Ford of Europe Chairman Nick Scheele today took the wraps off the latest addition to the all-new Ford Mondeo range.
The Mondeo wagon, making its world premiere at the 2000 Paris Motor Show, joins the four-door and five-door models to complete the bodystyle offerings for this all-new vehicle family. Expected to account for around 40 per cent of total Mondeo sales, the wagon is a vital part of the Ford of Europe product portfolio.
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“Wagon models are important to our customers in the C/D segment, and it is here that the new Ford Mondeo truly raises the bar,” Scheele said. “The wagon delivers a rare combination – the flexibility and utility of the segment’s largest load compartment but in a classically elegant, refined shape. Plus we have added an array of strengths that are common to all new Mondeos – the Intelligent Protection System, new petrol and diesel powertrain technology, Ford’s trademark driving quality, the precisely crafted interior design and quiet, spacious surroundings for all occupants.”
Wagon Exemplifies Mondeo Strengths
The all-new Ford Mondeo wagon brings its own style, elegance and leadership to the C/D segment and thus exemplifies the strengths of the entire new Mondeo range.
It was developed alongside the four-door and five-door models with the same no-compromise approach to ensure that wagon customers do not lose out on any of the all-around strengths of the new Mondeo.
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By GlobalDataInside and out, the Mondeo wagon is reassuringly strong, solid and confident. The array of strengths of the wagon model is led by the one attribute that is most important to the wagon customer – space.
Segment-Leading Spaciousness
Space for people. Space for cargo. Without compromise. These are the hallmarks of the new Mondeo wagon.
Like all new Mondeo models, the wagon offers an impressive level of spaciousness for all occupants. The generosity of leg room, knee room and shoulder room of its rear seating compartment is class-leading, with a level of spaciousness normally found only in vehicles of the next larger class.
The Mondeo wagon then extends this package superiority to the all-important load compartment. Mondeo’s low, flat and wide luggage compartment offers the most generous cargo volume in the C/D segment. Its standard, closed-compartment luggage capacity – the volume of the area behind the second seat and below Mondeo’s standard tonneau cover – is an impressive 540 litres.
Other measures of the rear luggage compartment space are just as impressive:
The total volume behind the second seat is 830 litres, making full use of the new Mondeo’s 847 mm load height. Mondeo wagon offers 1,140 mm of load length in this configuration.
With both sections of the rear seat folded down, Mondeo offers 1,020 litres of cargo volume loaded to seat height, and 1,700 litres of total load compartment volume. Maximum load length with the second seat folded down is 1,982 mm.
Width between the wheel arches is another critical measure in terms of the usable luggage compartment space. Here, the new Mondeo wagon again leads the segment with 1,146 mm of clear and accessible load width.
Details of the new Mondeo wagon’s rear compartment design provide a glimpse into the importance that was given to maximising the accessibility and width of the load area. Tall tail light fixtures with slim sophistication give the Mondeo wagon a distinctive rear appearance. Their narrow, stretched design was selected to facilitate a wide rear tailgate door while offering high levels of visibility to following traffic.
The tailgate itself was carefully designed to offer maximum width to further aid load compartment accessibility. Its design was also optimised for a wide range of human shapes to be able to reach the tailgate in its raised position.
Inside, the flat load floor is covered with edge-finished carpet that features an integrated structural spare wheel cover. The load-space carpet is trimmed with rubber strips to ease loading and unloading.
Chrome-finished trim, including four tie-down hooks integrated into the floor structure, adds a level of elegance even to the cargo compartment. A cargo net is provided as standard equipment, in addition to the rear tonneau cover that is designed to conceal goods kept in the luggage compartment. .
The wagon model’s small touches, like an additional rear power point and the dedicated place for stowage of the warning triangle and first-aid kit, provide clear evidence of the customer focus that went into its development.
“Our objective was to develop a wagon that offered class-leading safety, interior spaciousness and luggage capacity,” said Mondeo chief programme engineer Paul Mascarenas. “But we went beyond that to provide highly sophisticated styling and an unrivalled driving experience that comes from great dynamics, low noise levels and interior comfort.”
Unique, Cohesive Design
The new Ford Mondeo wagon’s exterior design is unique and cohesive. This is not simply a sedan conversion but rather a special new model in its own right.
“Within the proportions of a C/D-class vehicle, we’ve created a wagon that feels like a D-Class in terms of its stature, spaciousness and capabilities,” said Mondeo Chief Designer, Gert Hohenester of Ford’s Merkenich Design Studio in Cologne, Germany. “It is clearly custom-designed as a wagon.”
The unique profile of the Mondeo wagon is evidence of its significance in the range.
