Even though working with global cars is becoming increasingly common among most automakers, there is still some struggle when it comes to its execution. Dealing with all the factors that vary with each country, such as technical changes, staff training or particular marketing studies, results in a new vehicle taking several months to reach all the markets to which it was intended. The biggest victims of that are usually emergent countries, but this article presents an interesting exception: Europe is where Ford’s lineup is arriving late, under the name Mondeo, and with a delay of three years.
However, it is necessary to be fair with Ford. At first, the problem was to adapt the original project, which is sold in America as Fusion, to the European safety standards. Later, when the company showed the first official information about the new Mondeo, the fact that the same sedan appeared beside both a notchback and a station wagon led to think that this extra time was being used to finish developing these siblings. But, after some more time without good news, the truth turned out to be the automaker was trying to control the losses of its European division. Now, since things seem to have returned to normal, this year’s Paris Auto Show was used to announce the long-awaited official debut of Mondeo’s brand new generation.
“Amazing”, “awesome” or “great” could describe this event with huge accuracy, but “surprising” would achieve the exact opposite. Mondeo’s new lines combine modernity, sportiness and a hint of elegance in all its options, but it is impossible not to remember of all the other Fords which have adopted them in the latest years. On the other hand, it is also true that D-segment buyers are often conservative. Ford’s new lineup will fight models as discreet as Lancia Thema, Peugeot 508, Renault Latitude and Volkswagen Passat, which are depend just as much on their companies’ design bread-and-butter. Between the three Mondeos, the SW has everything new from the rear door; the sedan is a rebadged Fusion, and the other is the same with a shorter, liftback trunk.
The differences from the North-American car will go a little further. The sedan will be the only hybrid option, and it will only be offered like that – alluring ecological customers must be Ford’s plan to ignore the Europen rejection to non-luxury sedans. The notchback will be slightly cheaper and the station wagon slightly pricier, and this should be the marketing structure until the upscale Vignale variations are released. Until then, the fanciest Mondeo you can get has a Titanium label, but it already brings a very interesting equipment list: the active headlights use LEDs and adapt to the environment, the parking system takes complete care of parallel and perpendicular spots, and the vast array of electronic systems make a great contribution to your safety.
Mondeo’s technology level is impressive, but Ford was careful with the excesses. The cabin repeats the company’s sporty/futuristic look, while the dynamic behavior stays far from being robotic thanks to special settings for electric power steering and tires, and the addition of torque vectoring, multi-link rear suspension, continuously-controlled dampers and active nibble compensation. When it comes to the brand new structure, there are 10% stiffer body with hydroformed panels, multi-link rear suspension, and a 115-kg weight reduction compared to the previous Mondeo. Compared to Fusion, Ford claims that the changes between both are numerous enough for considering the European an all-new automobile, rather than a three-year-old.
When it comes to powertrain options, this generation features Mondeo’s biggest engine list ever. The diesel range is composed by one TDCi 2.0L unit, offered with 150 hp, 180 hp or 210 hp. Switching to gasoline, the entry-level is a tiny EcoBoost 1.0L, which is already a huge success at other Fords and is good for 125 hp. The same family is also the responsible for the 160-hp 1.5L and a 203-hp or 240-hp 2.0L. If you want to use electricity, the hybrid variation combines an Atkinson 2.0L with two electric engines, one for the front wheels and the other to supply regenerative charging. It is claimed to reach 99 g/km of CO2 and uses a 42-kg, lithium-ion battery, whose service life is estimated at 150,000 miles or ten years.
Ford knows it was necessary to go big with this car. After all, Mondeo has had an excellent reputation in Europe for several years, and the level of its competitors just proves how interesting it still is, in spite of the decreasing sales. There was an important delay on its arrival, but the company has worked very hard to make up for it. Therefore, the only thing it asks from the intended customers is to look at the fifth-generation Mondeo as it is, rather than thinking of Fusion. When they really do that, it gets much easier to understand why the price list starts at £20,795 in United Kingdom – and reaches £24,995 at the Titanium sedan. These vehicles were officially presented during this year’s Paris Auto Show, and will go on sale in a few months.
Ford Vignale Mondeo (18/04/2015)
Yes, Ford is really going all the way with Mondeo. Its current generation might’ve took too long to arrive, but it’s already debuting the automaker’s brand new luxury division. Like Citroën did once with DS, and Renault right now with Initiale Paris, the Blue Oval is the newest one to attempt sprucing up its upscale cars in order to charge higher prices and, therefore, seduce some customers who could only buy from luxury automakers staying at the entry level. After Mondeo’s sedan and station wagon, Ford is interested in giving the brand new S-Max a Vignale version too. Not to mention investing in a whole lineup of fashion products based on Vignale’s style.
This car will get its upgrades after leaving the Spanish plant located in Valencia. The exterior features an exclusive front grille, chrome mirrors and new body colors, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. The equipment list adds 11-way massaging seats, upscale internal trim in different colors and textures, and two big measures to reduce internal noise: besides the typical improvement of construction quality, this car uses Ford’s first noise-cancellation system in Europe. Three microphones measure the ambient noise in the cabin and give the command for cancelling waves through the twelve speakers of the Sony stereo. There will also be an improved customer experience at the dealers, and many concierge services offered 24/7, through the Vignale OneCall hotline.