Solid, quiet power delivery characterises the 138bhp 2.0-litre TDCi engine sampled here; it musters 236lb ft of torque between 1750 and 2240rpm, though up to 251lb ft of overboost is momentarily available. It's soft, civilised, and revs smoothly to the red line.
Our acceleration runs were recorded in damp conditions, explaining the discrepancy between our 10.0sec 0-60mph and Ford’s claimed 0-62mph time of 9.5sec. But this number fails to reveal the thrusting in-gear punch that this engine can deliver.
However, you'll often need to call upon that thrust because the Mondeo's gear ratios are tall, and the engine a little weak before the turbo kicks in; the engine starts to grumble a little if you ask it to amble at 30mph in fourth, for example. That tall gearing almost eliminates engine noise when you’re in sixth on the motorway, though.
It only takes one bend to reveal the excellence of the Mondeo’s chassis. It turns in with swift confidence, and the body comes after it without any of the heave and flop that you might expect. Body composure is impressive, then, but not as striking as the Mondeo’s resistance to understeer, which is emphatic, and your confidence is only heightened by well judged steering that delivers consistent weighting and decent precision.
On the sports suspension and 18in alloys that this test car came with, you’ll have a ride that is just pliant enough to avoid any jostling or jarring, but we’d recommend the standard suspension and wheel size. With this set-up you lose almost nothing in body composure, and gain a ride that often teeters on the exceptional.
ESP is standard, and there’s an optional electronic, adaptive damper set-up called CCD (continuously controlled damping) that functions in league with Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control (IVDC).
The minor spoiler here is the braking. There are no issues with stopping power, but the pedal feels over-servoed and we found it hard to heel and toe.
