It's been nine years since Mondeo's last replacement, and five years since the last mid-term change. Now, the new generation of Chinese design Mondeo has finally met with everyone. Can our "most familiar stranger" be restored to its former glory?
At the beginning of the article, I want to first reveal my identity: I am the owner of the 2013 Mondeo GTDi 240 flagship pearl white. The car was purchased in 2014 and has been used for 8 years now, and the landing price at that time was close to 300,000 yuan. Why would I choose Mondeo? In 2014 and 2015, the mid-level car market was not as full of flowers as it is now, and the luxury brand mid-level car was not as "rolled up" as it is today. The most popular mid-level cars on the market are mainly familiar with the Japanese top three, the German Volkswagen brothers, the American Ford Mondeo, GM "double jun". Korean and French products are firmly in the second grade. Among these products, Mondeo, which has just completed the replacement, is outstanding in terms of design, configuration, technology, performance, control and price, and can even be said to be full of sincerity. In the next two to three years, it has also maintained a monthly sales of about 10,000 units, reflecting everyone's recognition of it. So, after 8 years of use, what am I not satisfied with? There are mainly two points: one is that the low gear of the 6-speed transmission will have no small setbacks and breaks, and the other is that the fuel consumption is high, and the 100 kilometers is about 13 liters, of course, this is also related to my long-term short-distance driving and in the road section with multiple signal lights. In addition to these two points, I am very satisfied with my car as a whole.
My Mondeo underwent a relatively large mid-term makeover in 2017 and has since been kept up. At that time, I heard that Ford was going to focus on the SUV field in the future and would gradually stop producing its cars, and my heart was still a little difficult to accept. After all, Mondeo has brought me very good memories, how can I say that there is no more? Changan Ford seemed to hear my heart. This year, with the news of the new generation of Mondeo, my interest was aroused by it. I'd love to see how Ford will build a fifth-generation model based on the already great fourth-generation model. After going through the pre-sale and listing process, I finally waited for the invitation to the test drive event, although it was only a short day, but it was enough for me to re-recognize this very familiar model.
Before the test drive event, through the participation in online activities such as pre-sale and listing, I have learned that the new generation of Mondeo is designed and developed by the Chinese team, and is currently exclusively for the domestic mid-level car, which is completely different from the strategy of previous generations of Mondeo. Understandably, as I mentioned earlier, the "inner volume" of luxury brand mid-level cars is a problem that these traditional joint venture brand mid-level cars have to pay attention to, and their market has been ruthlessly seized, after all, the brand power bonus is still very important for Chinese consumers. Therefore, the new generation of Mondeo even achieved an ultra-low posture of 160,000 yuan to start and reach the top of less than 220,000 yuan, accompanied by a full range of high-power 2.0T engines matching the 8-speed transmission of the mid-level car gold powertrain, still full of sincerity.
When I saw the new generation of Mondeo in the parking lot neatly lined up with various bright colors at the event assembly site, my mood was unconsciously excited, as if I saw my brother who was already twilight rejuvenated. Although it does not have the British temperament of the third and fourth generation models, Ford's latest "potential energy aesthetic" design language is also more in line with the current aesthetic trend in the new generation of mid-level cars such as the Mondeo. For example, the front split headlights are the models that many new cars at home and abroad are willing to use today, and some of them are ugly and handsome. The new generation of Mondeo clearly belongs to the latter, led daytime running lights consist of a spread-wing light strip and 3 independent LED modules, it is also the most eye-catching element of the headlight group. The LED adaptive headlights below are much more low-key in comparison, but when they are lit up at the same time, I unconsciously think of the idiom "sword eyebrow star".
The front grille is still a highlight of Mondeo, and in my fourth-generation model, it has the charm of Aston Martin and provides an active opening and closing grille function inside. In the new generation of models, the area of the grille is still very large, but it reflects a full sense of technology through the design language of "breathing scales". After carrying the smart key close to or away from the car, the "scale armor" will be opened and closed many times like a breath to welcome or send off the owner, and the through-type light strip will also present a certain dynamic effect of the lamp, the sense of ceremony is full. The functional realization of the active intake grille can also be achieved by relying on its "breathing", without the need for additional installation inside the grille, killing two birds with one stone.
