Ford Australia has re-asserted that the Mondeo mid-sized hatch and wagon range remains “crucial” to its line-up, as minor updates for the 2017 model year arrive.
With the Australian-made Falcon now gone from its range, the Mondeo carries the can alone for Ford in the market, against the Holden Commodore as well as the Mazda 6, Volkswagen Passat and Toyota Camry, among others.
Revised design elements include new 19-inch alloy wheels on the Titanium flagship (previously 18s) shod in lower-profile 235/40 Continental tyres. The Trend and Ambiente variants also get bigger, wider wheels, up to 18-inches and 17-inches respectively.
Pricing on the Trend and Titanium is up $500, but static on the Ambiente.
There’s also a new paint hue called Metalicious, described as “a warm tinted clear-coat silver with a high degree of colour flip and sophistication”.
Engine choices remain a 149kW/345Nm or 177kW/345Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol matched to a six-speed auto, or a 132kW/400Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel matched to a six-speed DCT.
Ford’s mid-sizer remains otherwise well-equipped. July last year saw Sync 3 made standard, bringing an 8.0-inch screen with pinching and swiping gestures, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a range of compatible apps like Spotify, and Australian-tuned voice control.
Mondeo sales climbed 47 per cent last year to 3122 units in a segment down 2 per cent — enough for 6.1 per cent share. A promising result yes, though short of the Camry, Mazda 6 and Subaru Liberty, and also the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3 Series.
Mondeo sales are up a further 6.3 per cent this year, in a segment down 10 per cent, and Ford’s 846 sales trail the Mazda 6 by just 52.
“The Mondeo is crucial to our line-up, and continues to receive praise from media and customers alike for its design, innovative features and safety,” said Ford Australia president and CEO Graeme Whickman.
“The changes for 2017 give consumers even greater choice and style for what’s a technologically advanced package, with EcoBoost engines, smart diesel as well as SYNC 3 technology.”
For context, in its final year the locally-made Commodore has 5607 sales thus far, though it’s hard to imagine the 2018 imported Opel-based replacement getting close to this.
Incidentally, the US-market Ford Fusion updates (the Mondeo is called the Fusion there) that we saw last year will not be carried over to our Spanish-made models. There’s also no sign of the Fusion hybrid police pursuit car for us.
2017 Ford Mondeo pricing (before on-roads):
Trend Hatch EcoBoost (auto) $37,790
Trend Hatch TDCi (auto) $40,990
Trend Wagon TDCi (auto) $42,840
Titanium Hatch EcoBoost (auto) $44,790
Titanium Hatch TDCi (auto) $47,990
Titanium Wagon TDCi (auto) $49,840
Ambiente Hatch EcoBoost (auto) $33,190
Ambiente Hatch TDCi (auto) $37,190
Ambiente Wagon EcoBoost (auto) $35,040
Ambiente Wagon TDCi (auto) $39,040
2017 Ford Mondeo specifications
Ambiente
17-inch alloy wheels
Projector headlights
Daytime-running lights (DRLs)
Fog lights
Reverse camera with front- and rear-parking sensors
LED tail-lights
Privacy glass – rearward of B-Pillar
Active grille shutters (diesel only)
Power heated mirrors
Follow-me-home lighting
Dual exhausts
Hill launch assist
Self-levelling suspension (Ambiente wagon models)
Cruise control with speed limiter
Electronic park brake
Dual-zone climate control
Leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear shifter
Paddle shifters
Cloth seats
60 / 40 split rear seats
Driver lumbar support
Sync 3 infotainment system with Applink 3.0 and enhanced voice control
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration
High-resolution 8.0-inch colour touchscreen
Bluetooth with audio streaming
Voice Control for phone, music, climate and navigation controls
Satellite navigation with ‘One Shot’ destination entry via Voice Control
DAB+/AM/FM radio
USB, 3.5mm line-in
Emergency assistance
Inflatable rear seatbelts
Ford MyKey
Power child locks
Seatbelt reminder with driver display – all seats
Driver & front passenger airbags
Thorax and curtain airbags
Driver knee Airbag
Trend
Features additional to Ambiente:
18-inch alloy wheels
Puddle lights
Auto folding exterior mirrors
Keyless entry with push-button start
Auto dimming rear-view mirror
10-way power adjustable front seats
Driver seat memory
Heated front seats
Power lumbar support – driver and passenger
Auto headlights
Auto high beam
Rain-sensing wipers
Partial leather seats
Active City Stop – low speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
Lane keeping aid
Lane departure warning
Driver impairment monitor
Pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection
Adaptive cruise control
Titanium
Features additional to Trend:
19-inch alloy wheels
Bodykit – front / side skirts
Power tailgate (Wagon)
Adaptive suspension
Adaptive LED headlights
Dynamic headlamp levelling
LED daytime-running lights (DRLs)
Panoramic roof – Hatch (Fixed)
Panoramic roof – Wagon (Power)
Driver side exterior electrochromatic mirror
Front sport seats
Leather-accented seats
Heated rear seats
Multi-colour ambient lighting
Scuff plates
Power reach/rake steering column
Aluminium pedal covers
Blind spot information system
Enhanced active park assist
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