Whichever engine you choose, the Mondeo looks as sharp as a Sabatier, with an Aston Martin-esque grille that wouldn’t look out of place on, well, an Aston Martin. It really is a good piece of design.

Sadly, the same can’t be said of the interior. Because in a segment occupied by the new VW Passat andBMW 3-series, the Mondeo feels decidedly ordinary once you’re sitting inside it. Sure, there’s an 8in touchscreen and you can jazz things up with leather trim, but there’s still a load of scratchy plastics and the general sense of Ford having spent on the whole interior what VW allocates to just the dials. If Ford’s Vignale luxury brand is to catch on, it’ll have to do significantly better than this.

Being enormous (the norm for this class of car nowadays), the Mondeo will swallow five adults and all of their worldly possessions without breaking sweat. Even in the hatchback the boot is a whopping 550 litres, with an estate version further boosting practicality.

^{The interior of the Ford Mondeo features an 8in touchscreen}

There’s also now the kind of technology buyers expect in this class, such as an automatic parking function and a not very good voice activation system.

On the safety side is an optional autonomous emergency braking system that will bring the car to a stop if it detects it is on course for a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian, plus as a first for this sector you can order inflatable rear seatbelts to further protect occupants in a crash.

We drove the 180bhp diesel, which wasn’t nearly as fast as it sounds like it should be. Getting from 0-62mph takes 8.3sec, but it’s the lack of a big surge of mid-range torque that is more noticeable by its absence. Still, CO2 emissions of 115g/km aren’t to be sniffed at (the cleanest Mondeo emits just 94g/km), and it can still be rowed along reasonably swifty. It’s a quiet engine, too, adding to the Mondeo's superb motorway refinement, and in our hands returned an indicated 60mpg.

As with previous versions of the Mondeo, by far and away the standout feature is the balance struck between ride comfort and handling. Even in non-sporty Titanium trim this thing has a rare sense of balance in the corners and poise over the bumps. Part of this is down to a new rear suspension system that’s shared with the latest Mustang, and the rest the result of good old fashioned chassis tuning.

^{The new Mondeo has been sold in the US since 2012 as the Ford Fusion}

A first for a Mondeo, the power steering is electrically rather than hydraulically assisted, in a bid to reduce weight and improve fuel economy. The result, if not ultimately quite as polished as the previous Mondeo’s helm, is still very good by class standards. Perhaps not the quickest, but like the gearshift (and the brakes, and the throttle for that matter), it’s consistent in its response, silky smooth and beautifully weighted; a combination that makes the Mondeo a pleasure to drive on twisting roads – or any road for that matter.

It should be noted, however, that our test car was on adaptive damping, which is an option that will be saved for the Vignale in the UK (along with seats that massage you as you drive). Regular Mondeos will have either a standard or Sport setup, the latter lowered by 10mm and with firmer springs and dampers.

All in all, though, this new Mondeo is big, smooth and handles with more verve than anything else in the class. It might not be destined for huge sales success, but the Mondeo’s arrival in the UK is definitely a case of better late than never.

THE FACTS

Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 180 Titanium

Price: Range from £20,715 (as tested £24,165)

Power/torque: 180bhp @ 3,500rpm/295lb ft @ 2,000-2,500rpm

Acceleration: 0-62mph in 8.3sec

Top speed: 140mph

Fuel economy: 64.2mpg (EU Combined)

CO2 emissions: 115g/km

Telegraph rating: Four out of five stars

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