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All-new Ford Mondeo is praised by independent motoring experts as one of the world’s best mid-sized sedans.
The all-new Ford Mondeo, designed and engineered by Ford of Europe, is significantly improved from the previous generation Mondeo. Larger, more luxurious and featuring class-leading technology, the all-new Mondeo is an exceptional mid-sized sedan, according to the world’s motoring media.
Recently the all-new Ford Mondeo was a finalist in the 2008 World Car of the Year judging; it was chosen by the UK magazine Auto Express as Car of the Year. In Australia, the all-new Ford Mondeo was named 'Best Car' by the national motoring associations.
In China, the media has also been very complimentary when evaluating the all-new Ford Mondeo. The all-new Ford Mondeo, built by Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Company in Chongqing, has received more than 46 awards from the most critical of the Chinese motoring media: A Top Ten Car in 2008 byMotor Trend, A Ten Best Car in 2008 byCar and Driver, Best Driving Performance Car bySina, and Judging Committee's Special Recommendation by China Mainstream Media Alliance.
Mondeo is available in China in four model variants: 2.0-litre Comfort, 2.3-litre Fashion, 2.3-litre Luxury, and 2.3-litre Luxury Sport.
The all-new Ford Mondeo appeals to the person who is passionate about driving and has an appreciation for quality engineering and European design. Best-in-class driving dynamics, high level of occupant protection, strong visual on-road presence with distinct design, and German engineering are the qualities most appreciated from the all-new Ford Mondeo.
Kinetic Design
The all-new Ford Mondeo brings kinetic design to the forefront. Kinetic design also influences the new Ford S-MAX and the all-new Ford Fiesta. Kinetic design is bold and independent, and is an expression of the car’s dynamic character.
The bold wheel arch reinforces the all-new Mondeo's dynamic on-road driving character. Large diameter wheels fill the arches to reinforce the all-new Ford Mondeo's athleticism. The tail lamps and distinctly styled front lamps are very technical in their design and reflect the in-motion dynamics of kinetic design.
German Engineering
The all-new Ford Mondeo manufactured in China inherits the same exacting German engineering from the European-built Mondeo that has directly influenced Mondeo's superior build quality, premium technology, and excellent safety performance.
Quality materials are used to accentuate the interior. The extensive use of soft-touch textures generates a superior and refined atmosphere. The all-new Ford Mondeo offers greatly improved noise suppression to reduce cabin noise by more than 20 percent.
Advanced technology has made the Mondeo more comfortable and more convenient for occupants. The all-new Ford Mondeo adopts the Easy Fuel system, Ford’s patented capless refilling system (an industry-first technology in China) as well as keyless entry and ignition.
In addition, various driver-friendly features make the all-new Ford Mondeo an outstanding player in its field, such as a Human Machine Interface (HMI) system composed of controls on the steering wheel, multi-media equipment and a large colour screen on the instrument panel. The HMI system boasts powerful functions. The driver can control the audio system, driving information, radio, mobile phone and DVD player through controls on the steering wheel, while information is displayed to the driver on a screen within the instrument panel.
Driving Dynamics
Impressively smooth, quiet and refined, an all-aluminium 2.3-litre (2261cc) Duratec four-cylinder engine is accompanied by a six-speed automatic transmission. The drivetrain responds precisely and quickly to throttle inputs to provide the driver with willing acceleration in all conditions. The Duratec engine produces 117kW at 6500rpm; what's more, it is light in weight and delivers more than 190Nm between 2000 and 5800rpm.
Peak torque of 205Nm is produced at 4000rpm. Technologically advanced, the Duratec engine features four valves per cylinder and two overhead camshafts. The intake camshaft is controlled by iVCT to improve throttle response and to improve the engine's fuel efficiency at all engine speeds.
The Mondeo Comfort is powered by a 2.0-litre (1998cc) Duratec engine producing 107kW at 6000rpm and peak torque of 184Nm at 4500rpm. The Mondeo Comfort is equipped with a five-speed manual transmission.
MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear independent suspension layout is the basis of Ford’s excellent C3P chassis design. Body integrity and structural rigidity enhanced by a front and rear sub-frame contribute to the all-new Mondeo's precise steering response and outstanding dynamics.
Safety Performance
The all-new Ford Mondeo offers an enhanced occupant protection system which includes an ultra-stiff body structure and rigid safety cell as the passenger compartment's structural integrity of the car is extremely important to passenger safety during a crash.
Straight rails and a well engineered load path distribution used in the front-end sheet metal are designed to absorb and transfer high-speed crash energy into the body, side structure and A-pillar, which reduces the deformation of the passenger safety cell. Due to the stiff outer waistline the side doors could be integrated into the load path, energy load during a crash is absorbed and stress is reduced in the passenger safety cell as forces are distributed rather than forcing the protection zone to collapse.
The all-new Ford Mondeo body structure incorporates a door-ring reinforcement and a B-pillar reinforcement made of ultra-high-strength steel to improve crash integrity.
The use of ultra-high-strength steel in the A-pillar, roof side rail and rocker helps to provide a sleek, lightweight design. The combination of different high-strength steel used in the B-pillars contributes to balanced side impact behaviour as well.
