Coming Soon: Ford Mondeo
Let’s face it, all segments sitting between the Proton Waja and the RM200k conti cars are dominated by two brands: Honda & Toyota. This is especially true in the D-segment, where the eternal battle between the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord leaves everyone else eating scraps.
Their closest challengers, the Mazda6 and Peugeot 407, both brilliant cars, have seen limited success in breaking this Accord-Camry duopoly. Soon, however, their efforts will be joined by Ford, as Sime Darby Auto Connexion will be bringing in Ford Europe’s award-winning Mondeo.
Coming all the way from Ford’s plant in Genk, Belgium, the Mondeo will be powered by a 2.3-litre Ford Duratec engine. The Duratec’s 159hp is not likely to have the Accord and Camry quaking in their boots, but the Mondeo’s 6-speed automatic transmission should prove a challenging point for the Honda and Toyota salespeople to counter.
Making its first appearance in the Malaysian market, the Mondeo has actually went through four incarnations in Europe, with this latest version launched in 2007 to universal acclaim.
Auto Trader from the UK hails it as ‘best car produced by Ford for a decade’ claiming its quality to be in the same league as an Audi or a BMW.
American motoring website, thethruthaboutcars.com said “For me, a handsome car needs three basic characteristics: strength, cleanliness and character. The Mondeo nails all three.”
Australia’s Drive.com praised the Mondeo for its incisive and totally faithful road manners. “Simply, it’s a family car that will satisfy those who still like to enjoy their driving,” it said.
Having sampled the Ford Focus recently, we have little doubt that the bigger Mondeo will be just as exciting to drive, but we are also looking forward to verify the claims of ‘Audi & BMW-level’ quality.
AutoConneXion will be organising a series of exclusive preview sessions for members of the public leading up to the official launch of the new Ford Mondeo next month. Personal invites can be obtained from Ford’s official website for Malaysia.