The side of the body is still as slender as the fourth generation model, and it is worth mentioning that the body length of this new generation model has been further increased to nearly 4.95 meters, and the wheelbase is also close to 2.95 meters, which is almost the same level as the body size of the three brothers of the German luxury extended wheelbase. From this point of view alone, the starting price of less than 160,000 yuan is well worth it. The extra-long body provides an elegant extension, and the new generation of Mondeo's Chinese design team also decorates it with water corrugated body signature lines to make it look handsome like a man. The ST-Line version also uses a two-color body design, the upper part is black, the lower part is the traditional body color, such as red, gray, white, etc., each with its own charm. The roof line begins to descend slowly from the B-pillar and extends in a soothing arc to the rear compartment, creating the visual feel of a hatchback coupe. However, it is still a traditional sedan model, and there is no oversized hatchback tailgate, which is a small regret.
In addition, the door handle of the new car has also been made into an automatic telescopic type like many electric vehicles in line with the current trend, and it is counted in the "Wolong Awakening" welcome induction system that includes the front water light language and the "breathing 3D scale armor". The ST-Line version also offers 19-inch rims and red calipers that go to great lengths to create a sporty atmosphere.
The tail of the new generation of Mondeo is a bit too heavy, of course, this is also the usual design style of Mondeo. The two taillight groups use a full LED light source, and in homage to their own muscle sports car, THE MUSIC, three vertical light strips are designed in the center of the taillights, which are used as turn signals here. The media in the same industry agreed that if the brake lights were made here, it would be very handsome, and the current brake lights were somewhat unobtrusive, but fortunately, this is not a big problem.
In addition, compared to the fourth-generation model, the new car hides the left and right double exhausts to the bottom, and the rear bumper is two decorative exhaust ports. Perhaps Ford believes that in today's era of electrification, this new car with the same FNV electrification architecture as the Mach-E is not suitable for such a high-profile display of power, and it is best to go through the transition period in a low-key and smooth manner.
Pulling the car door, I finally saw the 1.1-meter-long, 12.3-inch full LCD instrument and 27-inch 4K high-definition touch screen that I had seen countless times in official publicity, which was undoubtedly the most attractive place in this cockpit. I decided to get into the co-pilot first and have a good time. In comparison, the 8-inch capacitive screen SYNC 2 system on my own car is simply impossible to see.
The new car uses Ford SYNC+2.0 Zhixing interconnection system and provides a variety of modern human-computer interaction methods such as face recognition, gesture recognition, AI intelligent voice interaction, and AR real-life road condition online navigation.
What I am most interested in is its split-screen function, the main co-pilot can freely set the status of this 27-inch screen, when the co-pilot is no one, a whole widescreen display navigation map is still very shocking. The only problem is that the position of the logo may be relatively right, and your line of sight will be slightly more deflected. Fortunately, there will also be a map mode in the 12.3-inch LCD meter, and most of the states do not need to turn their heads to obtain navigation information.
If the co-pilot is sitting with your friend, he can divide the large screen into two parts, the central area displays navigation or vehicle information, and the co-driver area can use iQiyi to watch movies or variety shows. Of course, if you need to reset the navigation on the way, the co-pilot can also do it for you, and "fly" the map to the central area through gestures, which is a bit futuristic isn't it?
In addition to its common features, Ford has developed three novel projects for Chinese users: Free Secret, Joint Driving Fun, and Space-Time Secret Letter. Among them, the freedom secret is similar to the refreshing awakening of mercedes-benz cars and the soothing program of BMW, presenting moving images through the brilliant effect of a whole large screen, and the soothing music of B&O audio creates a variety of different styles of audiovisual enjoyment including forest realm, stars into the sea, summer night fireworks and sky realm, under the breeze of intelligent wind, the tired body and mind after a day's work can be completely relaxed. Co-driving fun allows the co-pilot to pay attention to the dynamics of the vehicle like a rally navigator, and information such as speed will also be displayed on the co-pilot screen.
As for the time and space secret letter, it is a function with a very strong Chinese flavor. The owner can edit a simple letter in the system in advance and set a pop-up time. The animation effect when popping up is still very comedic, and it is definitely a surprise for your lover or child on a special day, just like the holiday greeting function of the Mercedes C-class. It can be said that this large screen meets our expectations for it, in addition to smooth touch sensitivity, the function also has Ford's unique careful thinking. In addition, the new car also provides a smart phone key, mobile phone APP remote interconnection and vehicle OTA online upgrade, which should be standard for today's digital era.
