| Ford Mondeo big and value |
|
| Written by Administrator | ||||
| Wednesday, 08 August 2007 | ||||
Page 1 of 2 Ford's new Mondeo is a car that offers space and value. This week Michael Moroney reports from his test of the 1.6 litre entry level petrol powered Mondeo, where the same space and safety features are included along with those of the top range model recently featured, but this time with an added value bonus.
The new Ford Mondeo is a big car and that's the immediate remark from
everybody who sees it. This week I report on my recent test drive of
the 1.6 litre petrol powered entry model, the most affordable car in
the range. What's especially attractive about this car is that the
space and safety features now common across the new Mondeo range are
standard and that's at a value price. Ford has captured the same level of power from this new more efficient 1.6 litre petrol engine that it was getting from the 1.8 litre engine in the previous model. Modern car production is more about efficiency that styling. And Ford has proven with the new Mondeo that it can achieve the kind of design changes that bring size efficiency without a compromise on power. This engine delivers 110bhp, good torque and it's no way slack when it comes to acceleration. This model comes with a five-speed gearbox as against six-speed for the larger engine models and this does compromise economy to some extent. Engine torque and power however restrict the car to the five-speed option. The official acceleration pace is 12.7 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race, which is respectable for a car of its size, even with a bigger capacity engine. That performance compares well with the real competitors, such as the Toyota Avensis and Volkswagen Passat, both of which are also available with 1.6 litre petrol engines. In a performance sense in terms of acceleration, power and torque there is little between these three. The Passat has a very slight edge in terms of acceleration, while the Mondeo and Avensis are neck and neck in terms of fuel economy each rated at 7.2 litres/100km (39mpg) in the combined cycle. My own driving experience with this Mondeo proved the official figure to be a little optimistic as I was closer to 8.7 litres/100km (32mpg) on a range of normal driving conditions. |
||||
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Most Popular - Features
- Budget 2008 – Thumbs up for diesel drivers
- Ford unveils new face of Focus
- Gay Byrne and Marty Whelan open new Galway Dunnes Stores
- Hats off to millinery genius
- Saab adds more than style to new 9-3 models
- Bypassing concerns could be the real challenge
- Steady rather than heavy hand needed to improve road safety
- Sp€nd Christmas in Galway
- Basics must come before developments rolled out
- How welcoming are we?
Random Features Articles
- New Year's Eve at the Bierhaus
- In Cinema - 28th May 2008
- Connemara showcased at Paris Movie Premiere
- Tickets for tie against Sunderland
- Zelig brings latest production to Galway
- They say, we say - ArtDeco High Performance Lipstick
- American novelist to read at city library
- Glory for Connacht camogie side
- Excessive blushing
- Uniting cultures through sessions
