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Yes, it's a Mondeo and no, you don't have to be much of a car buff to know that. But, if you will, there are two main points to note. Firstly, this is the newest, latest Mondeo - revised, refreshed and all spruced up inside out. Secondly, our market will only get a 2.3-litre engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Even punters were impressed by this new Mondeo. They were, however, speculating that this Mondeo is running on the same 2.3-litre engine seen in the previous Mazda 6 and a suspension set-up developed together by Ford and Volvo. Well, when you're a company with brands like Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover under your belt, anything is possible.

Exterior

Ford is on a roll at the moment, with its new "Kinetic Design" - Ford's new design language. This new design language does make itself obvious, as just by taking a glimpse, you'll notice how attention to details is something worth pointing out with this new Mondeo. To begin with, it has a proportionate and nicely sculpted exterior, which ultimately, gives it a good balance between sporty and elegance - it will never look out of place at the country club or the shopping mall. From certain angles, our test car here doesn't seem to portray it as a 5-door too, so much so that it can pass off as a sedan.

Scrutinise the exterior bits a little more, and you'll be able to notice little details, like the nicely-sized door handle, side signal repeaters that has small air vents, two exhaust pipes and, to top it off, chunky seven-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels. But what I can't comprehend though is the placement of the roof-mounted antenna - I reckon it will look much better on the rear part of the roof! Besides that, all is well with the Mondeo?s exterior.

Interior

The interior has an upmarket feel to it, uncannily like a Volvo's. So yes, it's dark, impressively solid and ergonomically focused towards the driver. But you just can't deny, despite how much effort was put in by the designers to make the interior livelier by adding the silver bits, it is still plain. The leather used throughout the interior has an upmarket feel to it, giving it an extra edge. Factory-fitted sunroof comes standard too, together with the new Sony in-dash radio and eight speakers. Reach and rake adjustable, the fully leathered steering wheel is nicely sized, and the convenient steering-mounted controls make it a sweeter deal.

It has commendable boot space too. Both deep and wide, it should be able to pack in at least three golf bags.

Driving it

Alongside the 161bhp peak output delivered at 6,500rpm, a decent 208Nm of torque is also churned out from just 4,000rpm. As a result, this isn't a car that needs working hard to provide its best.

Should you find yourself bumbling along and then rapidly needing to get a move on, the engine offers responsiveness to suit. And when 4,000rpm is approaching on the rev counter, say, just as the bendy-bus you're overtaking proves longer than you might have expected, there's a further kick of acceleration available up to 6,000rpm. The Duratec unit's eager grunts are quite memorable, and they don't really intrude into the cabin when stretched hard.

Meanwhile, the six-speed automatic box swaps between its well-spaced ratios smoothly without any unnecessary drama. It's a slick-shifter when switched to the manual selection mode too, but what's disappointing is the response time during gear changes.

As it is, the Ford Mondeo is already one of the better driver's cars in its class for accurate steering and taut handling. And this latest rendition is clearly out to maintain that reputation.

On the expressway, the Mondeo drives smoothly and quietly. The cabin is well insulated from any road noise, squeaks and rattles were hardly noticed and best of all, ride comfort wasn't badly affected.

Enthusiastic drivers will be handsomely rewarded too. Corners, when taken hard and fast, doesn't seem to shake the Mondeo. In fact, you can still push it hard, ease off the accelerator when u sense understeer setting in, correct your steering and next you know, you're back in line - all this possible thanks to the well sorted suspension set-up, and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). Even the body-roll doesn't set in rudely. Safe to say, the new Mondeo is presently one of the best front-wheel driven car at this side of the competition.

In a nutshell

This new Mondeo feels premium, it almost feels like driving a Volvo. It's obvious why the Mondeo's touted as the 3-series beater in other markets - the Mondeo's a well-packaged car, drives very well, has a spacious interior, a well-sculpted exterior, and to top it all off, an engine that's willing to work its way.

Well, if you've always wanted a 3-series and find the asking price way off your budget, the Mondeo is something worth settling for - it's just one of those cars that after driving it will leave you with a big impression.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Engine: 2,261cc, 4-cylinders in-line, DOHC
Power: 161bhp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 208Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
0-100 km/h: 10.6 seconds

Length / Width / Height: 4,778 / 1,886 / 1,500 mm
Wheelbase: 2,850 mm

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