The wagon’s rear passenger doors are exclusively designed for the vehicle with their own shape and profile that fit into a dynamically stretched side appearance.
The wagon features a slim silhouette and a rising belt line that lends a dynamic, wedge-shaped appearance to the profile. The sporting look is enhanced by a purposeful roof rack design in matte black.
Like its sedan counterparts, the Mondeo wagon’s solid stance is characterised by taut and extremely precise surfaces and highly defined wheel arches, emphasised by 16-inch wheels that are standard across the range and a suspension system uniquely crafted for a wagon with leadership attributes.
Rear Suspension Maximises Space
The importance of maximising usable space is reflected in the approach to the Mondeo wagon’s unique rear suspension. Unlike the quadralink architecture of the Mondeo sedans, the wagon model features a Short and Long Arm (SLA) design that significantly contributes to Mondeo’s load compartment spaciousness.
The compact nature of the SLA suspension system minimises wheel arch intrusion that can steal luggage space. This contributes to the Mondeo wagon’s class-leading load floor width between the wheel arches.
The SLA suspension features three transverse arms on each side of the vehicle – a forged upper arm and two pressed-steel lower arms – connecting the wheel knuckle with the subframe. Coil springs and telescopic dampers, flat steel trailing arms and an anti-roll bar complete the rear suspension system.
The new Mondeo’s rear suspension uses the same basic architecture as the previous model, but with revisions to the system geometry and a series of detailed changes to the individual suspension system elements with a special emphasis on eliminating sources of friction.
The new wagon has slightly increased wheel travel over its predecessor and a torsionally stiffer body structure that contributes positively to the precision of the suspension system performance. Major effort in the Mondeo wagon’s development was devoted to enhancing body stiffness.
As different as the wagon’s rear suspension is, it is perfectly capable of providing the sure-footed attributes of the Mondeo sedans. Careful development work has been undertaken to assure that the wagon model’s handling has the same levels of agility, comfort, stability and precision. These attributes are at the heart of Ford’s reputation for driving quality.
A self-levelling suspension, which maintains an optimal ride height whether the vehicle is loaded or unloaded, also is available on wagon models.
Surefooted and Confident
The all-new Mondeo wagon – with its new standard 16-inch wheels and tyres – provides its driver with a feeling of surefootedness and confidence. The new Mondeo wagon has a longer wheelbase and wider track than its predecessor. The wheelbase has been extended by 50 mm. Front tread width is 19 mm wider, and the rear tread width is 34 mm wider than the previous Mondeo wagon. These changes alone called for the detailed changes to the proven Mondeo suspension system, as Ford engineers established customer-driven objectives for the new vehicle’s various driving qualities.
The chassis has been designed to give the new Mondeo wagon a ‘no surprises’ neutral to slightly understeering characteristic, providing the driver with continuous feedback if the vehicle is approaching its limits of adhesion. There should be no sudden excessive moments of understeer that surprise the driver.
The new Mondeo wagon features rack-and-pinion steering with hydraulic power assistance. The system was developed for optimal stiffness and a relentless campaign against friction. The result is a steering system that is characterised by its ease and precision — a major factor contributing to overall driving quality by helping to reduce fatigue and enhance enjoyment.
To fine-tune the steering characteristics to the weight of the front axle precisely given the varying engine weights of Mondeo’s powertrain options, two different steering ratios were used for the first time. This assures the customer the same level of operational ease regardless of which engine is preferred. One steering gear ratio is offered for vehicles equipped with the new Duratec HE petrol engines and another for the slightly heavier Duratorq DI diesel and Duratec V6 variants.
All new Ford Mondeo models, including the wagon, are fitted with larger, four-wheel disc brakes as standard equipment and in all markets. The new braking system reflects the increased robustness engineered elsewhere in the chassis system.
The system features ventilated front discs 300 mm x 24 mm cast of grey iron with a high carbon content. This design offers excellent thermal transmission properties that contribute to its fade-resistant characteristics. Rear discs, also of grey iron, measure 280 mm x 12 mm.
Mondeo’s braking system also incorporates sophisticated electronic driver aids, including standard Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and part of an integrated vehicle dynamics system approach.
Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is available as an additional driver aid.
Available Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) helps Mondeo drivers in “panic stop” situations. The system is designed to interpret the braking behaviour of the driver by the speed at which the brake pedal is being depressed. As soon as it senses an emergency situation, the system initiates a full braking effect much faster than the human foot could react. The result is a shorter stopping distance – up to 21 metres shorter from 200 kph under test conditions – and, potentially, reduced accident risk.
