In the decade and a bit since 'New Labour' entered power on aground-swell of support from the Ford Mondeo-driving Everyman, therep-segment staple has been overtaken as the vehicle of choice formotorway journey-men by the premium BMW 3 Series model, with driversbuoyed by a booming economy and an arguably more even distributionof wealth.
As the nation continues to battle its economic woes, the FordMondeo is gunning to bring some of those premium saloon drivers backinto its fold as the age of austerity hits home.
Ford has recently restructured its price plans across theexisting line-up of models, offering far greater value across itsrange, including the Mondeo. And now the Mondeo has been revisedwith the aim of offering more power, more refinement and a morepremium feel.
Ford has concentrated its efforts, resulting in a revised modelthat is at once comfortingly familiar and intriguingly different.It's worth noting early on that the traditional four-door saloonmodel is no more in the UK. Its sales were so inconsequential thatFord has opted only to offer the sleeker five-door and accommodatingestate.
From the outside, the changes are subtle, but apparent on closerinspection. The shared front ends are more in keeping with thehugely popular Focus and S-Max models. The upper portion of thegrille is sleeker, while the lower, trapezoidal portion has beenmade larger.
LED running lamps are integrated into the fog-lamp units and,along the sides, more chrome around the windows of the upper trim-level models highlights the sleek window line and gives a greaterimpression of quality. The same affect is mostly achieved insidewith revisions to details such as the door-panel design, giving amore up-market and design-conscious feel. The centre console boastsa simple and attractive layout while the instrument binnacle isimpressive.
The changes go beyond cosmetics. Two new engine options include a197bhp version of the 2.2-litre 'duraTorq' diesel and a 237bhp, 2.0-litre 'EcoBoost' petrol.
The latter comes with Ford's six-speed, twin-clutch PowerShiftautomatic transmission.
Interior space is one of the Mondeo's trump cards. It feelshugely accommodating from the passenger seats and the boot isgenerous in five-door form.
For the driver, the impression of size remains present on theroad - making it a tight vehicle to position against an oncomingtractor - but it's a small price to pay for such accommodation.
Mondeo Man can continue to feel on top of his game for a few moreyears yet.
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