Official: Ford Mondeo

[Sage]

Ford has good gone done a good thing and kept true to the concepts and mules that we’ve been seeing.

autoblog.com/…/new-ford-mondeo-revealed-will-debut-in-geneva/

Still no mention of America though.

 

[TopHat]

Looks nice, but still horribly bland all at the same time, to be honest its almost teutonic in its styling.

Its like a jellybean.

 

[skip0110]

Oh, hotness.

 

[Tornado]

Why does the front look like an exact recreation of the Lexus IS and a Toyota Camry? Can't ford at least rip off good looking cars?

 

[YSSMAN]

This is still by-far the best looking car that Ford makes outside of the Mustang, as it easily puts the Taurus twins to shame when it comes to how a Ford should look. It is just so disappointing seeing the discrepancy between Ford North America and Ford Europe. The Mondeo is just so much better than the Taurus or the Fusion, both inside and out, and it is an absolute shame that Ford hasn't realized that they need to globalize their product lines (like GM and Chrysler).

Big thumbs up to Ford on this one, now we just have to find a way to get it to come to North America...

 

[Tornado]

Big thumbs up to Ford on this one, now we just have to find a way to get it to come to North America...

The chance of them trying to sell the Mondeo here again is about as good as Cadillac selling the BLS here. No way in hell Ford will take the risk with the car again.

 

[Keef]

Looks nice, but still horribly bland all at the same time, to be honest its almost teutonic in its styling.

Its like a jellybean.

Jellybean? Jellybean!? No, my friend, you are mistaken.


This is a jellybean:

 

[Tornado]

Am I the only one in the world who likes the oval Taurus? It seems to be the case.

 

[harrytuttle]

Couldn't this have been the Taurus for the US? Shouldn't this have been the Taurus for the US? Or have we all been down this path before?

 

[YSSMAN]

IMO, if Ford was smart they'd realize that it is cheaper for them to just use one platform on a plethora of cars. Lets ditch the Mazda6-based Fusion, bring over the Mondeo, and just for the hell of it call it the Fusion anyway. The current Fusion will need to be replaced in the not too distant future, so why not use the Mondeo? Or at least what lies beneath it?

...What it comes down to is that the product planners at Ford are absolute morons. General Motors and Chrysler realized not too long ago that it wasn't advantageous for them to sell 500,000 models that all do the same thing in 45 countries. This is why we are seeing the Opel/Vauxhal models come to America as Saturns, Holdens as Pontiacs and Chevrolets, and other various models to be shared as well. It saves money, increases standards for quality and design, and makes it easier and more balanced for those of us with Europe-envy when it comes to cars.

Eventually Ford will figure out that they screwed up, and by that time, it may be too late. I hate to declare this the beginning of the end, but if Ford doesn't pull their heads out of their ass, things can get sour fast.

 

[Tornado]

...What it comes down to is that the product planners at Ford are absolute morons. General Motors and Chrysler realized not too long ago that it wasn't advantageous for them to sell 500,000 models that all do the same thing in 45 countries. This is why we are seeing the Opel/Vauxhal models come to America as Saturns, Holdens as Pontiacs and Chevrolets, and other various models to be shared as well. It saves money, increases standards for quality and design, and makes it easier and more balanced for those of us with Europe-envy when it comes to cars.

The problem is, though, that every single time they have tried that, only excepting the Escort, the European Ford has failed amongst the American Ford. This leaves Ford backed into the corner even more, because they can't logically see a European car as a solution unless GM's experiments with it take off. This is also a problem, because for every successful Euro-style car GM has sold (Saturn Aura) they have had at least two failures (Pontiac GTO, Cadillac Catera, Chevrolet Malibu).

 

[YSSMAN]

I've got a few problems with that above:

1) The Mondeo failed because it really didn't have any kind of support from Ford itself. The car was slotted between the slightly smaller Escort and the slightly larger Taurus, and really didn't cover any ground necessary for the company whatsoever. Better product planning would have killed the Taurus (probably), and just made the Mondeo the new car, albeit with a different name. All things considered, the Mondeo received plenty of praise in America and did surprisingly well for the first few years... But when Mercury got their own model, the competition got better, and the world moved on, the Mondeo was left to rot until the last of them left in 2000. If I recall, the car made it onto Car and Driver's 10-Best for a year or so, and the SVT model was a favorite at many American car magazines.

...But you can't dodge poor product planning. Ford dropped the ball on every level with the car. Poor planning inside of the company, poor execution for the marketplace in terms of advertising and awareness, and generally didn't care whether or not the car failed.

The newer models would have made excellent Taurus replacements, but instead we get overwrought Volvo S80s and Mazda6s to choose from. Sure, the Fusion is great, and the Fivehundred had some good qualities, but the Mondeo would have been a far-better choice...