In the safety world there is a term used to refer to a vehicle's rigidity and its ability to absorb and deflect impacts. This term is called the 'crash pulse' of the vehicle, meaning the deceleration. With its large cars Ford has optimised the crash pulse and adapted the restraint system accordingly. This raises the occupant protection to new standards in the latest Mondeo.
Advanced Horizontal Stroking Steering Column
A further enhancement to driver protection on the all-new Mondeo is the advanced horizontal stroking steering column. This is an improvement over the previous model that utilised a stroking steering column.
This feature adapts the stroke direction to the driver’s impact direction, thus allowing for more effective energy absorption from the steering column. The amount of intrusion into the cabin is reduced as the column moves away from the driver under load instead of stroking down axially. The steering column strokes away for nearly 90mm in the horizontal direction. Reach and rake comfort adjustment to enable all drivers to tailor the steering wheel position is not impeded by this safety feature.
This steering column was an industry first when introduced in the latest Ford Focus and has been enhanced for use in the Ford S-MAX.
Safety Pedals
Another key factor in a crash situation is the response of the foot pedals. In the all-new Ford Mondeo the pedals have been engineered with a retraction mechanism so that they give way upon intrusion during a crash.
In case of an intrusion, the lightweight pedals will be pressed against the lower cross beam and then will fold away from the driver’s feet. A foam pad and a heel catcher serve a dual purpose: they provide additional protection and a comfortable rest for the driver’s left foot both in left hand drive and right hand drive versions.
Optimised Airbag Deployment
Much care has been taken to create a state-of-the-art airbag system that offers protection to the passengers in a wide range of impact scenarios.
Dual front airbags and front side airbags are standard on all-new Ford Mondeo Luxury and Luxury Sport models. The onboard computer systems tailor the airbag deployment depending on the collision. Exhaustive testing means that car speeds are referenced to different obstacles in order to provide early interaction between the passengers and the airbag in the event of a collision. They are inflated within 30 milliseconds of a fire signal being delivered to the airbags.
Safety Belt System
The advanced safety belt system provides several key safety features. Front safety belts have pyrotechnic pretensioners and load limiting retractors that tighten to reduce body movement in the event of airbag deployment. The retractors control the force applied to the safety belt wearer's chest upon impact.
Pretensioners have conventionally been positioned on the safety belt buckle. Ford's safety engineers have analysed this closely and have developed the system further by placing the pretensioners onto the vertical retractor. The advantage is that when deployed, any slack in the belt is removed more efficiently with a retractor pretensioner rather than a buckle pretensioner. This gives enhanced restraint to the upper torso which is where it is immediately needed. This alteration is also visually preferable as the pretensioners are hidden in the car's B-pillars and not visible to the passengers.
The finely tuned interaction of airbags, load limiters, adjustable safety belt anchors, anti-twist belt material, and optimised belt routing all combine to maximise passenger protection.
Advanced Seat Design
The new Mondeo seats were designed and built with comfort, safety, ergonomics and style in mind. The density and structure of the seat foams guide the passengers in the event of a collision. The seats have anti-submarining bases to help prevent passengers sliding beneath the safety belt in an impact.
Advanced Neck Injury Protection System
With Mondeo's new Advanced Neck Injury Protection system, the advanced headrest frontal shape and active mechanism lead to minimal relative movement between head and upper body during low speed rear impacts. Early guidance keeps the head and neck free of impulsive movement, resulting in less neck strain. Three components are critical to the success of the system:
- Headrest designed for optimum protection of all passenger sizes, including a headrest locking feature
- An active protection system that minimises relative movement between head and neck by the headrest pushing towards the head during a rear impact
- Seatback foam which allows controlled guidance of the passenger
The active headrest has been further developed from the system used in the previous Mondeo model.
The all-new Ford Mondeo is equipped with an effective four-wheel disc braking system with ABS control and Electronic Brake Power Distribution (EBD) to assist the driver to maintain control during extremely situations.
The Mondeo Luxury Sport's braking system is further advanced. For example, Electronic Brake Assist (EBA) determines from the driver's initial brake input if maximum braking force is required. EBA will provide maximum braking pressure (despite the fact that the driver may not be applying full pressure to the brake pedal) in coordination with the ABS system to slow the vehicle as rapidly as possible.
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP) is an active safety feature that assists the driver to maintain vehicle control in extreme situations. It does this by monitoring several sensors, including a yaw sensor, to determine if the vehicle may potentially become unstable due to road surface condition or due to extreme inputs from the driver. The ESP system is then able to maintain stability by reducing engine power (via traction control system) and manipulate the braking system. ESP will assist the driver.
About Ford Motor in China
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 245,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company.
Ford's wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and investment in China include Ford Motor (China) Limited, Ford Motor Research & Engineering (Nanjing) Co., Ltd., Ford Automotive Finance (China) Ltd., Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd., Changan Ford Mazda Automobile Co., Ltd. Nanjing Company, Changan Ford Mazda Engine Co., Ltd. and Jiangling Motors Co., Ltd.
For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com and www.ford.com.cn.