Ford Mondeo News

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia.But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.Ford came out boxing with their new-look mid-sized car in the Joe Louis arena next to the Detroit motor show. In the US it's called a Fusion, but everywhere else it's a Mondeo. But from the bleachers of the arena it looked more like a Camry.On closer inspection there are design elements that distinguish it from the Toyota such as a rather ugly grooved bonnet similar to the Chrysler Sebring.Ford product vice-president Derrick Kuzak says the new Fusion (Mondeo) will come with "the broadest selection of engines in the range".That includes two "ecoboost" direct-injection turbo engines, a two-litre with all-wheel drive and a 1.6L with highway fuel economy of 6.3L/100km and a six-speed transmission.There will also be a hybrid with a claimed economy of 5L/100km and a plug-in hybrid that tops 100mpg or 2.35L/100km.Ford Australia spokesperson Sinead Phipps would not confirm any engine variants."The Mondeo will be revealed in Europe in a few months and is still some time away from production," she says. "It will go on sale in Europe first and is most likely at least 12 to 18 months away for us."The American model will also come with a lane-departure warning system which is available now in Australia in the Titanium model.It also features the MyFord Touch infotainment system developed with Microsoft.Phipps says the technology is only available in the US but will be rolled out in Europe in the next 12 to 18 months, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia.Henry Ford grandson Bill told media at the Detroit motor show that the company was working on a host of hi-tech features such as electrics, hybrids, keys that allow parents to monitor their children's driving behaviour and advanced infotainment systems in association with Apple and Google.He said they had also doubled their investment on wireless communication technology between vehicles to "shorten driving time and reduce crashes".Ford boss Alan Mulally says there is a host of new product coming."This will be our most aggressive year for new vehicles," he says.Included are five new eclectic vehicles in North America this year, plus new models in all but the light car class, as well as a new light truck.Mulally says this will create 12,000 new jobs by end of the year in the US and 3000 in the Asia-Pacific region.

The entry level Mazda 6 "Limited" model has been axed, while leather upholstery and parking sensors have become standard across all variants of the car.

Development costs were very high mainly due to the completely new design. But given Ford’s financial instability at the time, the company needed a big change to help turn things around.The new car featured class leading ride and handling, sophisticated suspension design and the latest safety additions including a driver’s side airbag, side-impact bars, seat belt pretentioners and ABS, as standard.Reworked over four generations to date, it wasn’t until it’s MkII phase in 1995, that the Mondeo made its way down to Australia. But it wasn’t a sales success. Australians preferred the bigger Falcon and unlike today, saw no need for a medium sized car in the range. The Mondeo struggled against established Japanese models like the Subaru Liberty, the Honda Accord and another Euro import, the Holden Vectra.In 2001 Ford Australia withdrew from the medium car segment claiming that it was in a decline, and the Mondeo was dropped from the range until it resurfaced in 2007 with the MkIV.Consequently, Australia completely skipped Mondeo MkIII; arguably an era when the car made its most significant improvements. It got larger, which addressed the lack of rear leg room - a major gripe over its lifetime - and the interior became more European. MkIII also introduced a new Duratorq diesel engine that was much more capable and competitive than the engine it replaced.Ford Australia reintroduced the Mondeo in 2007 due in large part to the popularity of smaller, more fuel efficient and environmentally friendlier cars, and with it the growing global dislike of larger ones. It has been marketed here as a stylish car with more than just good looks and is sold in a sedan, hatch and now, a wagon version.This time round sales have been good, even despite problems with parts supply from Europe, and the Mondeo has won numerous awards in Australia.The latest model comes with both diesel and petrol engines, and a choice of four trim levels, and Ford are currently considering an ECOnetic example for the Australian market.For more information on late model Ford Mondeos, see our list of related articles above. 

Two months after Ford Australia fixed a potentially dangerous brake defect on some versions of its Territory, the company is now recalling its Focus and Mondeos to check problem with brake vacuum pumps. The recall for the LV Focus and MA Mondeo, built since last year, only affects those with a diesel engine. Ford says under certain conditions the supply of vacuum to the brake booster may be reduced causing a hard brake pedal and increase stopping distances. Ford is contacting known owners by mail. In March, Ford recalled more than 83,000 Territories to fix a brake hose defect which was uncovered by Carsguide after complaints from readers.    

