Photo: original image by autoevolution
Premium cars from BMW and Audi have been eating into the market share of large conventional sedans to the point where only a few are still selling in decent numbers. In the first half of this year, VW's Passat was the best seller with 80,000 units, followed by the Insignia with over 50,000 and the Mondeo which came in a distant third with 26,000.
But Ford is going to fight back, using a brand new Mondeo model offering all the advanced technologies that have been missing up until this point.
In Germany, the new Mondeo will start at €27,150, according to the manufacturer’s consumer website. But that's only the base model with steel wheels and a tiny engine. Order a decent diesel engine and some comfort options and you can expect to pay around €30,000.
You can actually get an Audi A4 sedan for the same kind of money. Prices start at just €28,450 and for that you get a 120 HP 1.8-liter turbo. The current A4 is a very old car, expected to be replaced within a year. But it's still an Audi, which translates into curb appeal and German engineering. So, which should you pick?
The Mondeo is also very practical and has a nicely laid out cabin. Aesthetically, it's a far cry from the last model, but the visual sauce of the interior is further enhanced by the tech onboard. First of all, there's a safety feature that no other car in the segment has: inflatable rear seat belts. This design will reportedly disperse crash forces across a passenger body area five times greater than conventional units, for much improved protection.
Ford also introduced Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection. You probably all know what it does already, but what you don't know is that the Audi A4 hasn't got the same radars that the cheaper A3 does.
However, most people want diesels with their large sedans because they offer more flexibility and better fuel consumption numbers. The flagship Mondeo gets a newly-developed twin-turbo 2-liter TDCi diesel that churns out 210 ponies and 450 Nm. It's impressive, but Audi has something even better: a 245 hp 3-liter clean diesel with quattro and an S tronic automatic.
Aside from the twin-turbo, the Ford comes with a few regular 2-liter diesels with a single variable geometry turbo coming with outputs of 150 or 180 horsepower. Audi has even more versions of its 2.0 TDI: 120 HP, 136 HP, 150 HP, 163 HP, 177 HP and 190 HP. Not all of them are great and the best one, which is the one with the most power, costs €40,000 in combination with quattro and an S tronic twin-clutch auto. Even BMW and Mercedes fall short, so Ford can't compete.
The Mondeo fights back with a 1.6-liter diesel that will produce less than 100g/km of CO2, giving business buyers an important tax advantage in some of the largest European markets.
In Germany, the new Mondeo will start at €27,150, according to the manufacturer’s consumer website. But that's only the base model with steel wheels and a tiny engine. Order a decent diesel engine and some comfort options and you can expect to pay around €30,000.
You can actually get an Audi A4 sedan for the same kind of money. Prices start at just €28,450 and for that you get a 120 HP 1.8-liter turbo. The current A4 is a very old car, expected to be replaced within a year. But it's still an Audi, which translates into curb appeal and German engineering. So, which should you pick?
Aston Martin vs Audi
As far as the looks are concerned, the new Mondeo is far better. Thanks to the Ford Kinetic Design, it looks like an Aston Martin with extra doors. The Audi, meanwhile, looks like it's from a different century and even the optional S line body kit fails to save it from the "ugly" badge.The Mondeo is also very practical and has a nicely laid out cabin. Aesthetically, it's a far cry from the last model, but the visual sauce of the interior is further enhanced by the tech onboard. First of all, there's a safety feature that no other car in the segment has: inflatable rear seat belts. This design will reportedly disperse crash forces across a passenger body area five times greater than conventional units, for much improved protection.
Ford also introduced Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection. You probably all know what it does already, but what you don't know is that the Audi A4 hasn't got the same radars that the cheaper A3 does.
The engines
The Mondeo range is filled with engines that don't have a direct competitor in the A4 range. For example, you can get it with a tiny 1-liter turbo EcoBoost pumping out 125 horsepower or order a hybrid straight from Michigan.However, most people want diesels with their large sedans because they offer more flexibility and better fuel consumption numbers. The flagship Mondeo gets a newly-developed twin-turbo 2-liter TDCi diesel that churns out 210 ponies and 450 Nm. It's impressive, but Audi has something even better: a 245 hp 3-liter clean diesel with quattro and an S tronic automatic.
Aside from the twin-turbo, the Ford comes with a few regular 2-liter diesels with a single variable geometry turbo coming with outputs of 150 or 180 horsepower. Audi has even more versions of its 2.0 TDI: 120 HP, 136 HP, 150 HP, 163 HP, 177 HP and 190 HP. Not all of them are great and the best one, which is the one with the most power, costs €40,000 in combination with quattro and an S tronic twin-clutch auto. Even BMW and Mercedes fall short, so Ford can't compete.
The Mondeo fights back with a 1.6-liter diesel that will produce less than 100g/km of CO2, giving business buyers an important tax advantage in some of the largest European markets.
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