Household favourite
The seemingly unstoppable rise of the crossover and SUV has had a sobering effect on the popularity of larger, D segment cars from mainstream manufacturers. Some have persisted, including Ford and others such as Mazda, Peugeot, Vauxhall and Volkswagen, but it’s an increasingly tough market sector in which to sell cars.
Which brings us to the fourthgeneration Mondeo featured here. Hugely popular since its arrival in 1993 the Mondeo became a mainstay of the fleet and family market, and by the time this iteration went on sale some four million had been sold (1.5 million of those in the UK). So this new version had plenty to live up to, Ford saying at its Geneva Motor Show debut in March 2007: “It’s probably the most elegant car we’ve ever launched, and it’s certainly the most technologically advanced.”
Officially launched in the UK in June that year, it certainly moved the game on in terms of looks with Ford’s ‘kinetic design’ language resulting in styling that was both sleek and more muscular than the previous generation. More spacious, too, and with a sharper focus on improved material quality and on reducing the levels of noise, harshness and vibration.
Oh yes, and it managed a starring role in James Bond film, Casino Royale. But we’re not ones to be swayed by such fame, which means it’s time
