After having given us so much excitement in the Mondeo, we expected the Duratec engine to be top of its class. That it might very well be but it leaves a little to be desired.

The car gets to a 100kmph in 12.74s and to 150krnph in 33.39s. Quarter mile comes up in 18.20s while it gets to the one kilometre mark in 33.88s. Top speed though is a respectable 174kmph which it gets to in fourth gear. The car is definitely much quicker than its sibling though.

On-road performance is good and given its top end grunt, it is as easy to drive on the highway. But one has to keep shifting to keep it in the power band. If the revs fall below the 2000rpm mark, specially in the higher gears then you are in trouble. Some slick shifting allows you to derive the best from this otherwise good performer.