Ford's Mondeo flagship still a world-beater

I REMEMBER a time when Brian Cox was still a keyboard player with D:Ream,. rather than a renowned particle physicist, people were under the illusion that Tony Blair’s grin communicated nothing but a harmless enthusiasm for politics and the Teletubbies were still blighting our screens.

I was still at secondary school at the time. And Ford’s Mondeo? Well that was the undoubted king of the family saloon.

It's domination of the market was so absolute that Tony Blair even targeted its owners—a huge chunk of the population that were roundly referred to as Mondeo man—with his now unmistakable brand of political spin.

These days, Ford’s flagship car seems to keep something of a lower profile, but after a week behind the wheel of the recently-updated Mondeo Titanium X, I can’t for the life of me fathom why.

Sitting just below the range-topping Titanium X Sport, the two-litre TDCi-engined Mondeo driven here comes in at £24,545.

That’s almost £7,000 more than the entry-level Mondeo Edge, equipped with a 1.6-litre petrol engine but with leather/Alcantara seats. Soft-touch plastics abound and with enough room to accommodate the most big-boned of 21st century families, the plush spec makes an immediately positive impression.

The Mondeo has certainly moved with the times.

There are many ways in which a car can endear itself on first impressions and the 160bhp diesel-engined Titanium X immediately adds to the good vibes with a trip computer indicating that theres an estimated 710 miles worth of fuel on board.

With the promise of 53.3mpg and a 70-litre fuel tank, it seems that there would be little need to spend much time on the petrol station forecourt.

Meanwhile, CO2 emissions of 139g/km command a reasonable £110 in road tax.

These are figures trumped by the Ford’s arch rival, the Vauxhall Insignia, in its most eco-friendly form, which promises 57.6 and 129g/km (90 annual road tax), but that seems to be where the Griffin badge’s practical advantages end.

It is two years since the Insignia arrived with its sleek silhouette and well-proportioned dimensions and gave General Motors a design edge over its main rival, but the Mondeo still trumps it with a gaping 525-litre boot (versus 500 litres) and a cavernous interior.

The Ford’s build quality is also superior, approaching Audi levels of fit, finish and user-friendly tactility with the action of every button pressed.

Among the Titanium X’s standard spec is another innovation closely-related to the German market-leader.

Two strips of LED-running day lights adorn the brow of each front foglight and the innovative bulbs also fill the rear light clusters as well as bathing the interior in a crisp white light which looks fantastic as you approach the car at night.

Cruise control, a keyless push-button start, a Sony DAB radio and front and rear parking sensors are also part of the standard spec.

A sense of structural integrity is the Mondeo’s greatest strength out on the road, where it proves a satisfying drive.

Making progress without a rattle or creak, and cruising at low revs in the highest of the gearbox’s six ratios on the motorway, its a capable muncher of miles.

On tighter roads, however, the Mondeo does a remarkable impression of a much smaller car.

For such a large, front-wheel-drive saloon it feels remarkably biddable and manages to strike a fine balance between taut chassis control and road holding, while never baulking at the first sign of a pothole.

Admittedly, I never quite achieved Ford’s claimed miles per gallon for the TDCi-engined Mondeo—getting around 47mpg in reality—and I doubt whether 710 miles was ever truly on the cards.

But the miles I did cover in the giant saloon with the blue oval proved that, while it has certainly moved on since the its late 90s heyday, it’s lost none of the appeal that made it great.

Setting aside my first drive in the new Volkswagen Passat, it’s still the car of choice for those wanting an accommodating car for family or business duties without paying a premium for one of the big names from Germany.