Ford · 1992–2000

Ford Contour

The Ford Mondeo I (first generation) is a mid-size car manufactured and marketed by Ford, beginning on 23 November 1992, with sales beginning on 22 March 1993. It is also known as the Mk I Mondeo; the 1996 facelift versions are usually designated Mk II. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk. Intended as a world car, it replaced the Ford Sierra in Europe, the Ford Telstar in a large portion of Asia and other markets, while the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique replaced the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz in North America. Despite being billed as a world car, the only external items the Mondeo shared initially with the Contour were the windscreen, front windows, front mirrors and door handles. Thus, the CDW27 project turned out not to be a true world car in the sense that the original Ford Focus and newer Fords developed under the "One Ford" policy turned out to be. The first generation Mondeo was replaced in 2000, by the larger second generation; in the United States and Canada, the Contour/Mystique were replaced initially by the Focus and later the Fusion.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Predecessor: Ford Sierra

All Ford Contour data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

Design and development

=== Mk I === Instigated in 1986 (just before its Sierra predecessor received a major facelift), the design of the car cost Ford US$6 billion. It was one of the most expensive new-car programmes ever. The Mondeo was significant as its design and marketing were shared between Ford USA in Dearborn and Ford of Europe. Its codename while under development reflected thus: CDW27 signified that it straddled the C and D size classes and was a "world car". The head of the Mondeo project was John Oldfield, headquartered at Ford Dunton in Essex. A large proportion of the high development cost was due to the Mondeo being a completely new design, sharing very little, if anything, with the Ford Sierra. Unlike the Sierra, the Mondeo is front-wheel drive in its most common form, with a rarer four-wheel drive version available on the Mk I car only. Over-optimistically, the floor pan was designed to accept virtually any conceivable drivetrain, from a transverse inline-four engine to a longitudinal V-8. This resulted in a hugely intrusive and mostly disused bellhousing cover and transmission tunnel. Resultingly the front interior, especially the footwells, feels more cramped than would be expected from a vehicle of this size. The Mondeo featured new manual and automatic transmissions and sophisticated suspension design, which give it class-leading handling and ride qualities, and subframes front and rear to give it executive car refinement. The automatic transmission featured electronic control with sport and economy modes plus switchable overdrive. The program manager from 1988, and throughout its early development, was David Price. By 1989, Ford had confirmed that it would be launching an all-new front-wheel drive car to replace the Sierra within the next four years, although it had not

Engines

Along with an all-new platform, the Mondeo also used Ford's then-new Zetec engines, first seen in 1991 in the Ford Escort, Ford Orion and Ford Fiesta. Three versions of the 16-valve Zetec engine were used. The 1.6 L version, rated at 90 PS (66 kW) from the Escort was used, a 1.8 with 115 PS (85 kW) also found in the Escort and Ford Fiesta (105 and 130 metric horsepower (77 and 96 kW)), while a new 136 PS (100 kW) 2.0 L version was launched. An alternative to the Zetec engines was the Endura-D 1.8 L turbo-diesel. This engine had origins in the older 1.6 L diesel design (which in itself was based on the petrol OHV Kent engine block from the Mk1-2 Escort and Mk1 Fiesta) and was used in the Fiesta and elsewhere. Despite its strengths, it was not seen as a strong competitor to other European diesels such as that produced by Peugeot. The contrast between this unit and the competition seemed enormous by the time the engine was dropped in 2000. Strangely, the diesel-powered vehicles could easily be distinguished by dint of their having a slightly redesigned grille so that more air would flow to the top mounted intercooler. A new American designed V6 engine was introduced in 1994 as part of a model line-up review, in the form of the 170 metric horsepower (125 kW) 2.5 L 24-valve V6 Duratec unit, primarily included for markets where four-cylinder petrol engines are not favoured and are usually intended for the upmarket European buyer. This engine, first unveiled in the Mondeo's North American cousin, the Ford Contour, is characterized by its smooth operation, chain-driven camshafts, and additional butterflies in the lower inlet to close of the inlet path to one valve, giving better torque at low engine speeds, this was vacuum operated on the Mk1 and electronically controlled on th