...which joins the Mondeo range in June. The Mondeo wagon was first shown at last year's show as a toe-in-the-water exercise to solicit consumer feedback. That feedback was good and the Zetec wagon will provide buyers with an alternative mid-size load-lugger, according to Ford Australia president and CEO, Marin Burela. The Zetec wagon is powered by a 118kW/208Nm 2.3-litre Duratec four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels. It is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with sequential sports shift. The Zetec wagon comes with the same high level of standard features as the Zetec hatch and sedan, including 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, dual zone climate control, a premium Sony audio system, automatic headlights, rain sensing wipers, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, capless refuelling and follow me home lights. It also has a safety package mirroring that of its hatch and sedan siblings. Key safety features include an enhanced Intelligent Protection System (IPS) complemented by an anti-skid brakes, brake assist, electronic stability control, an automatic hazard warning light and seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag and full length side curtain airbags. Key wagon features include an impressive load carrying space, which provides a luggage capacity of 542 litres with the rear passenger seats in the upright position, increasing to a capacious 1733 litres with the rear passenger seats folded flat. Prices will be released closer to the car's launch date.   The 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show...  

Ford's imported Mondeo range — there is both hatchback and sedan, with a variety of engines and trim levels, and prices starting from $29,990 — is the Australian-made Falcon's baby brother. At least in theory.But the 'medium-size' Mondeo is an efficient package, so roomy it is almost as spacious as the 'family-size' Falcon. In fact boot capacity is identical.While the bulkier Falcon offers much more shoulder space, on most other interior measurements they are mere centimetres apart, and the Mondeo manages to win for front leg room.So the new-look Falcon range, which reaches showrooms in just over a month, faces a family feud, quite apart from its natural enemy, the Holden Commodore. The current-series Falcon starts at $5000 more than the Mondeo range, though that is with a six-cylinder engine versus the base-model Mondeo's four-cylinder power plant.The lighter and smaller-engined Mondeo is of course less thirsty, but can't match the high-torque thrust that cars like the Falcon deliver.But really they are worlds apart. The Mondeo — designed in Germany, built in Belgium — is a hot seller in Europe, regarded over there as a worthy rival for cars like the BMW 3-Series.The new-generation design is a slick-looking wedge of metal, curved and sharply creased in the latest Ford corporate style, yet roomy and practical when you step inside.It drives just like it looks, sure-footed and capable, with a sophisticated, upmarket air.Unlike the Falcon, there is a high-efficiency diesel option, or a sporty-ish turbocharged five-cylinder version, with petrol four-cylinder variants in the middle.The entry-level LX comes only as a sedan, and the top-line XR5 Turbo is hatchback only, but the in-between petrol Zetec ($34,990) and diesel TDCi ($37,990) give buyers the choice of hatchback or sedan bodies, both with slick six-speed automatic transmissions.As seems to be the case so often these days, the diesel is surely the pick of the bunch. No matter about its $3000 price premium over the Zetec, or the extra cost per litre for its fuel — great economy and refined manners would make it a truly satisfying car to own.If there is a disappointment, it is that the XR5 Turbo model seems to possess nothing like the exuberant zing found in the compact Focus hatchback which uses the same powerplant.Also on the minus side, the Mondeo is hardly a household name in Australia and its track record isn't good; Ford's efforts to sell previous versions came to nothing. Key PointsFord MondeoDetails: Medium-size sedan and hatchback with 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (power 96kW, torque 320Nm), 2.3 litre four-cylinder petrol engine (power 118kW, torque 208Nm), or 2.5 litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine (power 162kW, torque 320Nm).Cost: LX $29,990 (2.3 litre auto sedan); Zetec $34,990 (2.3 auto sedan or hatch); TDCi $37,990 (auto diesel sedan or hatch); XR5 Turbo $41,990 (manual hatch).Rivals: Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, VW Passat.For: Sophisticated and efficient.Against: Low profile.Summing up: Ford's Euro contender  

Though Holden has been threatening to upstage Ford at the Melbourne International Motor Show with a wagon and a surprise reveal, it was the Blue Oval that took opening day start honours