The system is also effective at supporting drivers who depress the brake pedal at sufficient speed but do not generate enough pedal force. The system has been tested against normal driving situations involving drivers with a wide range of experience levels.
Mondeo Trademark: Safety First
The wagon model of the new Ford Mondeo shares the same high level of safety content as Mondeo sedans, including the new Intelligent Protection System. With the wagon’s body structure optimised for strength and crashworthiness and thoughtful driver aids to help avoid accidents, Mondeo wagon buyers have never been better protected.
Key elements of Mondeo wagon’s safety system include:
Intelligent Protection System with adaptive dual-stage front air bags for the front-seat occupants, an advanced detection system that analyses frontal crash severity, driver position plus passenger-seat occupancy, plus pretensioners and load limiters on safety belts for front-seat occupants
Inflatable side curtains for front- and rear-seat occupants
Chest-protecting side air bags for front-seat occupants
Systems optimised to support a wide range of human body profiles – from 5th percentile females to 95th percentile males
Collapsible pedal structure
Deploying front head restraints
ISO-Fix child seat attachment points
Three Engine Families: Two All-New
The new Ford Mondeo wagon is available with three distinct engine choices, including new Euro Stage IV-capable petrol engines making their world debut, a new drive-by-wire direct-injected turbodiesel making its first appearance in a passenger car and the return of Mondeo’s V6 flagship powerplant.
Lightweight and compact, the new aluminium Duratec HE in-line four-cylinder engine family has been designed specifically to provide customers with dependable performance and high levels of driving quality throughout its life. Mondeo’s all-new Duratec HE powertrains deliver strong and balanced levels of power and torque, each with a high level of fuel economy.
Ford Mondeo wagon customers will have a choice of three Duratec HE engines:
The entry-level 1.8-litre engine, which delivers 110 PS (83 kW) at 5,500rpm and maximum torque of 160 Nm at 3,950 rpm, while achieving European driving cycle fuel consumption ratings, in litres per 100 kilometres, of 11.5 city/5.8 highway/7.9 combined. Combined CO2 emissions are 190 grams per kilometre.
The higher-output 1.8-litre variant, which achieves 125 PS (92 kW) at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 170 Nm at 4,500 rpm. Its European driving cycle fuel consumption ratings are 11.6 city/5.9 highway/8.0 combined in litres per 100 kilometres. CO2 output (combined mode) is 193 grams per kilometre.
The 2.0-litre engine that delivers 145 PS (107 kW) at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 190 Nm at 4,500 rpm. European driving cycle fuel consumption is rated in litres per 100 kilometres at 11.9 city/6.2 highway/8.2 combined, while combined CO2 emissions are 198 grams per kilometre.
Joining the all-new Ford Mondeo powertrain line-up alongside the new petrol engines is a new Ford direct-injection turbodiesel engine with world-class levels of performance, economy and refinement – the new 2.0-litre Ford Duratorq DI.
The introduction of the 16-valve direct-injection Duratorq DI four-cylinder engine means new Mondeo wagon can offer low fuel consumption, impressive power and torque and high levels of smoothness to its diesel customers. It is available in 90 PS (66kW) and 115 PS (84 kW) variants.
Duratorq DI achieves high levels of smoothness and refinement. It offers a driving quality that seems like a petrol engine but its pulling power of 280 Nm (at 1900 rpm) of peak torque gives away the secret of a well-engineered turbodiesel.
Duratorq DI gives the Mondeo wagon competitive fuel economy and Euro Stage III emissions capability:
The 90 PS variant achieves 8.2 city/4.6 highway/5.9 combined, in litres per 100 kilometres, with CO2 emissions of 156 grams per kilometre.
The 115 PS engine’s consumption ratings are 8.3 city/4.7 highway/6.0 combined, with CO2 emissions of 159 grams per kilometre in the combined mode.
The new Mondeo wagon’s flagship power unit remains the 2.5-litre Ford Duratec V6, one of the world’s lightest and smallest V6 engines. The Duratec V6 has established a reputation for reliability, durability and low operating cost. Duratec V6 generates a peak of 170 PS at 6,000 rpm, and peak torque of 220 Nm at 4,250 rpm. More than 90 per cent of peak torque is available across the broad rev band between 2,000 and 5,800 rpm.
Duratec V6 models achieve fuel consumption economy ratings in litres per 100 kilometres of 14.4 city/7.4 highway/10.0 combined. The engine is capable of meeting European Stage IV emissions standards. Combined CO2 emissions are 240 grams per kilometre.
Loaded with Features
The new Ford Mondeo wagon is full of convenience, entertainment and stowage features that are ideal for today’s wagon customer.
