The long awaited new Mondeo will go on sale here in Ireland in late November. It will be available in two series initially, Zetec and Titanium, and prices will start from €28,995. Body styles will include five-door and a wagon (estate ) variant.
And there is more. In 2015, the range will be extended to include an all-wheel-drive diesel variant, as well as a new hybrid electric vehicle version.
“The new Mondeo is a significant new chapter for a car that has been one of Ireland’s favourite vehicles since it first arrived here more than 20 years ago,” Eddie Murphy, managing director of Ford Ireland, told the Advertiser. “New Mondeo will make high specification and premium features accessible to even more drivers – including our industry-first inflatable rear seatbelt and Ford’s first LED headlights in Europe.”
Standard specification on the new Mondeo Zetec includes: 16” alloy wheels; front fog lamps; quickclear windscreen; day-time running lights; trip computer; 'MyKey'; cruise control; leather steering wheel/gear lever; power front and rear windows; and auto start stop.
The first model for Europe to be built on Ford’s new global CD-segment platform, the new Mondeo will debut Ford’s new integral link rear suspension configuration for improved refinement and more dynamic performance.
Engineering experts from Ford of Europe led the global development of the new Mondeo chassis to help ensure continued best-in-class driving dynamics. Ford says engineers at its proving grounds in Belgium, tuned the new Mondeo with a strong focus on “functional harmony” - delivering a consistent feel to the controls and vehicle responses for a confidence-inspiring driving experience. The Mondeo’s steering weight and directness adapts to match the “comfort,” “normal” and “sport” chassis settings of Ford’s interactive vehicle dynamics control system for the first time.
In Ireland, Mondeo engine options will include the well-proven diesel powertrains, the 1.6 litre 115PS and 2.0 litre 150PS (including a powershift automatic ) from launch.
Coming in early 2015, engine choices will be extended to include the fuel-efficient and surprisingly powerful 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine – that was named International Engine of the Year for an unprecedented third time in a row. In addition there will also be a new 1.5 litre EcoBoost 160PS engine.
The four-door Mondeo hybrid which will arrive in 2015, combines a specially-developed 2.0-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and 1.4 kWh lithium-ion battery to provide optimised fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. Mondeo hybrid is the first hybrid electric vehicle that Ford will manufacture in Europe, delivering anticipated CO2 emissions of 99g/km.
Ford’s SYNC 2 connectivity system with advanced voice control and an 8-inch colour touchscreen will enable drivers to operate phone, entertainment, climate and navigation systems using simple conversational language. Drivers can even bring up a list of local restaurants by using the command: “I’m hungry”.
Segment-first enhanced MyKey technology will enable Mondeo owners to programme a key – usually for younger drivers. MyKey now can inhibit incoming phone calls as well as restricting the top speed; preventing deactivation of driver assistance and safety features; reducing the maximum volume of the audio system, and disabling the system altogether if driver and passengers are not using safety belts.
Hi-tech and safety options
The new Mondeo introduces Ford’s adaptive LED headlamp technology to Europe, combining full-LED headlamps offering daylight-mimicking light clarity with Ford’s adaptive front lighting system that adjusts the headlight beam angle and intensity to match driving environment.
The new Mondeo will feature an advanced version of ‘active park assist' featuring perpendicular parking, which enables drivers to detect suitably-sized parallel parking spaces and reverse hands-free into spaces parallel to the road and side-to-side with other cars.
This advanced parking feature will be supported by both 'park-out assist', which helps drivers to exit parallel parking spaces; and 'side parking aid', which delivers an on-screen visual representation and audible warning of obstacles to the sides of the vehicles, as well as to the front and rear.
Additional driver assistance features include Ford’s 'active city stop' collision avoidance system, which readies the brakes if a potential impact is detected and – if the driver does not respond – will automatically apply the brakes at speeds of up to 40 km/h, and 'lane keeping aid', which applies steering torque to guide the vehicle back in to lane if drifting is detected.
Ford’s industry-first 'inflatable rear seatbelt' technology will make its European debut on the new Mondeo. In the event of an accident, the belt rapidly expands to disperse crash forces across a body area five times greater than that achieved by a conventional seatbelt.
