Ford Mondeo Trend Wagon review

Thursday, 16 July 2015

It may have been a long while coming because of delays as production moved from Belgium to Spain, but the new fourth-generation Mondeo has finally gone on sale in New Zealand, replacing the version that debuted here in 2007.

It's all-new, naturally, riding on Ford's latest CD platform, with sleek styling, updated engines and more specification than ever, including unique inflatable rear seatbelts – slimline airbags reduce bruising in a significant crash – which are fitted to all models in the range. And it's a relatively replete range at that, with both hatch and wagon body styles, and three model grades, Ambiente, Trend and Titanium, named as per the Focus line-up. 

While the sector is no longer as popular as it once was, responsible for five per cent of new vehicle sales, Mondeo has always been a steady seller for Ford, competing with Mazda6 and Legacy/Outback. Next year, it will be taking on extra duties as Falcon manufacture ends after more than 50 years of production. Territory is also being dropped, and it will likely be replaced with the global Edge SUV, a size up from Kuga. 

Mondeo, meantime, has a new smart looking body that's said to be 10 per cent more rigid than before, with added strengthening in the pillars and roof rails, and also some magnesium bits in the hatch for weight saving. With over 60 per cent of the body comprising high-strength steels, Ford reckons 115kg of weight has been shed, though 90kg of that evidently goes back into safety and specification items. In the case of the Trend wagon you see here, that's 1681kg all up, roughly 200kg more than the equivalent Mazda6 wagon. It's also heavier than a Falcon sedan with the same engine. All the effort that went into trimming fat, for improving fuel efficiency, handling and performance, is an opportunity lost.

We guess Ford figures safety and specification are more important than fuel efficiency and other weight-affected paramaters. 

Still, of safety and spec, there's plenty, even in the midrange Trend wagon that we drove. Interestingly, this model is not actually in the official Ford line-up; it's an indent model. And that would be the first time we've ever driven a test vehicle that's not actually going to be part of the official range you might find on the website. Strange, but as it happens, the Trend wagon is a decent thing, weight notwithstanding. Our example, a black wagon, dubbed The Hearse by all and sundry, is literally big enough to tackle that role. The tailgate never popped open once while we drove it either, even when laden, as a hearse did up here recently. Not with a casket but a metre of waste wood. Split folding wasn't even needed for the load. Fold the seats flat and you'd get a casket in comfortably.

Size-wise, it hasn't changed much, resting on the same 2850mm wheelbase as before – it is 4871mm in length and 1852mm in width – and cabin dimensions remain generous. You'd easily fit lanky, long shanks youths in the outer rear seats, with a tot in between, and one-touch split-folding either side returns an almost flat commercial van-sized load space, capable of holding 730-1605L of gear, the former figure derived by loading to the roofline. 

The styling has evolved in predictable fashion, with leaner, meaner lights, a swept back roofline, a big new chromed grille, and bonnet creases and character lines along the flanks. The taillights are a different shape too, more rectangular than before. It all works as well today as it did back in 2007, though the interior is less of a revelation. Still, leather- and cloth-trimmed seats feel fantastic, cushy, with powered lumbar adjustment which feels like there's someone's knee pushing into your lower spine. While there's a central touchscreen that you eventually get the hang of, rather than a central controller, the prominent Ford logo in the background makes the screen hard to read at times.

Some of the surrounding plastics are disappointingly low rent. Yes, there's a swag of piano black finishings, but it's the hard matt grey trim you also notice. Fortunately, most of the stuff you need to concentrate on is right in front of you, with four key trip figures highlighted in the area between the main dials.

The direct-injection turbocharged VVT engines are somewhat familiar, though power gets a boost, epecially for the upper level variants. Ambiente models roll with a 149kW/345Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol, while Trend and Titanium models get 28kW of extra power, but no more torque. Peak twist develops between 2300 and 4900rpm. Fuel efficiency on the combined cycle ranges from 8.2-8.5L/100km, slightly more than the former EcoBoost figures, but much improved on the 9.3 figure of the old 2.3L naturally aspirated engine. Both engines are matched with a six-speed automatic transmission, all models getting paddle shifters. An alternative is the TCDi 2.0-litre turbodiesel (132kW/400Nm) which Ford claims has Camry Hybrid-beating fuel efficiency of 5.1L/100km. It hooks up to a six-speed twin-clutch gearbox, also with paddles on the wheel.

Last time we drove Mondeo with a 2.0-litre 149kW/300Nm EcoBoost engine, we achieved performance figures of 7.85 and 4.81sec. Despite the extra torque on offer, the 0-100 time fell by only 0.2sec, while the overtaking time was the same amount worse. And the reason? The Trend wagon weighs more than the Titanium sedan did. Mind you, it is solid. Just check the weight of the driver's side door when you go to shut it. That's kind of reassuring for side impact collisions. 

But the weight impacts on dynamics, and the ride and handling mix has changed. The second- and third-generation Mondeos were up there with the best in class in terms of ability and steering fidelity. This new version is softer, and introduces electrical steering assistance. The reason, economy aside, is that it offers the potential for self parking, and in a vehicle this size that's not something you'd say no to. We tried it out, and it parallel parked so close to the curb I thought for a second the alloys were in for a none-too-gentle scrubbing, but no, a perfect result. There's something to be said for cars with autonomous parking ability.

And there's also something to be said for the Ford's electric helm. It's a doozy, with none of the usual artificial feel about the wheel weighting, and a degree of tactility that's appreciated. Weighting varies with speed too, lighter in town, with less assistance at speed. The suspension in the Mondeo is also new, the rear control-blade set-up swapped out for a more sophisticated multilink unit, some parts of which are aluminium. And it feels to be more absorbent than before, ironing out even the most horrendous of sharp edged bumps as if they were mere blips on the roadscape. However, a softer suspension tune means its former admirable grip limits are a little easier to test now. That said, torque vectoring is on hand to limit incipient understeer, meaning effectively little has changed. It's still a hard charger, only with a softer underbelly. 

Specification levels, as mentioned, have stepped up; safety-oriented stuff that used to be the preserve of Titanium models now finds its way into Trend versions. Our car, for instance, featured active cruise control which works right down to almost jogging speeds, drowsiness detection, blind spot and lane change warnings, forward collision avoidance along with pedestrian alert, front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera, configurable MyKey, and the other usual electronic safety bits and bobs. It rates five stars for crashworthiness, unsurprisingly. Convenience items run to keyless entry and start, autodipping headlights, rain sensing wipers, seat heaters, an eight-inch colour touch screen, nine-speaker Sony audio, Bluetooth for phone and audio streaming, sat nav, trip computer, and Sync2 voice control system. Who needs Titanium?

The range spans price points from $44k-$55k, which is roughly the same as the outgoing range, while Mazda6 starts at the same level, but reaches up to $58,245 and Subaru's Legacy and Outback ranges cost from $40k-$60k, all with 4WD. No doubt, we will be hosting a get-together for these medium contenders soon.  

THE STATS

Model: Ford Mondeo Trend Wagon

Price: $50,490

Engine 1999cc IL4, DI, Turbo, 177kW@5300rpm, 345Nm@2300rpm

Transmission: Six speed automatic

Vitals: 7.60 0-100km/h, 8.5L/100km, 197g/km, 1681kg

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