Ford has taken a critical battering from some for its first hybrid car. Our Motoring Editor, Donal Byrne, gives his verdict.
Yes, Ford is late to the party with it's green Mondeo and, yes, the Mondeo is a car with an uncertain future but is it a write-off even before it even has a chance to get off the ground? Ford deserves the criticism for the lateness of its hybrid - others have been years ahead - and there certainly is merit in the criticism that this is an impractical saloon car rather than a hatchback.
Add a significantly reduced boot capacity (to accommodate the battery), a CVT gearbox system that many drivers will dislike and a woolly enough handling ability and you have a fair number of negative elements to deal with.
I agree with the saloon design criticism - a hatchback would have been more practical and popular in Europe, but this car is very American in its influences are it is clearly where the car was seen to have maximum impact. The boot too is an issue. A Mondeo boot is normally a generous enough 550 litres but this one is reduced to 382 - not something that is going to impress either fleet buyers or those whose Mondeo's seem to populate many a golf club car park.
The CVT gearbox, which operates on a belt system with an endless gear sequence, is not like any slick gearbox that you will find in a VW or an Audi. It can be a tad frustrating and lacking any quick response to the accelerator pedal, especially when you are carrying the additional weight of two electric motors and a rather large battery. And, yes the handling is not crisp or taut and not even as good as a Ford Focus.
For all that (and all that may be just enough to put you off ever thinking of buying this car), the Mondeo hybrid has some serious virtues. The main one is economy. When I was working out my fuel calculations after a 259-kilometre drive - a good part of it in city conditions - I discovered that 133 kilometres had been driven on the battery - that's over 50 per cent of the time.
And the fuel consumption was an impressive 5.0 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres, or 56 miles to the gallon in old money - all from a 2.0-litre petrol engine. OK, so I didn't get any thrills from driving the Mondeo hybrid but I did get a strong sense of satisfaction about reducing my impact on the environment.
The CVT gearbox has limitations and is not built for performance. As a matter of interest, I'm told the same company that provides the CVYT system for Toyota's Prius also supplies this one for Ford.
Standard features include 16" Alloy Wheels, power mirrors, Ford's SYNC 3 With 8" Touchscreen, front and rear parking sensors, Lane Keeping Aid, Traffic Sign Recognition, cruise control with speed limiting device and keyless entry and start
In summary, the technology on this Mondeo hybrid is impressive. Ford has missed a trick by not getting this engine into a Focus first and the Mondeo label may well hold back the company's advances in terms of public appeal. Something tells me though that the Mondeo exercise is has been executed to allow Ford to iron out any flaws with its hybrid system before it goes mainstream.