2) GM's previous tests of European-turn-American models didn't go as bad as everyone seems to think they did. Certainly the Catera didn't do what it should have, but again, poor product planning on behalf of Cadillac limited what the car could do. As for the GTO, it was a "success" in proving that GM had some aces up their sleeve, but again it was GM's fault for over-estimating what the public would want, and thereby overshot production numbers. Pontiac dealers here in Michigan were still clamoring for GTOs up until a few months ago, and used models still hold their value rather well.

...As for the Malibu, that largely depends on what model you are talking about. The Malibu from not too long ago was a mess by the time they deemed it the "Chevrolet Classic," but when it had first debuted, it received it's fair share of praise, and sold rather well for GM. The current Epsilon-based Malibu sits in a similar spot. It isn't overwhelmingly popular, but with those not looking to spend much money, finding something rather reliable, and is rather enjoyable to own, the Epsilon Malibu is doing well.

But even then, GM has already admitted that the last go on the Malibu wasn't executed well enough to make a difference. Chevrolet even contemplated dropping the name Malibu for something else, but had decided against it because of the recognition of the name. The new Malibu should do well for many of the same reasons as the Aura... Good product planning.

I can't stress it enough. If Ford, GM, or Chrysler put their mind to something, they can do it well. Product planning is key, and likely decides what the market will do.

 

[Tornado]

1) The Mondeo failed because it really didn't have any kind of support from Ford itself. The car was slotted between the slightly smaller Escort and the slightly larger Taurus, and really didn't cover any ground necessary for the company whatsoever. Better product planning would have killed the Taurus (probably), and just made the Mondeo the new car, albeit with a different name. All things considered, the Mondeo received plenty of praise in America and did surprisingly well for the first few years... But when Mercury got their own model, the competition got better, and the world moved on, the Mondeo was left to rot until the last of them left in 2000. If I recall, the car made it onto Car and Driver's 10-Best for a year or so, and the SVT model was a favorite at many American car magazines.

A single problem with that above:

The car was slotted between the slightly smaller Escort and the slightly larger Taurus, and really didn't cover any ground necessary for the company whatsoever.

The Mondeo sat in the same slot that the BMW 3-Series sat in at the time. That segment exploded at about the same time the Mondeo came across the pond in Contour form.
Also, the Mondeo wasn't the only car Ford tried to bring over the pond to less than enthusiatic results; lest we forget the Scorpio, the Probe, the Aspire, the Festiva, the Sierra, the Fiesta and the Cougar. It doesn't matter why they failed in Ford's eyes, only that they failed.

 

[Leonidae]

Oh look, it has some eyeliner! first emo Ford I've seen, and have to admit, it works.

 

[YSSMAN]

The Mondeo sat in the same slot that the BMW 3-Series sat in at the time. That segment exploded at about the same time the Mondeo came across the pond in Contour form.
Also, the Mondeo wasn't the only car Ford tried to bring over the pond to less than enthusiatic results; lest we forget the Scorpio, the Probe, the Aspire, the Festiva, the Sierra, the Fiesta and the Cougar. It doesn't matter why they failed in Ford's eyes, only that they failed.

1) Scorpio? I don't recall that one coming here, maybe Canada?

2) Probe? That car was rather successful if I recall correctly, and that was a Mazda, not a Ford UK model. Hell, it was good enough where they almost replaced the Mustang with it...

3) Aspire? You do know that it was a Kia, right?

4) Festiva? Again, you do know that it was a KIA, right?

5) Sierra? You mean Merker XR4Ti? The car was so awesome it wasn't even considered to be a Ford in America, funny enough, Bob Lutz was behind the program to bring it to America. Plenty of positive press, no positive public reaction (poor build quality as a cause...).

6) Fiesta? Two years in the US as a model below the Pinto doesn't help much, but it did live-on as the Tempo (wOOt!)...

7) Cougar? Lets see, a Mondeo-based coupe sold as a Mercury? Did Mercury even think they were going to sell that many???

...Previous mistakes aside, Ford could have done a lot to get the right models here, and it has yet to be done. I'd continue to advocate for the assimilation of Ford North America and Ford Europe for as long as I can, but until the idiots in Detroit realize that people aren't going to keep buying the same Focus for 20 years, or that some name can make an otherwise sub-par car magically sell well, there is little hope for anything good at Ford...

 

[Smallhorses]

1) Scorpio? I don't recall that one coming here, maybe Canada?

As with the Sierra, the Scorpio (the original one not the god -awfully ugly one that resembled Mothra from Godzilla) came across as a Merkur not with the actual Ford badging it received in Europe. I've seen plenty of these throughout the US, not just Canada.

This one.

Not this one.

 

[1X83Z]

James Bond's best cars?

