Ford Mondeo: Oval sun

When marketers surveyed Ford Focus owners, an interesting picture emerged: their next car is either another Focus or its more mature sibling Mondeo. At the same time, the Ford brand itself satisfies people in almost everything: reliability, running costs, and safety levels. Only one thing is missing — that very poignant feeling when a car doesn't just carry you, but makes your heart beat faster. While engineers and designers were poring over the new Mondeo, the marketing department came up with the concept Feel the Difference. Within this idea, an orange stripe was added to the traditional blue color that has accompanied Ford for over a century — a symbol of renewal, sun, and new emotions.

I got to meet the new model near St. Petersburg, and the official premiere took place at the Konstantinovsky Palace — the same one where the G8 summit was held a year earlier. Isn't it too pompous a place for one of Russia's most people's brands? There is a clear desire to elevate the new model a step above its predecessor. Well, the ambitions are clear, now let's see if the car itself can live up to such expectations.

On the outside, the Mondeo has indeed succeeded: it has noticeably grown compared to its predecessor and shares the platform with the S-MAX and Galaxy minivans. Slanted, eye-catching headlights and swollen wheel arches — you can discern features of both the Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat. And it's these two models that are designated as the main competitors. So, Ford decided to occupy two niches at once: the family one, where Passat, Vectra, and Mazda6 rule, and the lower business-class segment, where Camry, Teana, and Galant reign. Kinetic design, which was so loved in the S-MAX, looks even more expressive in the sedan. In its long silhouette, you can find similarities to anyone, but at the same time, you'll never confuse the Mondeo with others. Special mention deserves the wagon — I didn't get a chance to drive it, but visually it captivates even more than the sedan. You understand rationally that a huge trunk isn't always needed, especially when they ask an extra thousand dollars for it, and rear visibility suffers — but it looks simply stunning.

First, I got a Mondeo with a 2.5-liter turbo engine in Ghia trim. I'll talk about the engines separately, but the interior, to put it mildly, disappointed. After such a striking exterior, you expect an equally captivating interior, but here — banal "wooden" decor that reeks of Korean or Chinese styling. Though in terms of equipment, there are no complaints. For an extra charge, you get electric seats with memory for four positions. My car also had parking sensors all around and push-button engine start. Later, an option for keyless door opening will appear. Expensive versions please rear passengers with air ducts in the body pillars — again a hint at business class. Wide seats are upholstered in slippery leather, and between the side support bolsters, it seems two people like me could fit. The seat itself, even in the lowest position, sits suspiciously high — you immediately remember the kinship with minivans. In a sedan, this is unusual, but visibility is excellent. In the back, there's plenty of room even for three, and the small central tunnel doesn't interfere at all. But the trunk can't be called spacious: for Russia, the Mondeo is brought with a full-size spare tire, and the floor has a stamping only for a space-saver. Therefore, the volume drops from a huge 550 liters to 493, but it's also not very convenient to use — it's wide and deep, but completely flat.

Out of pure curiosity, I looked into the Mondeo in Titanium X version — and it's a completely different matter. The polished aluminum trim looks much more interesting, adds air to the cabin, and fully corresponds to modern ideas about "business." The picture is complemented by a stylish Sony stereo with a changer and MP3 support, as well as a scattering of buttons on the steering wheel. At first, the steering wheel resembles a game joystick, but you quickly get used to the options — thanks to a convenient menu with full Russian localization, similar to a mobile phone interface. And, of course, the rotating air vent deflectors — a nod to the related Mazda6. All test cars had the traditional analog instrument cluster with two wells, like the S-MAX. But very soon, Ford promises to bring navigation to Russia, and then you can order a version with a large color display on the panel.

The options list for the Mondeo even includes adaptive cruise control, which itself maintains a safe distance to the car ahead — nothing like this exists in the price range up to 50 thousand dollars. In automatic mode, it works at speeds above 30 km/h and accelerates and brakes the car itself. But even when the cruise is off, the radar monitors the situation and, upon dangerous approach, gives an audible and visual signal, and also increases brake pressure so that the driver can brake as quickly as possible at the first movement.

The 2.5-liter turbo engine, familiar from the Focus ST and S-MAX, gives the Mondeo very confident dynamics that don't get lost even in the depths of the stretched 6-speed gearbox. The engine starts pulling after 2000 rpm, and its locomotive-like thrust doesn't weaken until the rev limiter, so you can accelerate on almost any gear. True, the gear lever shifts not too clearly, and the clutch on the powerful engine has a long travel, so you need to handle the pedal carefully — the huge torque provokes jerks during shifts. It's a pity that this engine isn't offered with an automatic transmission, and such a worthy engine risks remaining the lot of only sporty drivers.

The more modest 2.0-liter version is the choice of the practical. There's enough thrust for both city and highway, and the gearbox with clutch work noticeably softer and more agreeable. The ride is smooth and measured. Of course, after 150 km/h you can't expect miracles from the engine, but the needle still reaches the 200 km/h mark. The "golden mean" is the 2.3-liter 161-horsepower unit, which, like the "automatics," will appear closer to autumn.

Sound insulation is excellent for both engines, with the turbocharged one being even quieter. Both engines make themselves known only at high revs, so during calm driving up to 150 km/h you can talk without raising your voice — in this parameter, the Mondeo clearly outperforms its Asian competitors in the business class.

In the new Mondeo, engineers abandoned the double-wishbone front suspension, which performed so well on the Peugeot 407 and Mazda6, in favor of the classic McPherson, but tuned it simply magnificently. At the rear — multi-link, as it should be. On a broken road, the sedan flies like an arrow, not deviating from its course, and only the sonorous slaps of wide 17-inch wheels remind you of Russian road surfaces. The 2.0-liter version sits on 16-inch high-profile tires, but this hardly affects behavior — the same excellent directional stability and solid energy intensity reserve. For complete delight, the Mondeo lacks only a bit of excitement and sportiness — the car drives very correctly, precisely following the steering wheel with reactive force. But it feels like the car obeys the driver not because he controls it, but because it has such a program.

We finished again at the Konstantinovsky Palace, against which the Ford Mondeo looks somehow unusual. At the same time, criticizing the Mondeo for the unsuccessful interior design in Ghia and the lack of zest in handling is quite difficult. It's the same as scolding the Honda Civic or Mazda3, queues for which are already approaching a year. At the time of the presentation, when there wasn't a single car in dealer showrooms yet, 1500 prepaid orders were collected — and this despite the fact that versions with an "automatic" are not yet available. Therefore, the main headache for Ford for several years has been not how to sell cars, but how to get additional quotas for the Russian market. There is even hope that some Focus buyers will now switch to the new Mondeo, especially since the base version with a 125-horsepower 1.6-liter engine starts from 23,850 dollars. But very soon, prices will be fully converted to rubles.

Against the backdrop of months-long queues for the Focus and other Ford models, the orange stripe looks like a real mockery. You want to shout: instead of inventing new colors, it would be better to increase production capacity so as not to make customers wait and not provoke speculation! But sooner or later, even the Russian market will reach saturation, and then the sun will rise over the marketing department, for which the new Mondeo is excellently prepared...

Text and photos: Leonid Pavlov.