 Take any model range, pick out the four-cylinder diesel variant for contrast and comparison with its naturally aspirated petrol four sibling. And what happens? The oiler will almost always make the gas sucker look ordinary. Actually, axioms are usually a bit shorter and pithier than that. Yes, of course it should go without saying that a blown engine will be the more potent, but it's taken a while for punters to realise that diesel doesn't mean clouds of black smoke or huge, uncivilised SUVs (“city” and “civilisation” derive from the same root, so keep big SUVs in the bush). Apart from superior fuel economy, a big torqueing turbo diesel is often the more enjoyable drive than the atmo petrol wearing the same badge and toting near-equivalent capacity. A few weeks ago we said it on this very site, endorsing Hyundai's i30 CRDi over the petrol variants. Ditto Holden's Astra. And it holds equally true for the other end of the market in the form of BMW's Series. The 320d (for diesel) just flat out destroys the 320i. If this is not always the case — we'd still have a Mazda3 SP23 over the 3 oiler — it's becoming the case more often than not. Another affirmation has been Ford's Mondeo TDCi hatch which, at $37,990 in this or its sedan form, is worth every cent of the three grand premium over the dozy Zetec petrol version. The latter is utterly knackered by its combination of globulous weight and underwhelming 118kW four pot (potterer?) engine — the superseded Mazda6 has more go, let alone the new one. Yet the TDCi does more with more. Weighing in at just over 1600kg, it's not so very far away in displacement from the BF Falcon. If the 2.0-litre 96kW/320Nm Ford/PSA joint venture turbo diesel driven through a sharp six-speed automatic doesn't quite make light of it, the TDCi seldom feels unwieldy. The official claim for the Zetec's combined conditions fuel use is 10.5 litres per 100km, but we found ourselves nearing that while observing the speed limit in freeway conditions. By contrast, the diesel was doing 10.7 in the peak hour grind and you'd be confident of matching the 7.3L/100km combined claim. Its 0-100km/h figure is north of 10 seconds, but rolling acceleration is what this Mondeo is all about, an area in which the big hatch delivers as emphatically as we've come to expect from quality European diesels. Unlike some of these, though, the Mondeo excels dynamically. Steering, handling and ride are to the fore of the front-wheel-drive middle class. Of course, the Mondeo is so large and practical with that roof-hinged rear door, that it really deserves to be seen as a fully fledged family car. Indeed, it's not so much a case of the Mondeo taking it up to the Europeans as being rather too good for the new Falcon's sake.   Snapshot Ford Mondeo TDCi hatch Price: $37,990 Economy: 7.3L/100km Engine: 2L/4-cylinder turbo diesel; 96kW/320Nm Transmission: 6-speed auto, front-drive    

Carsguide.com.au reader Pat Reeves has emailed in with this question: Thanks Pat, good question. Despite the "medium" label, the Mondeo is essentially about the same size as the Falcon. A couple of millimetres here and there makes little practical difference. Ford calls it "medium-sized" in Australia to try and create some distance between the Falcon and Mondeo, to try and attract medium sedan buyers and avoid cannibalising Falcon sales.Ford Australia finds itself in this position because the Mondeo is a true 'world car' - a common platform from which large manufacturers try to meet the needs of very different consumers, in very different markets.The Ford Falcon has been amongst the biggest-selling car models of all time, but practically all of those sales have been in Australia and New Zealand, so the Falcon is a "large sedan" designed and built for the Australian market, where we like our family cars like we like our takeaway meals - supersized.The Mondeo, on the other hand, is a true 'world car.' It's based on a manufacturing platform used not just for building Mondeos but also Ford's S-MAX and Galaxy people-movers, several Volvos and even the Land Rover Freelander.The engineering ingenuity that allows several companies to spin out a variety of models from one set of underpinnings is impressive, but it can't hide the basic dimensions and weight of a platform used to build a Land Rover (even the softest one).Outside Australia and New Zealand, there's no such thing as a Ford Falcon. In Europe, with its narrow streets, heavy traffic and small families, a Mondeo is considered a big family sedan (a medium family is happy in a Focus, a small family in a Festiva with a roof box...) So outside the US and Australia, it doesn't really matter how big the Mondeo is - it's meant to be the biggest. It's only in Australia that Ford has a problem.Not such a big problem really. Big is generally better these days; newer technologies mean they can add interior space and even weight to a car and still have it return improved economy and performance.Big though it is, the Mondeo's a great car to drive, and a long way ahead of the current model Falcon on most criteria. Take one for a test drive (particularly the diesel) before you spend too much more time with the tape measure. As you slip neatly through another slippery roundabout without the body roll and rear-end slip of a Falcon you'll wonder how they could make a people-mover and a Land Rover out of something that handles so well. It boggles the mind.