FORD has lifted the wraps on its sporty Mondeo ST‑Line model, the latest in a new range inspired by Ford Performance vehicles.
The newcomer features sport suspension and body styling, unique alloy wheel designs plus sport seats, a perforated leather steering wheel and alloy pedals.
It joins the Fiesta and Focus ST-Line models on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend, where Ford is showing a range of performance vehicles ranging from the GT Le Mans race car to the new Fiesta ST200 hot hatch.
Fiesta and Focus ST-Line have both been available to order since earlier this month and are designed for enthusiasts who want the hot hatch image without the full-on performance delivered by optimised ST engines and chassis.
Up for grabs in five-door and estate body styles, the Mondeo ST-Line comes with a honeycomb design for the upper and lower front grilles in high-gloss black, LED daytime running lamps with light tube styling and new rectangular fog lamps.
Buyers also get a front bumper lip spoiler and sculptured side-skirts in the car’s body colour, a sports rear bumper with high-gloss black diffuser-style insert, silver tailpipe surrounds and lowered suspension.
That’s in addition to new 18 or 19-inch metallic grey alloy wheels, sports seats with red stitching, a perforated leather ST-style steering wheel and, in the case of the estate, a rear roof spoiler.
The engine range includes a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel with 150PS and six-speed manual or six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission offering from 112g/km of CO2 emissions and 65.7mpg economy.
There’s also a 180PS 2.0-litre diesel with the same transmissions and capable of returning 62.8mpg and emissions of 117g/km.
Automatic models also get steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters and four-wheel drive.
Ford vice-president Roelant de Waard said: “The new Mondeo ST-Line is our sportiest Mondeo since we introduced the ST220 model in 2002. It adds another dimension to the broad Mondeo line-up that offers options from the fuel-efficient Mondeo ECOnetic and Mondeo Hybrid models, to the exclusive and upscale Mondeo Vignale.
“This year we expect to sell 40,000 performance cars in Europe, a 50 per cent increase compared with 2015, which in turn saw performance car sales rise by 61 per cent compared with 2014.”
Prices have yet to be announced.
