19 Feb, 2015 2:00pm
Does size really matter? We might have gone beyond the days where the car’s engine size was part of its badge, but a 1.0-litre engine in a 4.8-metre, 1,445kg Ford Mondeo? Surely that’s stretching the point. So can this tiny engine move the mighty Mondeo out of its own shadow?
The 998cc Ecoboost three cylinder is no longer than a sheet of A4 paper - it’s won the Engine of the Year title three years in succession and it already lives under the bonnet of the Focus and Fiesta. It’s turbocharged and in this application delivers 125bhp and 170Nm of torque. This new 1.0-litre Mondeo goes on sale this summer, priced at under £20,000 in popular Zetec trim.
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To get the best out of the small engine the first three gears in the six-speed manual are closely stacked together, with the top three radios spread apart to give more economical cruising and lower CO2 figures. While fuel economy and CO2 emissions of 55.4mpg and 119g/km are highly respectable, it’s an indication of how hard the engine is working that it is wholly surpassed by 78.4mpg and 94g/km of its 1.5-litre TDCi diesel ECOnetic equivalent, though that car costs almost £2,000 more.
Start her up and the engine thrums through the chassis, although the sound isn’t at all unpleasant. The first three gears do feel quite low and so you need to rev the Ecoboost engine, which it doesn’t mind, but which doesn’t much help the fuel consumption.
There’s a flat linear shove from the turbocharged unit and it never feels over-turbocharged or peaky. It couldn’t be described as fast though, and there’s not a huge amount of pulling power in reserve so you need to watch for over-ambitious overtaking manoeuvres.
Once in the top three gears the revs fall and the engine will maintain motorway speeds at sensible revs and fuel consumption. Add four hefty adults and luggage, however and you’ll struggle in top gear up steeper hills. Serious towing shouldn’t really be considered and at 900kg, its maximum towing weight is lower than other Mondeo models.
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The handling shows the lack of weight in the nose, but only a bit; Mondeo is a big car so the small engine has proportionally less effect on the dynamics. The nose turns in faster than the rest of the Mondeo range but not by much. There’s also a lively ride quality, particularly compared to the rather stolid feel of the diesel Mondeos and you most notice this over crests - where the 1.0-litre model doesn’t heave like its bigger engined sisters. The brakes feel sharper as well and there’s less dive when they are applied hard.
- Price: £19,995
- Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo
- Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
- Power/torque: 125bhp/170Nm
- 0-62mph: 12sec
- Top speed: 124mph
- Economy/CO2: 55.4mpg/119g/km
- On sale: Summer 2015
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