It used to be that people wanting a frugal car had to buy small. That’s all changing.
BMW broke out of the blocks fastest with their EfficientDynamics 3 Series, which nudges 70mpg and is due out soon. Audi have followed suit with a 60mpg A4.
Ford’s Mondeo Econetic can’t quite match the German green machines for outright frugality, but it is bigger and still returns a very respectable 54.3mpg.
At its heart is a 2.0 litre, 115hp diesel unit, detuned from 140hp but with nearly as much torque.
Aiding economy is a gear change indicator which tells you the best time to move up a gear, low rolling resistance tyres, and six-speed manual transmission with longer ratios. Lowered suspension, air deflectors and a rear spoiler improve aerodynamics, further improving fuel efficiency.
Though on paper 115hp doesn’t sound like a lot, in practice it doesn’t feel much less powerful than the standard 2.0 diesel. Nought to 62mph comes up in 10.9 seconds, and 236lb/ft of torque means most of the engine’s cards are played low down in the rev range, allowing you to set a respectable pace whilst keeping the rev counter in the frugal end of its range.
Over a week of mainly town driving with one longer jaunt to Edinburgh and back, the Mondeo’s trip computer was registering a fuel economy comfortably in the low 40s. Ford claims a motorway economy of over 60mpg for the Econetic. That, coupled with its low company tax banding, ought to make it very popular with fleet buyers.
Despite the lowered suspension, the Mondeo retains one of the features it’s most regularly praised for — its fine ride.
From a smooth motorway to the pothole-ridden road behind The Courier’s offices on Dundee’s Kingsway, it takes everything in its stride.
The smaller low rolling resistance tyres don’t fill out the wheel arches as nicely as those on other Mondeos, but aside from that the Econetic’s a fine looking car. Mine came with optional lightweight 16-inch alloy wheels, which do help its appearance.
My test car also featured front and rear parking sensors. These are handy things to have on a big car like the Mondeo, but these ones don’t cancel until you drive off. Once the car was parked and the gear lever returned to neutral, they continued to bleep away until I turned the engine off.
Annoying.
The rest of the car is as per the standard Mondeo, which I’ve covered before: plenty of room front and rear; a massive boot; fine handling (although the eco tyres offer less grip; and Ford’s excellent heated front windscreen, which clears even heavy frost in no time at all.
If you can live with the fact that it’s one of the most common cars on the road, it’s a very fine and frugal steed.