2007 Ford Mondeo

nu e decat o interfata cu calculatorul de bord si senzorii masinii.... arata brici...

si mie mi se pare ca masina arata super. dar e peste bugetul meu

venind spre munca tocmai am vazut toate cele 3 versiuni de caroserie in fata Teatrului National...cred ca plecau de la prezentare...
desi vazusem pozele, pot sa zic ca e o masina dupa care cu siguranta o sa intoarcem capul pe strada ceva timp de aici inainte...masina arata superb...desi mie unul mi se pare ca aduce putin cu forma lui 407

Jeremy Clarkson

We all tend to have a sense that if something is complicated and difficult, it is bound to be better than something that is simple and straightforward. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture, for instance, is considered by almost everyone to be a better piece of music than Baa Baa Black Sheep.

And now we shall move on to food. Of course, when it’s sculptured and drizzled with jus, and it arrives on your plate with everything balanced on top of everything else, you know you are in the presence of greatness. Particularly if the waiter has revealed it to you from under a cloche with an unspoken “Ta Daaa!”.

Best food ever? Ooh, that’d be a boned pigeon at Pic, near Valence in France, or the ortolan I had in Gascony, or maybe the crab and rabbit pasta that came from the two-star kitchens of Louie’s Backyard in Key West. Oh no, hang on a minute. I’ve just remembered the absolute best thing I’ve ever eaten was in fact the poached egg on toast I had for lunch.

In fact, come to think of it, the five best things I’ve ever eaten were not boned sparrows or potatoes cooked in myrrh. They were simple things: bacon and egg. Lobster from my pots with samphire from my garden.

And the watercress you get from the beck just outside Appletreewick in Yorkshire. It’s so peppery that you eat it not by the sprig, but by the acre.

Ooh, and then there are the radishes I grow. The agony of waiting for them to ripen is so intense that when I do finally pull one up, stinging my hands gently on its leaves, I can never be bothered to wash all the mud off before I pop it into my mouth. And then I just stand there, savouring it, pulling a face normally only seen in a pornographic movie when the lead is being warmed up by half a dozen naked Californian teenagers.

I like my art work simple as well. Yes, you can be dazzled by Turner’s brushwork and by Constable’s attention to detail.

But the best piece of art I ever saw? It had been done by Tracey Emin and it was a couple of pencil squiggles. Was it a girl? Or a dog? I don’t know but I’d be happy to stand there, with a radish in my mouth, looking at it until the end of time.

And this of course brings us nicely on to the Ford Mondeo. The previous model was a masterpiece. Every single time I drove one I emerged from the experience thinking, “Why doesn’t everyone own one of these?” It was just so simple. A perfect poached egg, on a perfect piece of toast.

It handled beautifully, it was surprisingly fast, it was roomy and practical, and if you actually took away the familiarity it was also extremely good looking. Much better than a BMW 3-series, or a Mercedes C-class. Better too than the Jaguar X-type that it spawned.

Sadly, though, the old Mondeo is no more. There’s a new version in town that you may have seen in the Bond film Casino Royale. It comes from a very different Ford that created the old one. Back then, the blue oval was in rude health. It was buying up Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo . . . it would have bought your old bathroom furniture if you’d thought to put it on eBay.

Today, though, Ford is in what economists call “a right old pickle”. As an investment opportunity it’s up there with a semi on the Gaza Strip. Its shares are listed as junk, biscuits are banned in board meetings to save money, it has sold Aston Martin, it is shutting 14 plants, shedding 30,000 jobs and business articles speak of there being no obvious solution. One analyst I spoke to said: “If it were a corner shop, it would have gone bankrupt years ago.”

So how does it find the cash needed these days to design an all-new car and tool up the factories to make it? Realistically that costs a billion and a billion is one thing Ford does not have. In fact, a billion is what Ford is losing every four or five months. The last I heard it was trying to borrow £10 billion just to stay afloat. You have more money than Ford, even if you are a postman.

