On The Wish List
by Mike Grundon (09 May 07)

Here's a phrase you don't hear that often, but it's one you might be hearing a bit more of in the near future: "I wish I owned a Ford Mondeo."

Ford's big car has been a steady-away motor for some time, but it's been shovelled out into the market in such huge volumes it's become synonymous with mile-munching marketing types and stereotypical suburbanites. That may be about to change.

Ford says the new Mondeo is the most technologically-advanced car it has ever built and to my eye it's the sexiest volume-produced vehicle it's turned out in a long time. Visually striking, it stands out immediately from the crowd in whichever of the three bodystyles it comes in – four-door, five-door or estate.

This Mondeo is all-new. The six things it mostly shares with its predecessor are the letters that make up the name Ford simply couldn’t bring itself to drop. It's bigger, better, posher and smarter than the outgoing model and the company is hoping it will sell to more discerning customers and an increased percentage of owner/drivers.

It's being built in the Belgian production plant at Genk alongside the S-MAX and the Galaxy – vehicles with which the Mondeo will share a significant portion of its technology in an attempt to cut costs. It'll eventually be available with four turbo diesel and five petrol engines. From launch there'll be five- and six-speed manual gearboxes available, and a six-speed automatic will come on stream later this year.

The five trim levels range from the most basic Edge, up through Zetec and Ghia and ultimately to Titanium X. Prices will range from just over £15,000 for a five-door, five-speed manual with a 108bhp, 1.6-litre petrol engine in Edge trim, to £24,210 for an estate in Titanium X trim with a 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine feeding 217bhp to the road through a six-speed manual gearbox. Taking all into consideration, that's about £300 down on the previous car.

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