Ford Mondeo: Tri-Fuel Breaks Cover

Motoring Channel Staff - 12/March/2009

Leipzig, Germany – Ford has announced that it will unveil what could be the word's first tri-fuel vehicle at the Leipzig Motor Show in Germany.

Set to be launched on the opening day of the auto show on March 28th, the new Mondeo variant will be able to run on standard petrol, E85 bio-ethanol and also LPG orliquefied petroleum gas.

The new model will complement the current Ford Mondeo line-up that includes petrol and diesel engines, and will be launched in some European countries in April.

Powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder motor, the tri-fuel Mondeo has slightly different outputs for the different fuels:

Petrol: 108kW (145hp)
Ethanol: 108kW (145hp)
LPG: 105kW (141hp)

Like most LPG-equipped vehicles, the tri-fuel Mondeo has two tanks - one for the LPG and the other for the petrol/ethanol, which are 48 litres and 70 litres in size respectively. 

This will give the new tri-fuel Mondeo an extended cruising range.

Ford of Europe claims the combined range when utilising both tanks is more than 1200km or 745 miles.

The idea of a tri-fuel vehicle makes a lot of sense from where we sit, but because it's an unknown quantity it's success is far from guaranteed.

Australia has a high uptake of LPG-powered vehicles (but not so much E85 ethanol), which could potentially make the vehicle a popular model in this country.

Priced at €27,500 it's cheaper than the 2.0-litre turbo diesel model and the tri-fuel Mondeo will be available in sedan, liftback and wagon variants.

In related Mondeo news, Ford used the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show to announce that it will begin selling the Ford Mondeo wagon variant in Australia.

Arriving locally mid-way through the year, the new Mondeo wagon will expand Ford's mid-sized range of vehicles and will appeal to family and business buyers with increases in boot space and practicality.

The luggage capacity of 542 litres expands to 1733 litres with the rear passenger seats folded flat.

Ford's Mondeo wagon will rival vehicles such as the wagon variants of the Volkswagen Passat and Mazda6.

Ford showed the Focus Zetec variant of the wagon at the Melbourne auto show, powered by a 2.3-litre Duratec petrol engine that outputs 118kW of power and 208Nm of torque. 

It uses a 6-speed automatic transmission.

"First shown at the Melbourne International Motor Show last year, the Mondeo wagon is a fantastic addition to the existing award-winning Mondeo line-up, offering performance, safety, load-carrying ability and plenty of European style to fill the niche between the Mondeo hatch and the Falcon wagon," said Ford Australia's President, Marin Burela.

Some of the features of the new Mondeo Zetec wagon include 17-inch alloy wheels, cruise control, dual zone climate control, a premium Sony audio system, automatic headlights, rain sensing wipers, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, capless refuelling and 'follow me home' lighting.

Safety will hasn't been neglected either: the new Focus Zetec wagon will incorporate an Intelligent Protection System (IPS) that combines a number of safety aids into one over-arching system. 

There's ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD) and emergency brake assist (EBA) that combine with dynamic stability control, an automatic hazard warning light and seven airbags, including a driver's knee airbag and full length side curtain airbags.

We'll have full drive impressions of the new Mondeo wagon when it launches in Australia mid-year.

Related Links:
- Ford Mondeo (Road Test)
- Ford iosis MAX Concept (2010)
- Ford Territory MkII (2009)
- Ford Focus (2009)
- Ford Ka (2009)
- Ford Fiesta (Road Test)
- Ford Falcon G6 (Road Test)
- Ford Focus Diesel (Road Test)
- Ford Focus RS (2009)
- Ford Fiesta XR4 (Road Test)
- Ford Focus XR5 Turbo (Road Test)
- Ford Falcon XR6 Turbo (Road Test)
- Ford Ranger (2009)