All Ford Mondeos are front engined, and the majority are front-wheel drive, with AWD four-wheel drive available as an option with the most powerful diesel. Gearboxes comprise six-speed manual and eight-speed autos, although the Mondeo Hybrid gets a CVT auto as standard.
Ford Mondeo - reversing camera
Ford Mondeo - front static
Ford Mondeo - rear static
Ford Mondeo - front cornering
Ford Mondeo - front
Ford Mondeo - dials
Ford Mondeo - rear
Ford Mondeo - dash
Ford Mondeo - front blue
Ford Mondeo - rear blue
Ford Mondeo - front light detail
Ford Mondeo - sat-nav
Ford Mondeo - rear seats
Ford Mondeo - side
Ford Mondeo - side red
Ford Mondeo - centre console
Ford Mondeo - wheel detail
Ford Mondeo - boot
Ford Mondeo - infotainment screen
Ford Mondeo - red rear
Ford Mondeo - side blue
Ford Mondeo - parking
Ford Mondeo - rear light detail
Ford Mondeo - grille
Ford offers a broad range of trims on the Mondeo. The Zetec version used to be the bread-and-butter variant, but today it's the entry point to the range. Then there are Titanium, ST-Line and Vignale variants available, with Titanium and Vignale cars offering luxury, and the ST-Line being a sporty looking variant, albeit without a boost in performance.
Prices for the Mondeo range start from around £25,600 for Zetec models, while Titanium is around £2,000 extra and ST-Line is around £1,000 more than that. Vignale cars are a bit pricey, starting from around £33,700. If you want an estate, there's a premium of around £1,800 to add to all models.
The main rivals for the Ford Mondeo, both as a five-door and an estate, are the Volkswagen Passat, Mazda 6, Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport, Skoda Superb and Peugeot 508. Further afield, the Kia Optima and Hyundai i40 should provide reliable, well equipped transportation, while the Toyota Camry should do the same, albeit only in a saloon car body.
Beyond that, the Mondeo has aspirations to take on cars such as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, Jaguar XE, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Volvo S60 and Lexus IS. However, the Mondeo struggles to match these cars, both in terms of quality and driving enjoyment.
For an alternative review of the latest Ford Mondeo Hatchback visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk
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The Mondeo is available as either a hatchback or an estate, and both body styles have an abundance of space for passengers and luggage, making them very practical for families. The engine line-up is blessed with performance, it has to be said, but the diesels are very smooth and efficient, and offer enough power to get by on the road.
The disappointment with the current Mondeo is that it lacks the handling characteristics that made its predecessors shine. It’s not woeful by any means, but the fun of the old cars has been lost to a more comfortable set-up that’s more at home on the motorway than on a fast country road. That’ll deter some drivers, but the Mondeo is still a good family car nonetheless.
Despite the shift upmarket, the Mondeo is still a little behind on the curve compared to higher end brands, and although it used to be a common sight in company car parks, its popularity with buyers has clearly waned since it first went on sale 25 years ago.
Whether you choose a basic Mondeo, an upmarket Vignale or the Mondeo Hybrid, you're getting a spacious family car with plenty of kit and handsome looks. An update in 2019 saw those looks given a subtle revision, although the Mondeo still has hints of the Mustang sports car about its appearance, especially up front.
- SEE MORE Best family cars to buy 2020/2021
Under the skin, the Mondeo shares its platform and running gear with the Ford S-MAX and Galaxy MPVs, as well as the Ford Edge SUV. Unlike past models that used a platform developed by Ford Europe, the current Mondeo platform was developed in the US, and its bias towards comfort over sharp handling was a distinct change for the Mondeo when it arrived in 2014, some 12 months after it had gone on sale in the US as the Ford Fusion.
Engines comprise of the 2.0 EcoBlue 150PS and 190PS diesels, plus a 2.0 TiVCT 187PS petrol hybrid. All Ford Mondeos are front engined, and the majority are front-wheel drive, with AWD four-wheel drive available as an option with the most powerful diesel. Gearboxes comprise six-speed manual and eight-speed autos, although the Mondeo Hybrid gets a CVT auto as standard.
Ford Mondeo - reversing camera
Ford Mondeo - front static
Ford Mondeo - rear static
Ford Mondeo - front cornering
Ford Mondeo - front
Ford Mondeo - dials
Ford Mondeo - rear
Ford Mondeo - dash
Ford Mondeo - front blue
Ford Mondeo - rear blue
Ford Mondeo - front light detail
Ford Mondeo - sat-nav
Ford Mondeo - rear seats
Ford Mondeo - side
Ford Mondeo - side red
Ford Mondeo - centre console
Ford Mondeo - wheel detail
Ford Mondeo - boot
Ford Mondeo - infotainment screen
Ford Mondeo - red rear
Ford Mondeo - side blue
Ford Mondeo - parking
Ford Mondeo - rear light detail
Ford Mondeo - grille
Ford offers a broad range of trims on the Mondeo. The Zetec version used to be the bread-and-butter variant, but today it's the entry point to the range. Then there are Titanium, ST-Line and Vignale variants available, with Titanium and Vignale cars offering luxury, and the ST-Line being a sporty looking variant, albeit without a boost in performance.
Prices for the Mondeo range start from around £25,600 for Zetec models, while Titanium is around £2,000 extra and ST-Line is around £1,000 more than that. Vignale cars are a bit pricey, starting from around £33,700. If you want an estate, there's a premium of around £1,800 to add to all models.
The main rivals for the Ford Mondeo, both as a five-door and an estate, are the Volkswagen Passat, Mazda 6, Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport, Skoda Superb and Peugeot 508. Further afield, the Kia Optima and Hyundai i40 should provide reliable, well equipped transportation, while the Toyota Camry should do the same, albeit only in a saloon car body.
Beyond that, the Mondeo has aspirations to take on cars such as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, Jaguar XE, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Volvo S60 and Lexus IS. However, the Mondeo struggles to match these cars, both in terms of quality and driving enjoyment.
For an alternative review of the latest Ford Mondeo Hatchback visit our sister site carbuyer.co.uk
Continue reading...