Ford Mondeo

Ford Mondeo

The Ford Mondeo is a sizeable family car that comes as either a 4-door saloon, 5-door fastback or a 5-door estate. It was declared a “world car” by Ford. Ford’s intention when producing the Mondeo was to consolidate several of its model lines worldwide including the Ford Telstar sold in Australia, the European Ford Sierra and North America’s Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz. 

First Generation (1992-2000)

The first generation Mondeo was based on the Ford CDW27 platform. 

MK I

The first sales of the Mondeo were made on 22nd day of March 1993, but production had begun in 1992. The Mondeo was a completely new design, and you could get either the front-wheel-drive or the rare four-wheel-drive. 

The car came with several cool new features at the time, and it was no surprise that it bagged the European Car of The Year award in 1994. It came with a driver’s side airbag, side-impact bars, and seatbelt pretensioners, among others as standard features. The higher tier models came with additional features including self-levelling suspension (for the 5-door estate models), traction control (for the AWD and V6 versions) and antilock braking system for all of them. 

The interior did not also disappoint. Some standard features included the velour trim, CD and tape storage, power front windows, and flat-folding rear seats. The higher tier models came with additional features including leather seats, electric sunroof, all-round power windows, trip computers, and CD changers.

MK II

This was a facelift of the MK I model, and it was launched in 1996. This model addressed some of the issues that MK I users complained about, including improved headlight performance, slowing down the yellowing of the reflectors and improved legroom. Exterior changes included the introduction of the grille and the wraparound lighting units. However, the estate model’s roof, rear quarter panels and the doors remained the same. 

Engines

The Mondeo was fitted with the all-new Zetec engines that had been produced by Ford from 1991 controlled by either a 5-speed MTX-75 manual or a 4-speed CD4E automatic transmission. Ford used three models of the Zetec engine:

1. The 1.6 L version that produced 89 hp @ 5250 rpm and torque of 135 N.m @ 3500rpm 
2. The 1.8 L version that produced 114 hp @ 5750 rpm and torque of 142 N.m @ 3600rpm 
3. The 2.0 L version that produced 134 hp @ 6000 rpm and torque of 175 N.m @ 4000rpm 

In 1994, the 2.5 L, 24-valve V6 Duratec engine was introduced as part of the model line-up review. The engine produced 168 hp @6000 rpm and torque of 220 N.m @ 4250rpm. This engine was used in the Monendo “ST” brand. The ST features several additional features including 16-inch alloy wheels (which were initially only offered for the Ghia X Estate) and some interior improvements including half leather seats. You could opt for the Sport Appearance Body Kit (which was standard for this model but was listed as a delete option for buyers who didn’t prefer it).

Series of Changes for the First Generation

There were several changes made to the first generation Mondeo. The first alteration of the model happened in 1994 when the Ghia models were fitted with the all-new V6 engine. The MTX75 gearbox also received some improvements. The cable operation of the speedometer and clutch were replaced. Also, a gearbox sensor and electronic speedometer were installed. There were also some interior changes, including the removal of the drivers under-dash glove box lid and installation of thinner three-piece side doors. 

Security was improved as the cars were fitted with PATS systems with transponders that were provided in all the keys issued the vehicle and coded with the ECU immobilizer system.

Second Generation (2000--2007)

MK III

The MK III is a front-wheel, large family car which prides itself as the first Ford vehicle to benefit from the Prodigy car concept. Experts saw it as a considerable upgrade from the first generation as it corrected two significant weaknesses of its predecessor: uncompetitive diesel version and minimal legroom. The car featured the new and improved Duratorq engine and a 50mm longer wheelbase.

Ford was of the idea that safety would have been one of the major selling points of this model. The car featured a seemingly stiff bodyshell and Ford’s "Intelligent Protection System" that utilized several sensors to decide the best safety devices to deploy in case of an accident. Some of the safety devices included the front passenger airbags and the relatively new concept of curtain and side airbags. Additional safety features included anti-lock braking system and electronic brake-force distribution. However, there were safety tests that were conducted, and the results were not so good. The model was proven to protect less than its rivals at the time. It was redesigned and re-tested, but the results were that there was a higher than average chance of the driver suffering from chest injuries during a crash, which was not impressive. 

