Ford's D Friedman gets award from Luis Ceneviz of Goodyear.

Ford invested a great deal of effort in making the new Mondeo more of a driver’s car, and boy have they succeeded.

Though most of these advantages are not normally apparent when the Mondeo is driven in the urban environment, the payback for the harsh low speed ride is brilliant handling when the roads get faster. Get rid of the traffic, get to the good driving roads and the big Ford morphs from exec to athlete. Firstly, the grip is simply fantastic. Generous rubber, big wheels and the super suspension set-up mean you find yourself easily holding much higher corner speeds than you’re normally accustomed to in a car of this class. Where normally you would expect all hell to break loose, the Mondeo seems placid and calm.

“It has all the ingredients to keep you smiling: power, handling, brakes and roadholding” - N Leelakrishnan

You only really start to push the Mondeo once your brain has been updated with just how capable this chassis really is. You’re soon motoring along very comfortably at speeds that ordinarily would have you breaking out in a sweat. Not only can the corners be dispatched with impressive speed, but the Mondeo chassis is also poised and comfortable, encouraging you to make the most of it. The Mondeo flatters the average driver; if you dial in too much steering lock, the chassis will come to your rescue, turning ordinary Sumeets into regular Schumachers.

Better still, both the petrol and diesel engines on sale in India are solid performers. The Mondeo delivers what others cannot: a big grin.