THE MONDEO’S NEW CLOTHES

NEW FORD MONDEO
PRICE Rs 14.92 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai)
ON SALE Now

It looks great in black, you have to admit. But then, the Ford Mondeo has always looked good — that’s never been its problem. And we were — once again — blown away by its engine, its interior and its handling. But those were not its problems either. The Mondeo sold in single-digit numbers because the Ford brand didn’t fly in this segment but more serious, it simply didn’t appear capable of handling Indian conditions. Maintenance costs were sky-high, and there were quality problems — not what you expect from a Rs 17 lakh car. Oh yes, that was another problem: a premium price tag from a company known for sharply-priced products.
Now, after having disappeared for a bit, the Mondeo is back — and Version 2.0 claims to be stronger, fitter and a better rival to the all-conquering Honda Accord. This is based on the face-lifted version, released around Europe in late 2003, but delayed here for various reasons. Changes are subtle, both inside and out, designed to make the Mondeo better suited to India.
For one, it looks a bit different. The grille now has a chrome surround, the headlamps have been mildly modified, the expensive Xenon lamps being discarded in favour of twin halogen units, and there’s a new bumper, with a wide air-intake and angular foglamps, replacing the sporty, round-foglamp unit. The tail-lamps too are slightly different, and so are the wheels, new seven-spoke alloys in the same 16-inch size. There are also larger wing mirrors, incorporating ‘puddle lights’ that illuminate the ground under them, and chrome trimmings on the door handles, sides and rear number-plate surrounds but overall, the changes are not huge. The difference is that the Mondeo looks somewhat frillier, softer and formal than before, more corporate — which could be important.
The Mondeo, even in India, is seen as a ‘personal’ luxury car rather than a businessman’s sedan, for self-driven owners rather than chauffeur-driven ones; the new looks give it some credence as a ‘serious’ car rather than a fun one.
Inside, there have been some attempts to make the Mondeo feel more plush and appealing, closer to the Accord, Sonata and Camry. There’s a new, black-and-tan colour scheme, which looks more cheerful and appealing than before, with brilliant ‘dark oak’ wood inlays on the dashboard and steering wheel — very classy. The centre console has changed, and is clearer and easier to use.
An important change is the new Sony music system; the old one sounded good, but was quite unreliable, tending to jam, which meant you had to ship the stereo to England to get your CD out. The new one sounds great as well, and hopefully, will prove to be more reliable; however, there’s no remote for rear passengers, an omission in most rivals. There’s a lovely new gearknob as well, a stubby, polished little thing that fits perfectly into your palm. Fit and finish are brilliant — the texture, grain and non-reflective quality of the dashboard plastics are just about perfect. And the pop-out cup-holder belongs in The Matrix. The front seats have lost most of their power adjustment: only height-adjust is now electric, and the rest of the (rather limited) seat adjustment is now manual. This cuts down on the luxury factor, but may prove to be a good thing, as the earlier, all-electric seats were rather unreliable. The rear is reasonably spacious, though not as much as the Camry, and the seat squab is high-set and perfectly angled, great for long, relaxed rides, and is helped by the useful reading lamp. The light coloured fabrics tend to soil easily and even in our brief drive, it picked up stains

The engine has been tweaked slightly, the ECU having been remapped (possibly to suit Bharat-III norms); torque is now down from 19.6 to 18.9kgm, while power has risen from 136bhp to 142. Fourth gear is also slightly shorter, to improve driveability. This means slightly better cruising ability, leading to better fuel consumption, a consideration even at this price level. The Mondeo now returns 7.9kpl in the city and 11.6kpl on the highway, which is pretty fuel efficient. However, although the engine is a fine one, the cubic capicity shortfall has always been evident in comparison with the competition, and that remains.
It sounds wonderful though, a typically Ford rasp to the induction note, and loves to be revved. It’s a touch lethargic at the low end of the rev band and you need to keep the engine on the boil to really get it to perform. The gearshift is superb as well, and constantly encourages you to shift down and hear the snarl again. There is some torque steer though, if you accelerate the way you’d really like to — and you need to keep a firm grip on the wheel.
The chassis is unchanged — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it philosophy works well here. The Mondeo is still, by far, the best driver’s car in the segment, with brilliant, crisp steering, and a real eagerness to dive into corners. It’s a neutral, balanced chassis, highly confidence-inspiring, and the car seems to shrink around the driver, which makes it fabulously entertaining to drive. The ride is still quite firm, and can still be jarring over potholes and ridges, thanks largely to the low-pro tyres, but appears to be slightly less harsh than before, and the body control is brilliant. It feels absolutely planted and stable, even at maximum pace, making it a delightful Expressway car. There is still one problem: the low ground clearance, which means a fully-loaded Mondeo will scrape its belly on large speedbreakers. Another problem is the wing mirrors: they’re larger now, but still too small to display the chaos on Indian roads.
The serious news though, is the price. The Mondeo used to be a bit too expensive for a car that didn’t have a top-rated badge, and accordingly, Ford has brought the sticker down to a more competitive Rs 14.92 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai), although the equipment list has become shorter in doing so. This makes it cheaper than even the Honda Accord which should endear it to far more customers.
Now, with the more dapper looks, better efficiency and new price tag, it should have what it takes to make a name for itself. We’ll be watching.
Vardhan Kondvikar

Factfile
Engine
Layout 4-cyl, 1997cc, in-line petrol
Max power 142.7bhp@6000rpm
Max torque 18.9kgm@4500rpm

How big
Length 4731mm
Width 1812mm
Height 1429mm
Wheelbase 2754mm
Kerb weight 1358kg
Fuel tank capacity 58.5 litres

WHAT TO EXPECT
A cheaper, plusher version of a superb driver’s car