Ford Mondeo v Honda Accord v Nissan Teana – Mid-Sized Passenger Car Battle Royale

One of the most interesting match-ups in the recently concluded Shell V-Power Autoworld Car of the Year Awards 2011 took place in the Mid-Sized Passenger Car segment. The 2010 iteration of this award pitted the Mazda6 against the Hyundai Sonata in a battle which the 6 emerged triumphant.

The action got a lot more exciting this year. As our award accepts cars launched between October 2010 and October 2011, the first car nominated for this category was the Nissan Teana launched in November last year. Next came the updated Honda Accord, which have been the segment’s dominant force for years alongside the Toyota Camry.

Completing our nominations for this category is the Ford Mondeo, which received an all-new engine in the middle of this year replacing the previous 2.3-litre Duratec motor. Built to different philosophies, these three cars are nevertheless very closely priced and aimed at more or less the same set of customers. So, how exactly did they fare against each other?

Opening Premise

On-the-road prices of these cars in Peninsula Malaysia range from the Accord’s RM172,800 on one end to the Mondeo’s RM179,888. The Teana sits right in between at RM173,000, but the Aerokit and multimedia navigator optional extras of our test car add RM8,000 to the final price, pushing it to RM180,000 – higher than the European CBU Mondeo.

The previous Mondeo 2.3 received a lukewarm response from the market. Ford has sensibly chosen to discontinue that variant and focus all its chips on the 2.0-litre EcoBoost model here which not only has a superior engine and transmission combo, but also way better appointed before. What’s even more pleasing to note is that the substantial improvement made has resulted in only a RM1,000 price increase from the 2.3.

Customers can have the Mondeo in any engine as long as it is the EcoBoost, but those looking at Accord and Teana have additional options. The 2.4 VTi-L tested here is the flagship of the Accord range, but truth be told, the mid-spec 2.0 VTi-L at RM149,800 is the better buy if your mind is fixed on the Accord. In fact, the Accord 2.0 remains as the most compelling choice if you are shopping with a budget capped at RM150k.

Finally, we have the Teana, which marked Nissan’s return to the D-segment after a long hiatus. Sandwiched between a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder entry model and a 3.5-litre V6 flagship, the mid-spec 250 XV model here represents the strongest variant of the range. In fact, it is probably one of the best mass market cars that Nissan has introduced here in recent memory.

Specs Sheet

Despite being spread over a very narrow price range, the three cars could not have had bigger contrasts with each other, and this is especially apparent in the engine and transmission choices of their respective makers. We have the two Japanese representatives sticking to natural aspiration against forced induction by the European entry. (Ed: Yes, Ford is an American brand, but the Mondeo is a product of Ford Europe.)

The most straight forward setup belongs to the Accord, which is also the oldest amongst the trio. Here, we have the 2.4-litre K24A four-pot engine paired to a traditional torque converter automatic transmission with five speeds. Equipped with Honda’s i-VTEC system, the free-revving twin-cam unit is good for 178hp @ 6,500rpm and 222Nm @ 4,300rpm.

Technological powerhouse of the group is most certainly the Mondeo’s 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine which is paired to the Powershift 6-speed dual clutch transmission. Displacing 1,999cc, the Mondeo not only incurs the least road tax, it also churns out the most power compared to the other two with 200hp and 300Nm available at your command.

Of course, one should also not dismiss the Nissan’s 2.5-litre V6 engine, which is a member of the award-winning VQ engine family. Working together with Nissan’s X-Tronic CVT, the naturally-aspirated 2,496cc VQ25DE engine sends 180hp and 228Nm to the front wheels at 6,000 and 4,400rpm respectively.

Appearance and Equipment

In terms of looks, the three cars have been styled to cater to different tastes. The Teana is the most understated of the lot, while the Accord, despite its age, remains as the most aggressively styled with sharp angles of its styling lines. Meanwhile, the newly refreshed Mondeo is a decent looker when viewed from the front, but its hatchback-like silhouette still makes for a slightly awkward-looking rear.

If the Accord still looks good on the outside, inside is where the Honda’s age is showing. Its button-laden dash gives a highly-cluttered appearance. Also, the lack of fuel consumption display these days is a very glaring omission and hardly acceptable at this price range. The central monochrome display screen for air-con and audio is also obviously the cheapest option ticked from the parts bin.

Moving from the Accord to the Teana, one experiences a complete contrast. From the dark finish with piano black trim in the Accord, we move to the Teana’s beige cabin with wood panels. The Teana’s dash has less buttons than the Accord’s, thus looking a lot less cluttered. Its instrument panel also features a proper multi-info display that displays sensor diagnostic messages, fuel consumption, trip computer, journey computer, and external temperature.

Among our judges, opinions were split on the Teana’s cabin. Some found its beige-coloured cabin too old fashioned, while others appreciated the luxurious ambience that was projected. ETCM might want to experiment with darker shades for the Teana’s mid-life product update. Unfortunately however, our test car also shot itself in the foot with a clumsily integrated multimedia unit that frequently hanged.

In the Mondeo’s Euro-inspired cabin, focus is clearly on the driver – a point made obvious by embedding the Ford Convers+ screen in the instrument panel rather than lining it along the centre console. What’s praiseworthy is that build quality also appeared to be a few notches improved compared to the pre-facelift 2.3. Another addition of note are the inclusion of B-pillar-mounted air-con vents for the rear passengers, absent items on the 2.3.

The Drive

Heading to the road, expectations were for the Mondeo with its advanced powertrain and hugely accomplished chassis to show the Japanese duo a clean pair of heels. The previous Mondeo 2.3 was let down by a weak engine, but remained a very enjoyable drive thanks to its impressively well-sorted chassis. Now, with 200 horses to play with, the Mondeo’s possesses an unrivaled breadth of abilities in its segment.

Previously only fast in corners, added grunt of the EcoBoost engine has now endowed it with rapid straight line pace as well. What’s even more pleasing to note is that the added power has done nothing to corrupt the Mondeo’s sweetly setup chassis that expertly balances taut handling with decent ride comfort.

Jumping into the Accord, one immediately misses the Mondeo’s urgent delivery and well-sorted ride. It’s not that the Accord is slow, but it does not do going fast as effortlessly as the Mondeo does. Its K24A engine makes up for a lack of outright power with a great eagerness to pull the revs, and its handling setup is still on par with the competition. The Accord can corner almost as fast as the Mondeo, but its comfort levels are distinctly second best to the Ford, and even more so against the refinement-oriented Teana.

Against the other two, the Teana is decidedly unsporty and it is not ashamed to be so. The CVT’s characteristics was not to every judge’s liking, but the sweet sound of its sweet-revving V6 was of greatest aural pleasure amongst the three cars here. At corners, the Teana lacks the agility demonstrated by the other two, but it is clearly the king in terms of comfort and refinement. Noise levels were extremely well-suppressed – a quality that was easy to ascertain in our test car thanks to a stereo that refused to work for long periods during our test drive.

What say you?

One aspect of the Shell V-Power Autoworld Car of the Year Awards 2011 that differentiates it from other awards is how it combines the verdict of our judges and also votes from our members into one scoring matrix in order to produce the final score and ultimately decide our winners.

In this category,

Verdict