Bio-ethanol is a new fuel option for petrol engine type cars but it does require some special features to ensure effective use. The fuel is cheaper than petrol or diesel but a shade less efficient. Michael Moroney drove the latest Ford Mondeo with the flexi-fuel engine option and gives his verdict on fuel choices.

Ford has a wide range of engine choices for the Mondeo, expanded more recently with the introduction of the new Flexi-Fuel (FFV) models. There are now three engine types to choose from petrol, diesel and FFV, the latter of which is now price competitive with the diesel option.

Ford now offers three power options for the Mondeo including the new Flexi-Fuel (FFV) power system that runs on E85 bi-fuel available from Maxol petrol stations. The car is good value and has running costs that are almost equivalent to diesel power. Entry prices start at €28,815 for the LX versions.

This new Mondeo FFV option joins the existing 1.8-litre Focus and C-Max FFV models, and can, like them, run on E85 Bio-ethanol or regular 95-octane unleaded petrol in any combination. Saab and Volvo have cars in their respective ranges that can run on E85 as well.

E85 is not that widely available as a fuel, with Maxol offering the most availability in Ireland. E85 is an environmentally friendly fuel. It provides an overall saving in CO2 emissions of up to 70 per cent compared to its petrol equivalent.

Maxol sources the bulk of its bio-ethanol from the Carbery Group in Cork which manufactures bio-ethanol from whey, which is a milk derivative and a by-product of its cheese manufacturing process. This E85 fuel is cheaper than petrol or diesel, typically 15 to 20 per cent cheaper than unleaded petrol. It is now available at over 20 Maxol petrol stations across the country.

The test Ford Mondeo FFV that I had on the road recently came with a tweaked version of Ford's existing 145bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine. This engine is rated to match the power performance of the 2.0 litre TDCi Mondeo diesel while using a lower priced fuel.

Ford claims that the FFV Mondeo when running on the E85 fuel will lower its carbon emission levels by 85 per cent compared with the equivalent 2.0 litre petrol engine model. This FFV model comes with the bonus of a special tax rebate for bio-fuel cars, which helps to keep the new car price competitive.

There is an admission that E85 as a fuel gives a slightly less efficient performance than regular unleaded petrol, which in turn is less economical than diesel. Ford claim that in the Mondeo the fuel is 30 per cent thermally less efficient so that in practical terms the fuel economy figures are equivalent to a petrol-powered car. That more or less equals out the running costs as the fuel is about 20 per cent cheaper at the pumps.

The advantage of the FFV system is that if E85 bio-fuel is unavailable you can always top up with unleaded petrol anywhere in the country. And when you run on petrol, which will be the more expensive fuel option you get a slightly better engine performance, so there are no downsides.

I expected that the FFV fuel models would have a lower CO2 emissions level and that does not appear to be the case. Ford is publishing a figure of 189 g/km CO2 for the Mondeo FFV as well as the standard 2.0 litre petrol engine. That puts the Mondeo FFV into Band E in the road tax rating, pushing the motor tax costs up to €600, which is a far more expensive cost than the diesel powered model.

The Ford Mondeo is a big car and the test car came to the top Titanium specification. This gives a range of features including push button start and attractive styling. In my opinion, the new Mondeo is one of the best cars around in terms of features, style, comfort and space.