Ford Mondeo 2.0-litre TDCi 180 Titanium X

In September, car managing editor Greg Fountain tweeted a picture of this car, saying, ‘Here’s the new #FordMondeo. Been ready for launch for three years looks what it is: old’. Ford’s director of product communication, Jay Ward, actually took the time to reply: ‘I’m biased of course but there’s nothing old about the new Mondeo. Looks great and with tech no one else has even now.’ So who’s right here ?

‘Even now’ is troubling for me. The reality is that the Mondeo went on sale in America as the Fusion in 2012, and the modern automotive landscape just does not stand still for that long.

Perhaps it doesn't matter. Fundamentally, this is still a very good car, and perhaps the people who will actually buy it won’t even be aware of the timescale. But if Ford was hoping to attract customers beyond this existing pool of committed consumers, then some of the impact has surely been lost. When the Fusion was revealed at the Detroit motor show back in January 2012 it was almost shockingly good looking, with those taut lines, lantern jaw and no getting away from itAston Martin-esque grille design. If anything, the European Mondeo version dials up the intensity with the availability of sleek full-LED headlights from the off .

Yet you notice this less, because the rest of the Ford range has already stolen all of its most dramatic styling cues. As a result, the Mondeo emerges not with the presence the shock of the new that it probably deserves, but with the appearance of a Fiesta that’s been on a committed fast food bender for the past 24 months. And I think it’s an opportunity missed.

Especially since this traditional sector of the market is under such assault, both from above in the form of prestige alternatives like the Audi A4 and bMW 3 series and below, consider the rising popularity of the crossover, let alone the continuing downsizing drive that is empowering ever-greater family hatchbacks. Does anyone truly need a Mondeo any more, let alone want one?

but perhaps that’s irrelevant, too. For there are many reasons why you might end up driving one (let’s not get into Mondeo man territory, you all know what I mean). And should that happen, you’re in for a bit of a treat.

Ford’s excuse for the Mondeo’s near three-year delay is a lack of European production capacity following recession-related restructuring. However, the hold-up has also allowed plenty of tinkering to take place at the Lommel proving ground; the slightly bizarre example given relates to the rear suspension bushes, which went through five iterations each with two months’ evaluation. In other words, a massive amount of care and attention has been showered on this car.

It shows on the road. The new Mondeo is only millimetres smaller than the vast model it replaces and 80% of the 115 kg weight reduction in the new high-strength structure has been reinvested to improve aerodynamics, refinement and efficiency, so Ford’s choice of launch location on wide flowing mountain routes in Spain with smooth surfaces may have flattered to deceive in some respects. Yet it seems extremely unlikely that a british broad is going to take it out of its depth.

body control is excellent. There’s a new ‘integral link’ rear suspension design and a Continuous Control Damping system, which as with rival adaptive chassis setups allows the driver to select from Comfort, Normal and Sport driving modes, choices that also change the electrically assisted steering weight. After some experimentation, I simply left it in Sport, as this not only feels sharpest in the turns, it clamps right down on motorway wallow and float without obviously sacrificing ride comfort.

Though you might wish to revisit that advice if you regularly travel over concrete in the UK, Ford’s recognition of how little customers are likely to routinely swap between settings is evident in the way it’s buried access to them within the gauge-cluster menu system. There is no dedicated button at all, reflecting the general decluttering that’s taken place throughout the cabin.

As is typical of electric steering assistance, there’s less front end feedback, reducing the confidence the preceding Mondeo instilled when it came to chucking such a large boat into the bends. Ford has looked to make up for this by adding a comprehensive suite of handling electronics, including the Fiesta ST’s Torque Vectoring Control, Torque-Steer Compensation and something called Active Nibble Compensation, which tacitly references the feedback reduction by deliberately
counteracting steering nuances.

The result is a lot of grip, but the distinct impression that you are so far from being the fi nal arbiter you may as well sit back, relax and let the car get on with it. It’s not as if the revised 2.0-litre single turbo diesel is much of a willing companion anyway, even in more powerful 178bhp guise. Blame the ultra narrow 500rpm torque band and a sloppy six speed manual gear shift. The 207bhp twin sequential turbo 2.0-litre coming next year will hopefully prove better, though a range of Ecoboost petrols, including a 1.0-litre and a hybrid from 2015, are also vying for your company-car cash.

Sitting back and relaxing is what the new Mondeo is really all about. Not only is the refined interior enormously spacious, Ford has gone to town with the convenience features. Power adjustment has now reached the steering column for the first time in this class, the Active Lane-Keeping Assist will ‘torque’ the front wheels to keep you in line, and the autonomous braking system has pedestrian detection, reducing your burden of attention still further. Should things go wrong in spite of all this, the outer rear seats are now equipped with inflatable seat belts intended to give your backseat loved ones the closest they can get to a front facing airbag.

The very height of this luxury/laziness comes with the ‘Sync 2’ infotainment system. You’ll immediately appreciate the way the large central touchscreen has enabled a significant reduction in the number of physical buttons, and if the remaining air con interface looks a little fiddly, don't worry the built-in voice control has now been extended to the point that you can actually talk to the car to tell it not only what temperature you desire but how it should be directing the air flow .

Other voice control tricks include telling the sat-nav ‘I’m hungry’ to call up a selection of local restaurants, as well as more run-of-the-mill phone and hi-fi activities. It’s bloody impressive, even if it turned down my request to ‘eject passenger’ when our photographer suggested we stop at yet another location.

So Ford has traded a touch of that integral driver involvement only a touch, mind in favour of greater comfort and convenience, born out in a cabin that’s quieter, better made and more attractive than before. It almost goes without saying that mpg and CO2 are also significantly improved.

A delay is always disappointing, but those who were always heading for destination Mondeo will find it’s been worth the wait. Question is whether everyone else has already decided it’s too late.