The Ford Mondeo,
which was launched in Malaysia this year, is just one of the many cars
competing in the D-segment car market here. Rivalry is strong here, the Japanese
being the market leader with their reliable but boring work-horses, ferrying
company directors, local towkays and families around. But as always, car
manufacturers will always come up with new models to enter new markets and this
is no exception.
Exterior
Sporting a
new front ala Aston martin esque, this car definitely looks than the previous generation, replacing it's Nissan Sentra'ish headlights with a more sharper modern look. The rear lights are now LED bright, reminiscent of a facelifted Kia Optima K5. There are 4 exterior colors
available:
·
Techtonic
Silver,
(The classic choice,
suitable for the conformist or the one who wants to blend in)
·
Ruby
Red,
(Makes the Mondeo road
presence increases dramatically but the sporty nature of red isn’t popular with
the usual D-segment crowd, worth picking if you want to stand out)
·
Frozen
White
(Another classic choice)
·
Panther
Black
(A charming and suave color, pair it
with black rims and the car has a menacing sleek look while exuding masculinity)
Interior
The new
interior is more futuristic than the previous generation, the look is more
contemporary. Gone is the ‘ gym weight plate ‘ look of the previous steering
and in place is a 3 spoke steering with a V shaped bottom spoke design. The SONY brand is still displayed strongly in
the middle of the dashboard which I think is a marketing advert. Air conditioning
vent have been redesigned and there is now a push start system.
Performance
As big as it
looks, underneath the bonnet holds a 2.0 litre EcoBoost engine with 240
horsepower and 345 nm of torque. With a below 8 second dash from 0-100 km/h,
this macho beast overpowers every Japanese competitor in its wake. You can play
with the gears by using the paddle shifters. Besides the usual “D” mode, there
is a Sport Automatic and Sport Manual mode, the latter giving you the extensive
manual control over the gears for better driving enjoyment.
Safety
This big boy
also does a wonderful job protecting its occupants, with 7 airbags (driver,
front passenger, side airbags at all passenger sides and one of the driver’s
knee in front). It also has the usual ABS, EBD, Electronic Stability Control
and traction control.
For added
convenience, there is a hill launch assist, a system that enables the Mondeo to
have a smooth start when pulling away on a hill, removing the problem of
stalling or rolling backwards. ISOFIX mount points are also provided for installing
baby car seat.
The
Malaysian Mondeo also comes equipped with a Lane Keeping Alert + Aid. This
safety system is designed to prevent the car from accidentally going to the
next lane by alerting the driver through steering wheel vibration or a gentle
steering input back to the correct lane center.
Pricing
The initial
pricing when it debuted was RM 198,000 on the road without insurance (RM
203,771 with insurance). However year end promotions have now led to big
discounts, a quick check at Mudah & Carlist in the end of November shows
that certain showrooms are now offering this car from RM 180, XXX to RM 190,
XXX. Best to call for further details as it may not be the final price on the
road (exclude insurance & road tax)
