Test drive Ford mondeo sedan 2003 - 2005 sedan
Happy New Year!
It seems to me, Ford Mondeo has already beaten all records in terms of staying on the pages of the test of the test. Well, how many of them we had: budget, and top, and with various body body bodies and they all go and go! Hello again! The company Ford Motor, celebrating its centenary, gradually comes the New Year, and Mondeo is its harbinger: dealers are already trading in the 2004 model year. Perhaps the main news is the expansion of the gamut of engines due to the 1.8 Duratec SCI gasoline engine with direct fuel injection (it does not come to us), which can be aggravated with a new 6-speed mechanical box MMT6. In addition, the number of execution options has increased. So, for example, Mondeo appeared in the maximum configuration of Ghia X, which, combined with a 2.5-liter engine and a Durashift automatic machine, is appointed to the senior in the Euroford production program. Just such a flagship car was in our tests.
We begin to look for differences. The alteration of appearance affected mainly decor: the bumpers changed, new headlights and rear lights appeared. Dear versions deservedly received a chromium appropriate to the status, which covered the strip at the bottom of the bumper, decorated door handles and a new radiator grille. From a less noticeable one: over the entire range of modifications, external rear -view mirrors are used an excellent upgrade, given the light subtletiness of the previous mirrors. In addition, the mirrors on the versions of Ghia and Ghia X are equipped with built -in lamps illuminating the front doors area when they are opened, they don’t accidentally step into a puddle! And, of course, the updated car is new wheels: both alloy wheels and democratic plastic caps now look more mannerly.
The mondeo salon seems to be much more expensive, and regardless of the cost of the machine. The main character is the music center. The new line of audio equipment, made on Sony components, sounds very good, and it looks amazing! Against the background of this tinted glass, a new climate control control unit is somewhat lost. Meanwhile, the effectiveness and accuracy of the functioning of the electronic automatic temperature control system was increased. But the steering wheel is successfully participating in this beauty contest: a leather steering wheel with metallized knitting needles and transmigration buttons (!) Almost perfect from the point of view of ergonomics, because it has the optimal diameter and section of the rim. More expensive materials are now used in the interior decoration, including Alcantara artificial suede, by the way, exactly the same materials are used in manufacturers included in Premier Automotive Group, that is, Volvo, Jaguar and Aston Martin. Good company! But what modernization did not affect at all is prices. The new Mondeo will cost exactly the same as the cars of the previous model year. What is not good news?
The car is provided by Alarm Motors.
Text: Kirill Brevdo
Photo: Roman Ostanin
A source: Wheel magazine [No. 73/2003]