1. Z8
2. This
3. E38 740i
4. All else
5. Lotus Esprit

BTW, keep the Mondeo out of the states.

 

[Bram Turismo]

I don't like it.

 

[JCE]

I like the exterior obviously. But the surprise is definately the interior. The center stack and console are brilliant. And America needs an estate--and I don't see a Fusion being turned into one. So the only solution is the Mondeo.

The problem is, though, that every single time they have tried that, only excepting the Escort, the European Ford has failed amongst the American Ford.

I strongly disagree. The Mondeo/Contour/Mystique was a mild sucess, it also got high praise when it came out--I don't deem it a failure mostly because the SVT model is highly sought after by a select group. The SVT Contour is quite a quick reliable car. The Focus as far as I'm concerned IS STILL quite successful, and is the most successful European car to invade America. I'd even say much more successful than the Escort. And, thanks to a Volvo platform the Freestyle also has recieved good reviews--and as soon as the new 3.5L V6 gets put in for the 2008 Taurus/Taurus X models it will probably be quite good.

GM's European quota is just now getting started with the Aura and Astra.

 

[1X83Z]

I strongly disagree. The Mondeo/Contour/Mystique was a mild sucess, it also got high praise when it came out--I don't deem it a failure mostly because the SVT model is highly sought after by a select group.

If that's your criteria for determining success and failure, then you'd consider successes to be the rear-drive Toyota Corolla, the Honda Prelude with 4-wheel steering, the Mazda RX-7 III, the Cadillac Catera, the Acura Integra, and the US Land Rover Defender 90, all of which were cancelled due to poor sales but are 'highly sought after by a select group' or 'got high praise when they debuted.'

The Contour may have been a success in that it was well-received by American media, but it was an economic failure, and when you're running a business, you're looking at the economic side of things more than the reception in media.

 

[JCE]

If that's your criteria for determining success and failure, then you'd consider successes to be the rear-drive Toyota Corolla, the Honda Prelude with 4-wheel steering, the Mazda RX-7 III, the Cadillac Catera, the Acura Integra, and the US Land Rover Defender 90, all of which were cancelled due to poor sales but are 'highly sought after by a select group' or 'got high praise when they debuted.'

Yes, I would actually call everything on that list (minus the Land Rover and Catera) a success in terms of their impact either when they launched or years after they failed with people hunting for them. Look at it this way, without enthusiasts companies might not be inclinded to try something different or desired by the market. I guess my definition and everyone else's is different. That's ok, we are all entitled to our opinions.

 

[1X83Z]

I guess my definition and everyone else's is different. That's ok, we are all entitled to our opinions.

I think when your definition differs from everyone else's, it's time to consider revising your definition!

Then again, Saab's been using the same incorrect definition of a premium sedan for a decade now, so maybe not.

 

[exigeracer]

This is still by-far the best looking car that Ford makes outside of the Mustang, as it easily puts the Taurus twins to shame when it comes to how a Ford should look. It is just so disappointing seeing the discrepancy between Ford North America and Ford Europe. The Mondeo is just so much better than the Taurus or the Fusion, both inside and out, and it is an absolute shame that Ford hasn't realized that they need to globalize their product lines (like GM and Chrysler).

Big thumbs up to Ford on this one, now we just have to find a way to get it to come to North America...

Outside of the Mustang bit, I have never agreed with you more...

 

[YSSMAN]

The Contour may have been a success in that it was well-received by American media, but it was an economic failure, and when you're running a business, you're looking at the economic side of things more than the reception in media.

But I think that is were we're having an issue. It is partially Ford's fault for the failure of the Contour, and we know it. Positioning it between two cars that weren't drastically different killed it off, as you could spend a few dollars less and get a pretty good Escort (or later Focus), or spend a few more dollars and get a pretty decent Taurus.

If Ford was to look seriously at the economic side of things, they've got a pretty clear choice:

- Keep two "pretty good" products running, let the competition get ahead, spend more money in the process
- Kill either the Fusion or the Taurus (probably the Fusion) and give us the Mondeo. Decrease development costs, give Americans the better car, be ahead of the competition.

 

[1X83Z]

Doug loves Taurus.

 

[Omnis]

Jellybean? Jellybean!? No, my friend, you are mistaken.


This is a jellybean:

Whoever designed that Taurus was a fan of:

 

[bennyrrr]

I believe Mr. Bond drove a BMW 750il. http://d6751420.u103.surftown.dk/Front.html Scroll down to the movie.

 

[1X83Z]

Whoever designed that Taurus was a fan of:

You have it wrong...

I believe Mr. Bond drove a BMW 750il. http://d6751420.u103.surftown.dk/Front.html Scroll down to the movie

Actually, it was an E38 750i M Sport - a car we never even got in the states. Standard wheelbase V12 - oh how it purrs.

 

[Sage]

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=15342