In 2003, the Mondeo received additional exterior changes including a larger honeycomb grille and improved/redesigned fog lights. Some of the interior improvements were: a completely new dashboard made from quality materials, an improved electronic climate control system, satellite navigation, and the option of a Sony radio instead of the standard Ford radio. One thing to note is, the second generation was never sold in Australia.

Engine

The Zetec engine was replaced with the Duratec engine. You could either get the 1.8 L, 2.0 L and 3.0 L (this was only available for the ST220 and higher trim model).

The 1.8 L and 2.0 L engines showed signs of weaknesses. The butterfly valves’ plastic components could wear out too quickly, and the result was the release of the metal parts in the engine, which was potentially catastrophic. Ford realized this and the necessary changes were made in cars produced from late 2002 to early 2003. Some of the changes made in 2003 included the revision of the petrol engine to the new 1.8 L Duratec, SCI (direct injection) I4 engine that generates 129 hp and a torque of 175 N.m. There was also the addition of the trip computer and cruise control as a standard feature in all models.

The sport version of the car was the ST220 that repealed the first generation’s ST200. This model came with a 3.0-litre V6 engine that produced 226bhp. It had a top speed of 249 km/h and could move from 0-100 km/h in 6.6 seconds. You could also get the sport version of the regular 2.2 litre 4-cyl diesel engine, the ST TDCi. This car produced 153 BPH with a top speed of 230 km/h and could move from 0-100 km/h in 8.2 seconds.

If you wanted performance, you could opt for the V6, Duratec 30 engine (a quieter version of the one found in the ST220) which was found in the higher range models. The engine produced 206 BPH, could attain a top speed of 243 km/h and sprint from 0-100 km/h in 6.0 seconds. 

In 2005, the 2.0 litre 129 hp 331 N.m and 2.2 litre 153 hp 359 N.m Duratroq common rail(TDCi) engine were introduced in this model. The cars also received some styling upgrade including improved, tweaked taillights.

Third Generation (2007-2014)

MK IV

The third-generation model was launched in the United Kingdom, and it was based on Volvo’s EUCD platform. You could get it as a 4-door sedan, a 4-door fastback or a 5-door estate. The Australian market only received four trim levels: LX, Zetec, Titanium and XR5 Turbo (which was discontinued in 2010). For this model, Ford dropped the two V6 engines. They replaced it with:

1. A 1.6 litre engine with two power outputs (110 hp & 125 hp)
2. A 2.0 litre, 145 hp engine
3. A 2.3 litre, 161 hp engine exclusively for the 6-speed automatic transmission models
4. A 2.5 litre, 217 hp, five-cylinder turbocharged engine

The new Mondeo is fuel-efficient as it uses a more modern electro-hydraulic system that also improves steering response. The base specification model's interior is also quite impressive as it features a manual heating/air-conditioning system. User experience is also enhanced in the new Mondeo as it features a 5-inch LCD trip computer and satellite navigation display and even a keyless starting engine.

In 2010, the new and improved MK IV Mondeo was unveiled at the Moscow International Motor Show. Some improvements included a modern kinetic design, LED daytime running lights, and the use of EcoBoost engines which helped reduce CO2 emissions from the car.

Fourth Generation (2012-present)

MK V

The fourth-generation model was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show, which took place in Detroit, Michigan in 2012. It’s also known as the Ford Fusion and is a large family car that comes as either a 4-door saloon, 5-door estate or 5-door hatchback. It was based on the Ford CD4 platform. Some cool features of this model were the slightly inflatable seat belts that help cushion the passengers’ bodies during accidents.

The engines for this model vary and you can either get a 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 litre EcoBoost petrol engine with the only difference being the engine power. You can also opt for either a 1.6, 1.5 or a 2 litre Duratorq I4 engine. The cars come with either a six-speed manual or 6F35 automatic transmission. Ford looks to be heading towards environmentally-friendly vehicles through the introduction of the hybrid equipped with an Atkinson cycle engine with a 2.0-litre capacity and a lithium-ion battery pack. 

Author - Eric Anyega