How economical is it? Ford quotes official fuel economy figures of between 47.9mpg and 51.4mpg on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle. Over the course of a week, we achieved an average of 41.4mpg in real-world driving conditions. What does it cost? The Ford Mondeo Hybrid is available in four versions and two body styles, a four-door saloon or five-door estate. The four-door Zetec Edition Hybrid starts things off at £26,655, and includes 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, LED daytime running lights and tail lamps, Traffic Sign Recognition, as well as an 8-inch SYNC 3 colour touchscreen infotainment system. The £28,495 Titanium Edition Hybrid adds 18-inch wheels, auto lights and wipers, an auto-dimming interior mirror, ‘premium’ leather seats and a 10-inch colour TFT driver’s instrument display. The £29,795 ST-Line Edition adds an ST-Line body kit, 19-inch alloy wheels, aluminium pedals, front partial leather sports seats, rear privacy glass, and sports suspension. The top-of-the-tree Vignale Hybrid is the most luxurious Mondeo available with prices starting at £32,395. Showcasing hand-finished craftmanship, the Mondeo Vignale offers specific exterior styling details and a special range of colours, ambient interior lighting, a heated steering wheel, LED adaptive headlights, a powered tailgate and rear view camera, a Sony audio system with 12 speakers, as well as integrated active noise control, which uses three cabin microphones to monitor engine noise in the interior. Opposing sound waves are then fed through the car’s audio system to cancel out engine noise. The Mondeo Estate Hybrid models cost around £1,500 more than the four-door
saloon prices quoted here, with the Vignale Estate tested pegged at £33,795. How much does it cost to tax? At £165 for the first year, the 127g/km, four-door Zetec Edition is the cheapest Ford Mondeo Hybrid in respect of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). This reverts to £140 in the years thereafter, as the hybrid Mondeo is classed as an ‘alternatively-fuelled vehicle’ (AFV), and so invites the £10 AFV discount off the £150 standard rate. The range-topping 134g/km Mondeo Estate Hybrid Vignale costs £205 in VED during the first year, once again dropping to £140 in the following years. Benefit In Kind is currently 29 per cent for the Vignale version of the large hybrid Ford. Why does my fleet need one? At odds with the current trend for high-riding SUVs, the Mondeo represents the old guard, the traditional family ferrying car. And for some, that equation still adds up. Spacious and nicely finished (especially in Vignale guise), the Mondeo Estate Hybrid is a very satisfying cruiser. There’s no doubt its hybrid powertrain improves fuel consumption over a nonhybridised petrol Mondeo, but that’s theoretical anyway, as there isn’t one. However, in most circumstances, an EcoBlue diesel model would offer both better economy and performance, the hybrid still having the upper hand when it comes to taxation. Improved quality and a high level of refinement are supreme selling points, but there’s little denying a plug-in hybrid drivetrain would add benefits when it comes to efficiency and running costs. Unrivalled in its segment, as it stands, there’s a lot to like about the opulent-feeling and comfortable petrolelectric Mondeo. However, when it comes to the hybrid powertrain, there’s significant untapped potential, too. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.ford.co.uk
Ford Mondeo Estate Vignale Hybrid
Road Test
obvious step when loading in large items. Laden to the roof with the rear seats up, the hybrid Mondeo Estate holds only 633 litres, down from the 755 litres of its diesel-engined siblings.
ENGINE: 1,999cc 184bhp four-cylinder petrol engine, 118bhp/88kW electric motor, 1.4kWh lithium-ion battery CO2 (WLTP):
134g/km
NOx:
27mg/km
MPG (WLTP):
47.9-51.4
GF MPG: VED:
41.4
£205 first-year, £140 thereafter
BIK:
29%
PRICE (OTR):
£33,795 (including VAT, £35,540 as tested)
Ford’s electrified future
Ford might have been late to the electrification party, but it is now on course to electrify more than 50 per cent of its range by the end of 2022, the date at which it expects the tipping point of electrified versus petrol and diesel powertrains to have been reached. In addition to the Mondeo Hybrid, the new Puma and Kuga SUVs are now available in hybrid versions, the latter extending to a plug-in model. Available to pre-order now, the Mustang Mach-E all-electric SUV marks the company’s first all-electric model since the zeroemission Ford Focus of 2011. The company states that every new Ford passenger vehicle nameplate will include an electrified option in the future – a mild-hybrid, full-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric – and will launch a total of 17 electrified vehicles in Europe by 2024. By the 2022 tipping point, it expects to have sold one million electrified passenger vehicles. In addition, its light commercial vehicle range will also be electrified. Plug-in and mild hybrid versions of Transit and Transit Custom are already available (along with a PHEV version of the passenger-carrying Tourneo Custom), and a fully electric Transit is mooted to arrive in 2021.
Issue 127 | GREENFLEET MAGAZINE
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