That’s why the new Mondeo contains, as far as I can tell, no new technology at all. The Focus, designed in a bath of cash, had expensive independent rear suspension. A big advance for that part of the market. The Mondeo has no similar technological leaps.

That said, what you do get is tried and tested. Largely the parts come from the Ford S-Max and the forthcoming Volvo V70. And all Ford has done is screw them together properly. You’d be amazed how solid it all feels.

And big. It’s much wider than the old car and a full five inches longer. Perhaps that’s why it’s 175kg heavier – and that’s like adding the weight of a medium sized motorcycle. The upside of this swelling, however, is that it’s truly huge on the inside. The back in particular is roomier than a concert hall and the boot is big enough for a game of football.

I must also say that it’s exceptionally good looking. Colleagues in the motoring press have called it pretentious but I disagree. I think it’s balanced, handsome and that all the trinketry is well chosen. On looks alone, and interior space, it leaves all of its rivals trailing.

And that’s before we get to the price. Whatever model you choose is going to be thousands and thousands cheaper than anything from Audi or BMW. And about a million less than anything from Stuttgart. What’s more, the Ford should be cheap to insure as it has special deformable panels on the back that boing back into shape after a bump.

And the news gets better still when you go for a drive. Because of the size and weight, it feels a very different car from the old model. The fun, the joie de vivre, has gone. Even the 2.5 turbo I drove doesn’t encourage you to stick it into a bend and revel in the electric responses. Now, it feels refined and comfortable. It feels, unsurprisingly I suppose, like a Volvo. And for that reason you should avoid the optional sports suspension. It’d be like teaming a well cut tweed suit with a pair of training shoes.

Ford has done a good job with this car – an outstanding job when you realise how strapped for cash it is. The only real problem is that downmarket badge.

Or is it downmarket? It was, for sure, when Mr Blair came to power. But since then Mondeo man has jumped ship, which is why in Britain today the BMW 3-series is by far the bigger seller. No one wants a poached egg any more. Everyone wants drizzle and jus and Ian McKellen in King Lear.

It’s a pity, really, because as a result Ford is teetering on the brink. It may well go and if it does we shall be waving goodbye to the company that gave us the Model T, the GT40, the Mustang, the Sierra Cosworth, the Escort RS2000 and the Cortina 1600E. The company that powered Minder and The Sweeney and The Professionals and Bullitt. The company that made mass production work. In historical terms, Ford is like a combination of Ferrari, Nasa, ICI and the National Trust.

I won’t urge you to buy a Mondeo just to save an institution. It’s your money and your choice. But I’ll be sad if you have the wherewithal and you don’t.

Jeremy

http://driving.times...icle1971541.ece
Ford beats BMW

New Mondeo meets - and beats - Passat and 3-series.



Why would you choose a BMW 3-series over a new Ford Mondeo?

After driving the Blue Oval's latest mid-sized exec I'd be hard-pressed to give you a single valid reason - er, unless you absolutely must have rear-wheel drive.

Oh, and that BMW badge, of course, which is what most people care about.

Best pay five grand more for a similar-spec car, too, just so that you know you're getting something 'superior'. Hmm.

Annoying, because this new Ford is a properly world-class car, matching the Beemer in most areas and beating it in some important ways, too. It's far more spacious inside, for instance, closer to a Granada than a Mondeo: Ford will never need to build a bigger car than this.

Its feels equally as well-built as the Beemer - if not better - and it comes close as an all-round dynamic package. The ride is bordering on magical, especially with the Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control system switched to the softest of its three settings, and it steers, stops and handles with the élan we now expect from a Ford.

It's quiet, too. In fact, it's almost enough of an advance over the previous Mondeo to justify a different name.

And that's where the car might run into trouble. It's 'just' a Mondeo. It matches the premium brands in all the ways that count, and would surprise the heck out of any BMW, Audi or Mercedes owner with its all-round prowess, but ultimately they'll never find out because they're buying a badge.

