Ford is taking a leading position interms of fuel economy improvements across its range. The company haslaunched a new ECOnetic range for the Mondeo and the Focus models todeliver impressive economy figures and lower emissions levels in whatare affordable cars. Michael Moroney reports on his test drive of thenew Ford Mondeo ECOnetic, where economy brings no compromise in termsof performance.

FORD continues to tweak the performanceability of the Mondeo model and this latest achievement bringsfurther fuel economy results.

Ford has launched a new Mondeo range,called the ECOnetic models, to shave a little more off the economyand CO2 emission figures for the car.

The concept behind the ECOnetic modelsis to offer a cost effective and competitive saloon car with someextra economy benefits. The end result is the Mondeo ECOnetic, whichis available in just two models, the Zetec specification five-doorhatchback or estate model.

To achieve the better economy figuresFord uses the 1.8 litre turbo-diesel engine and it has been modifiedalong with some changes to other parts of the car to get bettereconomy results. Other than some slight engine tuning, Ford haslowered the chassis of the car to make it more aerodynamic. New lowrolling resistance 215/55R16 Michelin Primacy HP tyres are fitted tomake the car drive that bit smoother and lower the car’s dragco-efficient to 0.31cd. This is aided by a colour coded rear bootspoiler.

Ford has developed some new gearboxoils for the ECOnetic models in association with BP to lowertransmission resistance. These oils deliver efficiency benefits thathave been shown to be significant during testing.

From the outside there appears littledifferent from the standard Mondeo apart from the rear end ECOneticbadge. To see the value of this car you have to compare it with thestandard 1.8 litre TDCi Mondeo.

The ECOnetic model comes with a fivespeed gearbox, as against six speed in the standard model. TheECOnetic model delivers a higher road speed even if its accelerationperformance is very marginally slower. Acceleration in the highergears from 50 to 100km/hr is faster in the six speed model.

The economy figures are marginallybetter for the ECOnetic models but the real value is in terms of thelower emissions. The ECOnetic models come with a CO2 rating of just139 g/km as against 154 g/km for the standard model. That differencemeans a lower Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) rate equaling lowerprices, topped off with lower annual road tax charges. Ford hassucceeded in reducing the annual road tax charge for the MondeoECOnetic to just €150, a fantastic result and comparable with whatBMW has been achieving.

To allow you to achieve this level ofeconomy Ford is now fitting a new instrument system to this Mondeomodel to give an instant fuel economy rating reading on the dash.This is aided by a gear change timing indicator that tells you whento change up a gear to maintain economy. Toyota has been fitting sucha device for some time.

This economy result also makes theMondeo ECOnetic a more competitive option than the Mondeo FFV, whichI recently tested. The ECOnetic model comes with a rating of 5.3litres/100km (53mpg) in the combined driving cycle, which ismarginally better than the standard model. Against the competitionthis Mondeo is economical, only beaten by the Renault Laguna and themore expensive BMW 318d.

Compared with the Mondeo FFV, I feelthat the ECOnetic model is better to drive. The diesel powered car,with its 125bhp engine, has impressive acceleration at a 0 to100km/hr rating of 10.7 seconds.

The entry price of the Mondeo ECOneticZetec is €29,715 before delivery charges and that’s competitivefor a large diesel car. With the Zetec specification the car comeswith air conditioning as standard along with electric front and rearwindow operation, cruise control and a body coloured rear spoiler.

There is no compromise when it comes tothe Mondeo ECOnetic specification. The car matches the high safetyspecification of the Mondeo range. This is a spacious family car witha huge boot courtesy of the hatchback design. It remains competitiveand now it’s even more economical to own and drive.

Ford Mondeo 1.8 TDCi Econetic -Specifications

Top speed 203 km/hr

0 – 100km/hr 10.7 seconds

Economy 5.3 l/100km (53mpg)

CO2 emissions 139 g/km

Road Tax Band B (€150)

Entry Price €29,715 LX Specification

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