Until now Ford has been installing its 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in small cars, but the company is pushing the boundaries by announcing that the EcoBoost will be available as one of the engine options for their redesigned 2013 Mondeo family car.
It’s easy to feel sorry for the Mondeo. It’s like one of those kids who keep coming home with top grades, yet their parents regard them as a great disappointment. Though the Mondeo sells well and often comes home with prizes for best car in its class, it does have something of a reputation as a boring car that’s more at home doing the supermarket run than the rally circuit. This is probably one reason why Ford has completely redesigned it five times since it was introduced in 1993.
The latest generation was introduced at the 2012 North American International Auto Show with Ford pulling out the stops to put in a bit of excitement and make people forget that at the end of the day the Mondeo is still a family car. Now Ford is going under the bonnet and replacing the line’s old V6 3.0-liter engine with three new ones led by Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine.
Voted the 2012 “International Engine of the Year,” the EcoBoost is a family of direct injection petrol engines developed by Ford to deliver the same power as larger engines, yet with 20 percent better mileage. The three-cylinder direct injection turbocharged 1.0-liter engine has independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), an offset camshaft and comes in two versions - the 99 bhp (74 kW) and the 123 bhp (92 kw).
Also available in two versions, the 2013 Mondeo comes as a four door and a five door, which has been developed for the European market. Few performance stats have been released, though Ford says that the Mondeo will have the best mileage in its class. However, such a small engine as the EcoBoost seems to us to be a bit anemic for a car that is likely to weigh in the vicinity of 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg) going by the current model specs.
Aside from the EcoBoost, there will be a petrol Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) with a 2.0-litre petrol engine backed by a 35 kW lithium-ion battery and there’s a diesel all-wheel drive that Ford says provides “superior traction, performance and handling.”
Ford puts a great deal of emphasis on styling with the new Mondeo, saying that its sports coupe profile provides “visual lightness.” The lines are more angular than previous versions with a sharper crease along the side breaking the lines and providing a bit of visual flair. Up front, there’s a trapezoidal grille like something stolen off an Aston Martin and a power-dome bonnet provides some accents. In addition, the Mondeo now has automatic LED headlamps that turn with the steering and adapt beam projection to vehicle speed. The only real sour note is that the five-door version looks overheavy and bit ungainly from certain angles.
The interior of the Mondeo is dominated by soft-touch materials and premium finishes. Gadgets include the voice-activated SYNC with with MyFord Touch and an eight-inch color touchscreen plus the ability to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five devices. For safety, the Mondeo is the first European Ford to have inflatable rear seat belts that expand on impact.
No retail price has yet been announced.
Source: Ford
Having owned a 4.0l Ford Fairmont, I would have classed the engines torque as 'adequate' to propel the 1900kg car. Horsepower doesn't matter when you can't pull away uphill, I kid you not.
I can't even imagine how useless a car the size of a Mondeo would be with a 1.6l equivalent engine... has anyone driven a 1.6l car that size who actually likes driving and can tell me it wasn't the end of the world?
I can understand wanting fuel economy at the expense of performance, but surely you use an adequate engine for the weight of the car...I'm sure a Ford Ka would perform well with this engine...
Just google "Ford 1.6TDCi turbo problem" to see why this is a bad idea.
I have driven 1.6 Mondeos, and other similar sized cars with small 4 cylinder engines. And I like driving very much.
In the UK and much of Europe, where we don't enjoy very cheap fuel as is the case in the US, engines of this size are the norm- in fact diesels of around this size are extremely common.
Yes, of course you can't lazily charge up any mountain in top gear- but actually that doesn't grant any great pleasure- certainly not compared to a modest car with a manual gearbox and matching your driving style to the vehicle and road conditions- which is far more engaging and ultimately more rewarding. And European Fords have, since their renaissance in the 1990s when they stopped being designed by accountants but by engineers instead, are especially good, the narrower, the more twisty, and the worse the road surface gets, the more they rise to the challenge. I'd defy anyone who loves driving to take a circuitous route round the Cotswold back roads in a modern Ford not to come back with a smile on their face. And no, I don't work for Ford...
That said, I need to be convinced that the 1 litre works as well in the Mondeo as it does in the Focus, especially as the Mondeo has grown enormously since the first generation.