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http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/27/2...ts-spiffed-up/

2011 Ford Mondeo gets spiffed up

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Aug 27th 2010 at 2:58PM



When a car comes with a 48-page press release, well, you know its maker has some special things in mind for it. The 2011 Ford Mondeo, in five-door and wagon styles, is just such a car, with The Blue Oval calling it "the most stylish and technologically advanced Mondeo ever." Visually, the car's main lines haven't changed, but the details have been made sharper: a sleeker front bumper with new LEDs and more aggressive lip, the twin character lines down the side, the chrome trim all around the windows and the new chiseling in the rear valance.

Inside is the familiar story of upgraded materials wrapped around new techno bits. Ambient LED illumination falls from overhead, where also resides a new woven headliner. Driver aids include Lane Departure Warning system, Auto High Beam, Driver Alert, Smart Regenerative Charging and Active Grille Shutter, which opens and closes the grille aperture automatically to promote either cooling or increased aerodynamic efficiency.

Under the hood are new engines, including the Mondeo's first crack at Ford's 237-horsepower, 2.0-liter, four-cylinder EcoBoost. That will be an option alongside the current, 203-hp version. There's also a reworked 2.2-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel putting out 197 hp, the most powerful such engine yet.

It goes on sale as soon as next month at the same starting price as the current Mondeo, £17,295 ($26,842 U.S.), although the Titanium trim gets bumped up £200 to £19,945 ($30,958 U.S.). Follow the jump for an abridged version of the presser, and take your time perusing our huge gallery of high-res photos below.

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