Regarding the new generation of Mondeo, the official marketing slogan is 100% more brilliant, but in the author's opinion, it directly puts out 300% of the effort to harden all the competitors on the market.
Whether it is the pricing of 159,800-219,800 yuan, the most basic decency of the guidance price is ruthlessly torn off, through the early let profit show their low posture to the market, or with the new potential energy aesthetics + leapfrog intelligent configuration + B + class body size + the whole series of 2.0T + 8AT power system combination punch, directly pull up the average product force of the same level.
Just the paper parameters and static performance can see the sincerity of the new Mondeo, and try to bring some new changes to the B-segment car market that has been dusty for a long time with one-step benefits.
Putting aside all this, can this "B-grade roll king" from the Ford China Design Center be called "worthy of the name" in terms of dynamic performance? How much "Ford flavor" has been continued? With these questions, the author recently moved Mondeo to the "road stage" and came to a "close contact". (Note: This test drive is the EcoBoost 245 ST-Line)
90% of the scenes of this test drive are high-speed sections, and the rest are urban and rural roads, focusing more on the driving experience of medium and high speeds. The most impressive thing is that the new Mondeo does not feel that it is a "big car" to drive, and it is easy to get started and provides good driving comfort.
Among them, the dynamic performance plays a crucial role. From the parameter point of view, the new Mondeo equipped with the maximum power of the 2.0T EcoBoost engine reached 238 horsepower, the maximum torque of 376 Nm, although compared to the same door brother on the sharp edge of the 2.0T engine is slightly lower, but the actual driving does not need to worry about its power reserve problems, in the high-speed road conditions to accelerate overtaking is still very confident.
However, in the standard driving mode, the matching 8AT gearbox is not active even if it is deeply oiled downshift, and even some are conservative, and at medium and high speeds, the sound of this engine is not pleasant, often accompanied by noise, coupled with not excellent NVH performance, some affect the driver's mood.
When driving at low and medium speeds, its initial throttle reaction is not very sensitive, showing a more stable style. It is commendable that during the whole driving process, this 8AT gearbox does not have obvious setbacks and breaks, which has a good guarantee for driving comfort.
As for the steering feel, the author once had the illusion of driving a "Korean car", the entire steering force is light, and when it encounters some large potholes and bumps on the low-speed road, it will affect the steering wheel, and it is lacking in solidity and stability. Of course, for most family consumers, this comfortable and relaxed steering style is bound to be more appropriate, obviously, the new Mondeo in order to take care of domestic users sacrificed a certain sense of sport control.
In addition, this home-based tuning style also continued to the chassis suspension of the new car. First of all, the transmission of road information by the entire suspension is no longer as direct as that of models such as Fox, which can isolate the small ups and downs and small vibrations of the road surface, and to some extent indirectly improve the tranquility of driving. Secondly, the suspension support of the vehicle in the case of sharp turns is relatively limited, which is not quite consistent with the sporty appearance of the vehicle. It should also be noted that the new Mondeo brake foot sense of the initial braking force release is weak, the middle and rear section is reversed, the entire brake proportion is not very linear, which requires the driver to use time to understand its "temper".
In short, the new Mondeo in the adjustment of the three major pieces is no longer blindly pursuing sports, "Ford flavor" diluted a lot, more on the basis of retaining a certain sports quality to take into account the driving comfort and quality of the sense, if it is used as a family car with a certain sense of sports to drive, you will still find a lot of surprises.
Static retrospective
At the design level, it can be found that the new Mondeo and EVOS maintain a "pace", and under the blessing of the new potential energy aesthetic concept, the balance between innovation and inheritance is pursued.
Coming to the car, the 1.1-meter ultra-wide area giant screen integrates a 12.3-inch full-color digital LCD dashboard and a 27-inch real 4K central control screen, which can be said to be the space available in the car is laid out on the screen, combining enough eye-catching scientific and technological atmosphere. Its built-in SYNC+ system is also relatively smooth to operate, and the key is that the vehicle OTA it has also left a broad imagination space for consumers.
It can be said that the young, technological, and sporty "comprehensive composite" appearance of the new generation of Mondeo is enough to show the design strength of Ford China Design Center, like the smooth shape, sharp lines, and forward-looking sci-fi product characteristics that Chinese consumers are keen on.
To some extent, the design concept of "potential energy aesthetics" led by the Chinese team is conducive to exporting the car demands and aesthetic preferences of Chinese consumers to Ford's global design system, so as to introduce more products that are "going with the country" in the future.