The wagon provides the same levels of comfort, spaciousness and interior quality characterised by the four-door and five-door Mondeos. It also provides a high level of standard equipment down to the thoughtful small details:
Air conditioning is standard on all new Mondeo models. Mondeo’s climate control system also features side-window demisters and under-carpet ducts for rear-passenger comfort, plus a standard Micron air filtration system.
Mondeo’s power window system – standard on the front windows on base models and all four windows for Trend and Ghia models – features a global closure system with a “bounce back” feature that protects against injury should fingers and hands be trapped. On models so equipped, the optional power sunroof has the same convenience and security feature.
A switch in the centre of the fascia allows the tailgate to be opened electronically. Additionally, the tailgate itself features a concealed release button designed for easy operation.
A standard three-button remote locking feature on the key provides buttons for locking and unlocking doors, plus tailgate unlocking.
A convenient outside temperature display provides additional information for the vehicle occupants.
Interior courtesy lights feature the quality of theatre-style dimming, an illuminated glove box with damped lid, plus load compartment lighting. Mondeo Trend and Ghia models feature dual illuminated vanity mirrors.
Mondeo has adopted a new exterior rearview mirror design with aspheric glass. The slightly concave shape of the mirror reflector provides a broader field of vision to help the Mondeo driver avoid “blind spots.”
Available options include fully automatic air conditioning, leather trim, an auto-dimming rearview mirror (standard on Ghia models) and cruise control.
Reflecting wagon customers’ diverse needs, interior stowage has been maximised. Stowage areas in the passenger compartment include a larger-volume (13-litre) glove box, an underdash tray suitable for mobile phones and coins, a functional front centre console with integrated cupholders and a roof storage space for sunglasses.
Additionally, each of the four doors has a large stowage compartment on the inside panel. The front door compartments are designed to accommodate a variety of everyday items, including full-size atlases and folding umbrellas, even a one-litre drink bottle. The rear-door stowage bins are also generous in capacity.
But Mondeo’s contribution to driving enjoyment doesn’t end there. Inside the quiet occupant cabin, Mondeo’s spaciousness and comfort are further enhanced by a range of entertainment features:
A wide range of large-bezel Ford audio options are available with integrated cassette and Compact Disc players. The range includes an innovative new in-dash six-CD player that eliminates the need for a remote unit under the seat or in the boot. Four twin-cone speakers in the centre of the doors deliver optimal sound quality to both front- and rear-seat passengers. Radio reception in the new Mondeo – including both audio and RDS data signals – benefits from the new Cleartune dual-antenna system which helps to eliminate multiple-path distortion and signal dropouts, especially in heavily urban or mountainous areas. All Ford audio units are designed to be an integral part of the vehicle dash, and feature large, easy to operate controls and easy to read graphics.
The new Mondeo wagon will offer optional satellite navigation. Integrated with the top-of-the-line Ford Audio 6000N series audio unit, the unit uses the same large-bezel format but offers a colour directional display. The satellite navigation system operates from a digital map that is stored on a CD-Rom disc inserted in its fascia slot. The system can be programmed to navigate its way to a destination address, a street corner destination or landmark, and it offers real-time guidance with both visual directions and synthesised voice directions. Language choices are German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and English. Traffic information received via the traffic message channel can be incorporated to alter the route to avoid traffic jams.
Wagon customers can also choose an optional multi-media system for rear-seat passengers with computer game and video playback capabilities. First seen on the latest Ford Galaxy, the system includes twin screens on the backs of the front headrests that offer high-resolution and 50 per cent more brightness than most current screens, ensuring clear visibility even in direct sunlight. They can also be dimmed for night-time viewing. Each screen is independently switchable between inputs – so one can show a video while the other plays a computer game.
Accessories for Customised Needs
The new Mondeo wagon is available with a wide array of accessories for owners’ special needs:
Fixed and detachable towing bars and electrical connection kits.
Roof load carriers and transport attachments for luggage, bicycles, snowboards and surfboards.
A load protection net to keep large items and pets securely in the load compartment.
A rubberised, anti-slip load space liner.
Body styling kit, including a tailgate spoiler.
Optional alloy wheels in 16-inch, 17-inch and 18-inch styles.
Ford Flagship in Europe
Built at Ford’s Genk (Belgium) Assembly Plant, the Mondeo range represents Ford’s entry in one of the most important market segments in the European industry. The new wagon, four-door and five-door models have been designed to build on their predecessors’ strengths and success, created with Ford’s pioneering new product development process.
Since the original Ford Mondeo was launched in 1993, more than 2.5 million vehicles have been built for sale in more than 60 markets around the world.
