At this week's massive 'Go Further' event in Amsterdam Ford revealed its 2013 Mondeo, reinventing the large family car with bold styling. The biggest news though is the availability of the company's 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine.
Exterior
The look of the 2013 Ford Mondeo is no surprise, as it has been presented already in the United States as the Ford Fusion. This is the first time we've seen the European model and there are some significant differences. Overall though it's a highly distinctive shape with a wide grille and elongated headlights inspired by the Ford Evos concept. The rear lights are more evolutionary, though highly distinctive when lit.
Ford displayed three examples of the Mondeo, a grey estate, the maroon-coloured five-door hatchback with a panoramic glass roof and a white four-door saloon, all riding on sporty five-spoke alloys. The hatchback is perhaps the most striking with its Jaguar XF-esque rear hatchback. A 35mm lower roofline no doubt contributes to the image, as it does to the car's aerodynamics.
Interior
We didn't manage to pry open the doors of the cars on display, but a glimpse through the windows revealed what looks like a high quality cabin with more style to it than the current model, yet also more simplicity. Despite that, the centre console appears to hide an unusual touch-sensitive interface in which the climate control and infotainment share the same space. It's supplemented by a large screen. There's loads of storage underneath that, and behind the gear lever, as the electronic parking brake switch is located between the gear lever and the driver.
Mechanicals
The big story is the inclusion of Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine in the Mondeo line-up. It's believed that just the 125hp unit will be offered, which produces 170Nm of torque from as low as 1,450rpm. During short overboost phases up to 200Nm of torque is available, which should be ample for a car the size of the Mondeo. Not much else is known about the Mondeo 1.0 EcoBoost, though Ford is targeting a CO2 figure of less than 130g/km.
A 188hp Mondeo Hybrid was also revealed. This uses a 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motor combination, which allows electric-only running up to 100km/h.
Anything else?
Somewhat surprisingly, we still have a long time to wait for the new Mondeo to hit Ford showrooms. Production of the European market car does not start until the middle of 2013, which means it'll be the end of the year before the first right-hand drive examples turn up.