The Ford Mondeo is a firm favorite with British car buyers, and it is still a strong buy, despite the fact that it is long-overdue for a replacement in the form of the European version of the Fusion sedan. Now, Ford has announced that it will be simplifying the range, and will be offering two new spec levels in the United Kingdom.The first new trim is called Graphite, and sits at the base of the range. However, if you were expecting hubcaps and raw plastic trim pieces, you were wrong, because you don't get those…any more. This new entry level offering now gets 17-inch alloys, LED daytime running lights, body-colored handles and mirrors and a rear lip spoiler (on the five-door) as standard, as well as sports suspension on the 1.6 and 2.0 TDCi diesels.
Titanium X Business Edition is the name of the second new trim, which is aimed at fleet buyers, and is considerably more expensive than the £15,955 Graphite – it costs £21,995, but it gets a lot more equipment. Features such as rear privacy glass, front and rear parking sensors, leather seats, 7-inch touchscreen, push-button start and automatic lights and wipers all come as standard. Actually, the car has a lot more standard features than we could include here, and even with the higher asking price, it's still not bad value.
The ageing Mondeo gets the latest safety technology and it can alert you if you've left your lane, stop you at low speeds if it senses an impending crash, and even dim your lights for you on long night journeys. Also, the 2.0-liter diesel, still the pick of the range, has been fettled-with, and with the help of slightly improved aerodynamics, the car achieves a lower figure of 119 g/km CO2 for the liftback, and 120 g/km for the estate/wagon.
Economy has also been improved for the 163 PS (161hp) diesel, and it rises from 57.6 to 61.4 mpg. All this means is that in the UK, the Mondeo costs just £30 per year to tax, which is down from £105, which is what older two-liter diesels were quoted for.
By Andrei Nedelea
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