Unique Auto

Posts Tagged ‘New Ford Mondeo’

I’ve fallen hard. I couldn’t help it, there was something about that body, those sleek curves, those gleaming shanks that sang to my heart in a way that I’ve never before known. I couldn’t refuse?

Yes, you’ve guessed it, I’ve splashed out on a Ford Mondeo. I couldn’t resist the Mondeo’s charms, despite space in my garage getting a little cramped. The Ford Mondeo is the paragon of performance, a princely car that has exemplary handling.

Forget your supercars and 4×4s, when it comes to a driving experience that can’t be beaten there’s nothing like a pleasingly muscular little model that makes short work of city centres and eats up the miles on the motorway. If I sound like I’m biased, well that would be a sound assessment. But it’s hard not to find in favour of such a super little car.

I’ve had my fair share of hulking great off-roaders, in fact I have a Series IIA that still takes on dirt tracks with gusto, and similarly I’ve had a couple of slinky little supercars (convertible models, of course) that could cut a dash and left me feeling as if I’d just stepped out of a Bond film. But the car that I enjoy the most, the drive that I look forward to, is the Ford Mondeo. Who knows why? Maybe it’s the comfortable interior, the gloriously reassuring feeling of a solid car that is eager to please. Or perhaps it’s simply the fact that there is nothing to dislike about the Mondeo model.

Try as much as you like. You could say that it’s too brusque in appearance, that you prefer a more minimalist approach. But that’s just splitting hairs over looks. Deep down, you know that despite being sensible, despite not being a flashy little sprite that’s only as high as your waist, the Ford Mondeo is a car that’s practically perfect in every way.

The Ford Mondeo has firmly planted itself into the nation’s collective conscience as the stylish saloon of choice. The Ford Mondeo has been through a variety of image changes and has quickly evolved from a rather dumpy looking long haul car, to a sporty, sleek and attractive saloon. I have slight concerns that I am slightly concerned would prevent me from investing in a brand new Ford Mondeo.

Firstly, I like to think of myself as something of an individual. I enjoy wearing clothes that few other people have, listening to music that is not enjoyed by the entire population and driving cars that have considerably more character and individuality behind them than the Mondeo does. It has to be said that if you leave your home for any period of time, you can virtually guarantee you will see the minimum one Ford Mondeo making its way past you.

Secondly, I question whether the Ford Mondeo has the ilk of luxuriousness that I would require from my car choice. I’m not referring to gadgets such as sat nav or video screens in the rears of the seats; I am talking about that masterly comfort and smooth driving performance that you only get from a certain pedigree of car.

When I was looking for a brand new Saloon car I definitely had these concerns in mind, but decided to heed the advice of the majority of automotive critics and give the Ford Mondeo a fair trial. I decided to visit my nearest Ford Online dealership to set up the test drive.

As it happens I am awesomely happy that I gave the Mondeo a test drive, as it proved itself to be something of a revelation. The comfort of the drive was similar to that of a car worth fantastically more than the Mondeo. It undoubtedly is the King of Saloons.

It is quite a challenge to determine what makes a truly great car. I spent about an hour this morning arguing with my colleagues about the three top categories for choosing a car. Eventually we shook on value for money, engine performance and reliability. We all agreed there were other factors to take into account (practicality, top speed, gadgets) but the chosen three seemed most urgent.

Value for money relates directly to the quality of car you get for money paid. The chances are stacked against you getting a sporty car, with a V8 engine and all the safety certification in the world for less than £20,000, but if you can do it that would represent mega value for money. Engine performance takes into account not only BHP/torque and speed, but also issues such as economy issues (how much it costs to run) and ecology issues (CO2 Emissions). Finally, reliability became the third point to our holy trinity of what makes a truly great car, after all it doesn’t matter how amazing your car is, if it breaks down every 30 miles or so it is pretty much worthless.

When applying these categorisations to our knowledge of cars, one particular model kept popping up. Every time it was mentioned we dismissed it as a rather non-sensical idea, but the more you think about it the more it begins to make sense. The model in question was the Ford Mondeo.

I know what you’re thinking; you’re thinking ‘how can they consider the Ford Mondeo to be an awesome car?’ Well, that’s precisely why we dismissed it at first, but the Ford Mondeo unequivocally does tick all the boxes.

When it comes to Ford, no one does value for money quite as well as them. Engine performance on the Mondeo is awesome with great levels of power and economy. As far as reliability goes, the Ford Mondeo has one of the best names in the business. See if you can think of anything to rival the Ford Mondeo in these categories. It’s a pretty long game!

When it comes to choosing the best possible Saloon Cars, most car magazines or other Automotive mediums will inevitably point you in the direction of one particular make and model; the Ford Mondeo. The Ford Mondeo has been a consistent and popular seller since its release in 1993. Back then it was the replacement for the relatively popular Ford Sierra, which had been a good flagship model for Ford in the company car sector, but was beginning to lose its direction a tad. The Ford Mondeo was meant to reinvigorate the design and bring a more ‘executive’ edge to the manufacturer who were beginning to run out of ideas.

The Mondeo then began a 20+ year domination over the saloon car market, which is yet to dissipate thanks to Ford’s constantly evolving design ethic. The current design falls into Ford’s new ‘Kinetic’ design aesthetic, which is meant to represent the vehicle’s movement even when it is parked up in your garage. This sounds a little bit ‘clichéd’ as far as design briefs go, but in practice it really works and looks rather striking.

In a rather crude experiment to see how the Ford Mondeo has evolved over time, I have spent the week comparing an original Mark 1 Mondeo to the new Mark 4 edition. Obviously first impressions are vastly differing; the Mk1 looks rather too much like the old Sierra for my liking, but is definitely a step in the right direction. In contrast, the MK4 looks like it was designed by Mercedes during a cloning of an SLK experiment gone wrong. In short, it looks gorgeous.

The performance test confirms the new edition’s clear dominance over the past incumbent. In a one lap time trial race of a 4.5 mile race track, there was a clear winner despite both cars having 2.Ltr Petrol Engines. As if you hadn’t guessed, the MK 4 won by a fantastically long 6.3 seconds.

So what we can agree on is that the Ford Mondeo’s star is definitely still in its ascendency. Whether it will maintain its positive trajectory rather depends on Ford and the often fickle buying public.