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Terrible.
Oh but then again, we're talking about Ford America, which is a stark contrast to that of Ford Europe. Profitable and company-rescuing in it's entirety, Ford's revised product range in the US has great influences from the company's quarters at Cologne.
And guess where that is?
Germany.
Yes. Ford, Europe, is based in Cologne, Germany and the engineering and design bits are done their by local staff, as is with some of the manufacturing process. The other parts are made in other sectors of Europe, such as the Belgian plant that assembles the S-Max AND the Mondeo.
Noteworthy of late is the fact that Ford has been behaving very much like a German brand, and in particular this car. They have made bold claims in the face of both Volkswagen and BMW, claiming the trump card in terms of ride and handling.
Styling and Equipment
More on that later, as for now the appearance of the 2008 Mondeo (well, 2007 in Europe) is miles apart from its predecessor in terms of looks, featuring one of Ford's better examples when it came to "Kinetic Design." Stunning is the fact that unlike a vast majority of cars out there, this car looks great from all angles and with all sorts of equipment. It's stylistic persona remains consistent whether it has 16 inch wheels or 17s.
With past Focus' and Mondeos, you would only be attracted to the model that looked the most aggressive and sporty, which basically meant you were most likely to splurge on styling accessories when you bought one.
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Impressive then, is the outside, but we can't say the same for the interior, which is a huge letdown in terms of consistency.
Don't get us wrong - we like being on the inside of the Mondeo. For starters, the electric seats adjust to almost any position you want to make yourself comfortable in; the same goes for the tilt/reach adjustable steering rack.
The leather seats are nothing short of comfortable without being too soft, because we young people like a hint of firmness. The same goes for the fit and finish of the wheel, gearknob, door panels and some parts of the dashboard.
There's that word - "some." If you were to maneuver yourself into the Mondeo, the first and second things you would immediately notice are the car's supportive seats, and the contrasting fit and finish detail of the excellent, tactile black trim all round and stark, cheap looking, shiny surfaces on the centre console and the steering wheel which really looks like it was made in China instead of in Belgium.
Mating these two surfaces together was, in this writer's opinion, entirely wrong. It would have been the equivalent of David and Goliath living together as one, happily ever after. We can't help but notice the same occurrence with the plasticky interior lighting switches of the Ford - they wouldn't turn themselves on.
But never mind all that, because unless you are the pickiest of obsessive-compulsive Babas and Nyonyas, you would probably not notice these details, and instead, focus on the good things that this five-door has to offer - seventeen inch alloys, enough space for many, many golf bags (5 or 6 on a good day) and perhaps a human or two.
There are generous amounts of rear legroom for the average Asian, and a hefty list of amenities like too many airbags, traction control, dual zone climate and cruise control.
Driving Impressions
The Mondeo sold in our market will only receive the mid-range, 2.3 liter Duratec-HE and a 6-speed automatic that has it's roots in Volvo. What you get is 161bhp at 6500rpm and 208Nm @ 4000rpm.
Ford sees this as a logical choice in an effort to bridge the gap between the rather old 2-litre 145hp option and the 220hp 2.5 turbo of power plant of the Focus ST, the chassis leaves much to be desired in terms of untapped potential.
Unfortunate, really.
Move off like any other Singaporean driver would, and the Mondeo feels a little too normal and rather underwhelming, but soon after, you start to appreciate and feel, how well put together it is in terms of engineering as a whole.
The drivetrain and suspension do not appear to share any sort of conflict, and only when you floor it do you realize you're manhandling a four pot instead of a six. It has enough low-end torque, the uninfluenced would probably never tell it apart from a much larger engine.
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It gets to 100km/h from rest in about 12 seconds on a hot day with a full tank of gas (no passengers) which isn't too bad considering that 75% of this speed is attained in about 8 seconds or so - a testament to the engine's punchy character.
The Mondeo wouldn't feel out of place in terms of right-lane overtaking ease and finesse thanks to the refined 6-speeder. The drivetrain combination runs unbelievably smooth, and it remains smooth all the way to the limits and under harsh downshifts.
However, what we should really be concentrating on here would be the way the Mondeo corners - that is to say, unbelievably well. If you thought the previous Mondeo was a little too underrated in terms of handling, then you might want to amplify that thought. There is a surprising, total lack of understeer given the car's front-engined, front wheel-driven nature, and this is the case even at the limits of grip.
The Mondeo felt absolutely neutral through the bends, and hardly felt out of place in the tight spots. We only wish it had more power to offer in terms of corner-exit tactics, but it was a fun drive anyway.
How good? We have no qualms that this hatch would out-corner the smaller, shorter wheelbase Citroen C4 2.0 VTS manual.
Would we buy it?
And then there's the problem - the price. All $103,900 of it (correct as of February 18, 2008) The Mondeo is faced with the equally competitive, all-wheel-driven Subaru Outback from just under 100 grand. There is also the 2.5 litre, turbocharged Legacy GT which starts from 105 grand onwards.
Other than that, and the fact that Ford doesn't have much brand recognition (yet), we would like to think that they have carved a nice little spot for themselves.
While this newfound streak is impressive with a major improvement in quality over the previous Mondeo, we would like to think that Ford isn't done just yet. With minor issues yet to be addressed, we would keep our eyes peeled where quality and improvement of the brand is concerned. As for now, you can't really go wrong with this one!
