AIMS: Four and five doors for Mondeo, and Focus lifts the roof

Locally-produced performance variants grabbed enthusiasts' attention at the combined Ford and FPV stand at AIMS, but the real star of the Blue Oval's quarter acre was the Mondeo range.

It was the first official showing of the fully-imported midsizer which hits dealers showrooms this month.

Pricing and details of Ford Australia's new Mondeo scooped by the Carsales Network last week proved largely correct -- save for the fact we incorrectly stated Ford would launch a sedan only range.

In fact, the Mondeo will also be available as a hatchback from the second-rung Zetec model upwards.

The Mondeo engine lineup includes the base 2.3-litre Duratec four-cylinder petrol engine, in LX (sedan) and Zetec (sedan and hatch) models, that produces 118kW and 208Nm and is mated -- like all new Mondeo models apart from the top-shelf XR5 -- to a six-speed sequential-shifting automatic transmission.

The TDCi model is available in sedan and hatch forms and uses a 2.0-litre Duratorq four-cylinder common-rail turbo diesel producing 96kW of power and a peak torque of 320Nm at 1750rpm.

At the top of the range sits the Australia-only XR5 hatch Mondeo, using the 2.5-litre turbo engine seen in the XR5 Focus.

This Volvo-supplied inline five-cylinder engine produces 162kW at 5000 rpm, along with 320Nm of torque from 1500rpm to 4800rpm.

Ford claims both petrol engines average 9.5lt/100km, while the turbodiesel returns a thrifty 7.3lt/100km -- meaning it is able to cover approximately 950km on a tankful of fuel.

The base Mondeo LX sedan comes with a strong line up of standard equipment including stability control, ABS with EBD and brake assist, a total of seven airbags including a driver's kneebag and full-length curtain airbags, and an enhanced version of Ford's Intelligent Protection System (IPS).

The LX Mondeo has a capless refuelling feature with mis-fuel inhibitor, an automatic hazard warning light and optional voice control command of Bluetooth, audio, climate and phone control systems.

The Zetec sedan and hatch variants come with 17-inch alloy wheels, a dressier grille, a premium eight-speaker MP3 compatible Sony sound system with inbuilt six-disc CD changer, rain sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and leather-wrap steering wheel.

The Mondeo TDCi turbodiesel model is fitted out the same as the Zetec variant.

The Mondeo XR5 is available only with six-speed manual transmission. Wheel size is upped again to 18-inch while there is a lowered sport suspension and a body kit comprising front and rear bumpers, unique upper and lower grilles and rocker panel moulding. The XR5 Mondeo also gets a push-button starter.

Inside, the XR5 gets an enhanced instrument cluster and, like other Mondeos, is optionally available with Ford's Human Machine Interface using steering wheel mounted controls incorporating vehicle related information such as radio, phone and personalised settings. The XR5 also gets a cluster display featuring a 15cm colour screen.

Recommended retail price for the LX is $29,990, while the Zetec and TDCi are $34,990 and $37,990 respectively. The XR5 Turbo is $41,990.

Sedan and hatch models, in Zetec and TDCi models, are priced identically.

An optional $1500 'Cruise Pack' with 16-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel and rear power windows, is available for LX. Further options include prestige paint ($350), voice control with Bluetooth ($450), sunroof ($1900 on Zetec, TDCi and XR5), and leather trim ($2000 on Zetec and TDCi only).

A display veteran having appeared in concept and production form at previous Sydney and Melbourne Shows, the Focus Coupe Cabriolet was officially launched at AIMS. Priced from $45,490 it goes on sale next month.

Look out for our launch review of the new Mondeo range soon.

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