Other aspects of the cockpit are much dimmer than the starlight, the overall level of craftsmanship and materials is still online, the overall style is more simplified, and even the air conditioning operation area is canceled, which is something I can't accept. Functions such as seat heating and ventilation are operated on the screen, which is a bit redundant and less secure. In this regard, I still prefer my fourth-generation model. In addition, the ST-Line version of the dashboard and doors will be decorated with large red trim to enhance the sporty atmosphere.
The front and rear seats are a leather + suede hybrid route (only the Supreme and ST-Line), and the padding is very soft, and there is a warm and soft wrapping feeling in the sitting, even our ST-Line version does not have the kind of support I have on my own Mondeo. I think this represents a change in the positioning of new cars.
The 2945mm wheelbase also creates an extravagant rear legroom for the new generation of Mondeo, but compared to my 2013 flagship model, the boss key, rear seat heating, rear windshield power sun blinds, rear entertainment system control and airbag seat belts are gone. As a mid-level car that is purely aimed at home users, these slightly administrative configurations are already difficult to use. In addition, the front windshield heating wire heating and the front seat massage function have also disappeared, and considering its price, I think it is acceptable.
It's time to open. As mentioned earlier, the new car is equipped with a powertrain of 2.0T+8AT as standard, and the official acceleration from zero to 100 kilometers is only 6.2 seconds. However, when I actually drove it, I found that it had long abandoned its former sporty style and put a lot of effort into comfort. Turn the gear change knob to the position of D, press the throttle, but the engine does not pass into the car much noise, the noise suppression in the car is very good.
The 8-speed gearbox has made a qualitative leap compared to my own 6-speed gear, although at low speeds you will still feel the rise and fall of the gear, but you need to listen carefully to distinguish, I am more sensitive to this, most people believe that there will be no attention to this. The acceleration stage is smooth, and the gearbox can be upgraded to 7 gears at 80 km/h and to 8 gears at 97 km/h, at which time the speed is only about 1300 rpm. You'll wonder if it can really reach the official 6.2 seconds, just step on the throttle in sport driving mode or switch to manual mode to pull up the speed, and the vehicle will immediately show its full potential and convince you of the authenticity of the official data.
Enough is enough, or the economy or standard mode is more suitable, its slightly relaxed steering force and the flexible chassis that seems to filter out all the bumps make it difficult to really make it crazy to ravage it, and using the BlueCruise Active Driver Assistance System to cruise at a comfortable and uniform speed is the right way to drive. Its fuel consumption was stable at about 9 liters per 100 kilometers, and only when it was occasionally indulged would it rise to 12 liters per 100 kilometers, and my last knot was completely unraveled.
In terms of urban convenience and comfort, the new generation of Mondeo also offers European stocks such as reverse emergency braking, automatic start-stop, AUTOHOLD automatic parking, 360-degree panoramic imaging, automatic parking/automatic driving out of vertical parking spaces, and two-piece panoramic sunroofs that are not available in the fourth generation.
In addition, the Ford vehicle-road coordination system, which includes functions such as green wave speed guidance and signal light information push, has also been equipped to use, but there are still certain geographical restrictions, at least in Beijing, we cannot experience this new achievement of intelligent transportation.
This is the new generation of Mondeo, the "most familiar stranger" to me. It has a faint shadow of the previous generation of models in and out, but it has undergone a huge change in model positioning, intelligence and digitalization. Moreover, its gearbox is smoother, fuel consumption is lower, and the rear space is more abundant. Most importantly, the price is beautiful. Therefore, for this replacement, I gave 90 points, and the remaining 10 points should be nostalgic for its glorious moments as a well-known global car.
Specifications
Changan Ford's new generation of Mondeo
EcoBoost 245 ST-Line
Price: from 216,800 yuan
Engine: L4, turbocharged
Displacement: 1999mL
Maximum power:
175kW/5500rpm
Maximum torque:
376Nm/2500～3750rpm
transmission:
8 speed hand self-contained
Length/Width/Height:
4935/1875/1500mm
Wheelbase: 2945mm
Drive mode:
Front-mounted front drive
Braking system (front/rear):
Ventilated/solid disc
Suspension system (front/rear):
McPherson/Multi link
Tire: 235/45R19
Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h:
6.2s
Maximum speed: 220 km/h
Combined fuel consumption (WLTC): 7.37L/100km
Text/Pei Lei Photo/Li Xiao