Mid-life improvements for Mondeo

Ford has introduced a series of tweaks for its popular Mondeo. As well as improved petrol and diesel engines, the car is now available with a new twin-clutch transmission, PowerShift, which is similar to the Volkswagen group's DSG gearbox.

The Mondeo's 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine is now available in three different versions with 115, 140 and 163 horsepower. Across-the board improvements in CO2 emissions (now as low as 139 g/km) mean that Ford will no longer offer a separate eco-oriented ECOnetic version of the Mondeo. The PowerShift transmission is available as an option in conjunction with the two more powerful diesel variants.

A new 2.0-litre petrol turbocharged engine is also being made available under the EcoBoost brand; originally introduced in the US, the Ford EcoBoost programme involves the use of smaller, more powerful gasoline engines in order to achieve improved fuel economy and emissions; the Ford S-Max and Galaxy people carriers have already benefited from this change. The Mondeo Ecoboost engine delivers 203 horsepower and models fitted with this engine have the PowerShift transmission as standard; they are capable of accelerating to 62mph in 7.9 seconds and reaching a top speed of 144mph (although estate models are a shade slower). Combined cycle fuel consumption is 36.6mpg and CO2 emissions are 179g/km.

Prices for the 2.0-litre diesels start at £18,995 and those for the EcoBoost petrol models at £22,095.