BACK IN THE GAME? (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Andy Enright

Introductionword count: 94

The recession of 2008-2010 wasn't kind to the Ford Mondeo. People stopped buying cars, and the cars they did buy were either small, cheap ones to minimise their financial exposure or cars with premium badges, another way to attempt to guarantee the same net effect. That left Ford's shiny new Mondeo without too many takers. Ford's response was to update and facelift the car in a rather desperate bid to position it front and centre in the crosshairs of UK customers. Here's what to look for when choosing a used facelifted post-2011 Mk3 Mondeo.

Modelsword count: 24

5dr hatchback, 5dr estate (1.6, 2.0 petrol, 1.6, 2.0, 2.2-litre diesel [Edge, Graphite, Zetec, Zetec Business Edition, Titanium, Titanium X, Titanium X Business Edition])

Historyword count: 289

Ford must have wondered what they needed to do to grab a few sales in the family hatch market. Their Mk3 Mondeo, originally introduced in 2007, was a belter. It drove well, it looked good, it was priced keenly and it was packed with equipment. In relative terms, nobody wanted it. Ford introduced better engines. Still nobody was really interested, so in 2011, the Blue Oval brand tried more drastic remedial action. A smarter look was accompanied by substantial changes to the engine range. So from here on, buyers could select from 120 and 160PS versions of the 1.6 Ti-VCT unit at the bottom of the range, or move on to a 145PS 2.0-litre Duratec petrol option. Flagship variants could be fitted with 203 and 240PS versions of the efficient 2.0-litre petrol Ecoboost powerplant. Diesel customers got 140 or 163 PS Duratorq 2.0-litre engines, or a 200PS Duratorq 2.2-litre powerplant. In April 2013 Ford upgraded the Mondeo again, introducing the Graphite trim level aimed at private users and the Titanium X Business Edition, which pensioned off the previous Titanium X range-topping trim package, albeit with a £1,500 haircut on price. Ford also took a look at improving emissions and went for the quick win, with the popular 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi diesel engine being fettled to deliver CO2 emissions from just 119g/km across both 140PS and 163PS power outputs - a reduction of up to 10g/km. Fuel consumption was also improved from 57.6mpg to 61.4mpg. The replacement for this car was shown as early as 2012, which didn't really give it the chance it deserved in the market, but Ford was confident that its successor could regain lost market share. That car duly arrived at the tail end of 2014.

What You Getword count: 321

Prior to this generation Mondeo, it's fair to say that many Fords had begun to look rather clinical, a little over-functional. We were all told they were great to drive but we didn't feel that they were going to be when we saw one in the driveway. Fortunately, this facelifted MK3 Mondeo moved things on. The trapezoidal front grille was made bolder with a more slimline opening above. LED daytime running lights also featured and the bonnet had a more sculpted shape. At the back, the rear light clusters also featured LED technology. Inside, things weren't quite BMW, Audi and Mercedes-like. Items such as the cheaper plastic on the glovebox lid gave the game away. Still, with this car, Ford got astonishingly close to achieving premium standards of finish, at least for a mainstream brand, with tasteful aluminium decor and piano-black lacquer inserts offering a premium touch. On to practicalities. Where you'll particularly notice the extra space on offer from that bigger shape is in the back. Three big adults across the back seat of an Audi A4 or a BMW 3 Series is a squash that's only slightly improved if you opt for something mainstream like a Vauxhall Insignia or a Renault Laguna. Here, it's no problem at all, with superb space for shoulders, legs and heads. Wide opening doors and minimal wheelarch intrusion mean it's easy to get in and out too and nice touches on plusher versions include these rear cabin air vents built into the B-pillars. Out back, the boot too is huge and very well shaped, with load hooks and tie-downs to help you keep things in place should you get carried away at the wheel by the Mondeo's dynamic repertoire. There's 528-litres of space on offer in this 5-door Hatch, a figure rising to 1448-litres if you flatten the 60/40 split-rear seats. Go for the Estate version and the respective figures are 542 and 1733-litres.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227