When it comes to choosing the best possible Saloon Cars, most car magazines or other Automotive mediums will inevitably point you in the direction of one particular make and model; the Ford Mondeo. The Ford Mondeo has been a consistent and popular seller since its release in 1993. Back then it was the replacement for the relatively popular Ford Sierra, which had been a good flagship model for Ford in the company car sector, but was beginning to lose steam. The Ford Mondeo was meant to reinvigorate the design and bring a more ‘executive’ edge to the manufacturer who were beginning to run out of ideas.
The Mondeo then began a 20+ year domination over the saloon car market, which is yet to dissipate thanks to Ford’s constantly evolving design ethic. The current design falls into Ford’s new ‘Kinetic’ design aesthetic, which is meant to represent the vehicle’s movement even when it is standing stock still. This sounds a little bit ‘clichéd’ as far as design briefs go, but in practice it really works and looks rather striking.
In a rather crude experiment to see how the Ford Mondeo has evolved over time, I have spent the week comparing an original Mark 1 Mondeo to the new Mark 4 edition. Obviously first impressions are vastly differing; the Mk1 looks rather too much like the old Sierra for my liking, but is definitely a step in the right direction. In contrast, the MK4 looks like it was designed by Mercedes during a cloning of an SLK experiment gone wrong. In short, it looks fantastic.
The performance test confirms the new edition’s clear dominance over the past incumbent. In a one lap time trial race of a 3.4 mile race track, there was a clear winner despite both cars having 2.0 Litre petrol engines. As if you hadn’t guessed, the MK 4 won by a shamefully long 6.3 seconds. Sure, the 2.0 Zetec engine has been tweaked over time to release a few extra brake horse power, but the time gap really shouldn’t be this large.
So what we can agree on is that the Ford Mondeo’s star is definitely still in its ascendency. Whether it will maintain its positive trajectory rather depends on Ford and the often fickle buying public. History tells us that the car consumers amongst us base our buying patterns on fashions and trends. The ongoing environmental push from the ‘Greener’ members of society will probably be angling for a ban on all engine sizes over 1.4. If this is the case, the Mondeo may well become an exceedingly unfashionable car to own whilst everybody falls over themselves trying to get hold of a Prius or a Smart Car.
In the meantime, I strongly believe that we should enjoy the sleek and sporty performance of the Ford Mondeo and enjoy putting our feet down hard on the accelerator every now and ten, even if it is supposedly damaging the environment. The Ford Mondeo deserves a good send off if it is on its way out.
Author Resource:
Pete J Ridgard is a writer and a car enthusiast. Here he discusses the ongoing success of the Ford Mondeo. If you are interested in seeing more details on the Ford Mondeo then you can visit: http://www.fordonline.co.uk/ford-cars/mondeo.aspx
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