Ford is building this car differently, which will allow it to better control the Mondeo's resale values. I hope that happens, because it's important.

Quality and reliability will be high. Customer satisfaction will be high. The car's overall ability is extremely high. I just want it to cut into the Big Three German brands and steal some of their biased drivers.

It really does deserve to.

TopGear
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Hmm... super pozitiv review-ul.
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Edited by MAK, 04 July 2007 - 18:41.

FORD este cineva. Are 100 de ani, pe cand japonezii au aparut pe piata odata cu DACIA!

Sunt mult mai bune decat japonezele care sunt ridicate enorm de marketing.

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Cam cati bani o fi primit Autocar din miliardul ala? Remarcile de mai sus aproape ca m-au facut sa vomit de-atata spirit gazetaresc a la Libertatea si The Sun.

the__1, on Jun 28 2007, 19:39, said:

Atunci imi pare mai rau decat ar trebui.   Cine l-a scris?

WildChild, on Jun 28 2007, 19:41, said:

dupa nenea gogu se pare ca unu numit Bill Thomas

http://www.topgear.c...48-ford-mondeo/

the__1, on Jun 28 2007, 19:42, said:

  E scris de Bill Thomas, nici nu ma mira.

Uite inca un citat in care debordeaza de atata "dragoste" pentru masinile nemtesti (e "cropuit" dintr-un articol legat de Warranty Direct):

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Nu ca n-ar fi avut dreptate, dar felul in care parca se bucura de cum le merg/mergeau treburile nemtilor nu-i face cinste, mai ales daca se vrea a fi un jurnalist cat de cat obiectiv.

Eniuei, destul OFF-TOPIC. Nu pot sa spun ca ma omor dupa noul Mondeo dar e clar un pas in fata pentru Ford. Reticentele mele tin strict de designul exterior (mai ales la hatch, mi se pare ca arata ca un dromader din lateral) si de lemnul ala de plastic de pe bord intr-una din pozele de mai sus. In rest pare foarte bine inchegata masina, iar in clasa medie-populara chiar se cere imaginea asta ("fiabilitate prin design", cam ce incerca Audi si VW pana acum cativa ani). Doar sa nu dea chix Ford US.

Vazut azi unul. E putin cam neasteptat de inalt in cur... daca era mai jos chiar ar fi aratat ca un Aston Martin wanna-be cu 4 usi.

Vazut, condus, placut. Arata bine.
Plus: Interior spatios, portbagaj incapator. Finisajele ok, bune. Motorul suna bine si e sprinten (1,8 tdci, 125 cp). Dotari standard cam ce ai nevoie pe o masina.
Minus: In varianta sedan accesul la portbagaj e limitat, deschidere mica. Acces bun in varianta hatch-back  cu dezavantajul ca iarna e cam nepractic. Vizibilitatea inspre spate este greoaie. In zona soferului mergea mai mult spatiu. Daca porti peste 42 nu prea ai loc sa asezi piciorul langa pedala de ambreiaj. Plasticul din zona de jos a potierelor cam ieftin. Scrumiera, ai toate sansele sa dai pe langa.
Totusi pot spune ca mi-a placut.

de ce zici ca HB are dezavantaje iarna?

ccezar2004, on Jun 29 2007, 12:35, said:

Capota si luneta sunt un corp comun si iti intra frigul. Mai ales daca ai si un copil in spate...

 vazut azi la expozitie, arata binisor, se putea si mai bine dar e ok
imi place.

varianta Trend, I presume. Arata f bine hatchul.

din ce am inteles la prezentare are cel mai mare ampatament, e peste a4 si seria 3 in chestia asta.
iar finisajele super ok, dotari la fel multumitoare si design placut.

cred ca passatu cam tremura
sincer ca design cel putin nu cred ca exista loc de comparatie.

mondeo arata mai bine din fata si parca lateral. insa din spate imi place mai mult linia passatului. Iar la materiale si calitatea interiorului pasatul cred ca sta mai bine