FORD’S all-new Mondeo has scooped its first major award – within days of going on sale it has been named as Car of the Year by a leading motoring magazine.
It’s a welcome boost for the troubled car giant which is looking to raise money to support its cash-strapped American operations by selling off its highly regarded European premium brands, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo.
The Mondeo was voted the best new car you can buy in the UK by experts at Auto Express who awarded it a hat trick of gongs – the latest Ford was also named best in the family car class and best estate car in the magazine's annual New Car Honours.
"The new Mondeo is Ford's finest ever car," according to Auto Express editor in chief, David Johns.
"Each and every model, whether hatchback, saloon or estate, has been designed and engineered to the highest standards. The car oozes quality, especially in the cabin which has levels of equipment and comfort which sets new standards for the class."
Ford bosses will get tremendous satisfaction from the fact that the Mondeo beat prestige German rivals including new cars from BMW, Mercedes and Audi to the overall Car of the Year title.
Other major winners included the Vauxhall Corsa (Best Supermini), Honda Civic (Best Compact Family Car and Best Hot Hatch - the Type R), Citroen C4 Picasso (Best MPV) and Korean manufacturer Kia which was given an award for its industry-leading seven-year warranty on the new Ce’ed hatchback.
The Auto Express New Car Honours are the result of what is claimed to be the biggest new car assessment programme carried out by any UK motoring magazine – with over 1,100 new cars independently tested each year on a wide range of key buying criteria, including practicality, value for money, performance, handling and safety.
This year's winners were selected in 19 classes covering every size and class of car.