Market

=== Europe === The 1992–1996 range had the following trim levels: UK market Base – 1.6L Zetec, 1.8 L turbodiesel, base trim level, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, estate (replaced by Aspen in 1995) Aspen – 1.6 L Zetec, 1.8 L turbodiesel, base trim level, 5-door hatchback, estate LX – 1.6 L/1.8 L/2.0 L Zetec, 1.8 L turbodiesel, midrange trim level, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, estate GLX – 1.6 L/1.8 L/2.0 L Zetec, 1.8 L turbodiesel, luxury trim level version of the LX, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, estate 24v – 2.5L Duratec V6, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, estate (1994–1995 only) with sports seats and 15” steel wheels and trims Si – 2.0 L 4-cylinder with shorter ratio gearbox, 2.5 L Duratec V6 (Sept 1995- Aug 1996 only), sports version, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, estate, optional 4x4 on 2.0L Zetec Ghia – 1.8 L/2.0 L Zetec, 2.5 L Duratec V6, 1.8 L turbodiesel, midrange trim level, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, estate, optional 4x4 on 2.0L Zetec Ghia X – (1995-1996 only) 2.0L Zetec, 2.5 L Duratec V6, 1.8L turbodiesel, luxury trim level, 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, 5-door estate (from 1995), optional 4x4 on 2.0L Zetec Special edition versions included the 1.8 L Ultima (1993-1994 only) and 1.8 L, 1.8 L turbodiesel Verona (1995-1996 only) models which included a mix of lower and higher model components and exclusive interior trims. The Mk1 was available with a factory or dealer option, RS bodykit, from 1993 to 1995, consisting of additional front and rear aerodynamic bumper styling which was bonded to the factory bumpers, side skirts and a boot lid mounted spoiler on all body shapes, together with a choice of 15” and 16” alloy wheels. A more subtle bodykit was offered as an option from Sept 1995 to Aug 1996 consisting of complete replacement bumper

Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique

The Ford Contour and its rebadged Mercury variant, the Mercury Mystique, are North American versions of the first-generation Ford Mondeo, marketed for the 1995 to 2000 model years as a four-door sedan, replacing the Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz. and manufactured at Kansas City Assembly in Claycomo, Missouri, and Cuautitlán Assembly beginning on August 15, 1994. Co-developed together with the Ford Mondeo Mk 1, the Contour and Mystique shared the Ford CDW27 platform with their European counterpart. In contrast to the 1981 Ford Escort, the Contour was adapted to suit American demands. The three shared major systems, including body structure, powertrain, and suspension. While officially classified a mid-size car, the Contour was among the smallest sedans in the segment, with its interior dimensions becoming a point of criticism. The Contour and Mystique shared two engines with the Mondeo, a 125 hp 2.0 L Zetec inline-4 and a 170 hp 2.5 L Duratec V6; the 1.8L turbodiesel of the Mondeo was never sold in North America. A five-speed manual transmission was standard with both engines, with a four-speed automatic offered with as an option. The Ford Contour was offered in three trim levels: GL (1995-1997), a higher-content LX, and a sporty SE trim. The 2.0L engine was standard on GL and LX versions, with the 2.5L standard with SE trim. As a running change during 1996, a "Sport" option package was introduced for GL and SE-trim models. The Mercury Mystique was produced with two trim levels: standard-trim GS and higher-trim LS (with a "Sport" option package available for both versions); from 1997 to 1999, an undesignated base-trim Mystique was offered. Facelift. Released in January 1997 for the 1998 model year, Ford introduced an updated version of the Contour and Mystique with redesi

Sales

In Europe, the Mondeo was instantly declared a class leader. It was elected Car of the Year in 1994, ahead of PSA's new Xantia model. The facelifted Mondeo was initially popular, being Britain's third-best selling new car in 1996 through to 1998. However, in 1999 it dipped into sixth place and had been outsold by its biggest rival, the Vauxhall Vectra. In North America and Australia, the Contour/Mondeo wasn't as successful. In the United States and Canada, the Contour suffered from market incompatibility with the preceding Ford Tempo, which by the end of its production run was an outdated design from the early 1980s which was sold primarily to lower-end customers and fleets on account of its low price. In contrast, the Contour was significantly more expensive as Ford hoped to sell it on its redeeming qualities; a base model 1995 Contour cost $13,310, which was over $2,000 more expensive than a base model 1994 Tempo, and several hundred dollars more expensive than a fully optioned 1994 Tempo LX, which priced it out of the market for returning Tempo customers. Customers in the Contour's price range were instead drawn to the Taurus which was larger and offered better value for money, or to the Escort which was less expensive. Large factory incentives on the outgoing Taurus throughout 1995 in anticipation of a completely redesigned model due to launch later that year helped the Taurus cut into the Contour's initial market. Anticipating this, Ford moved the Taurus upmarket with the release of the redesigned 1996 model, but poor customer reception to the new model's design and higher price forced Ford to heavily discount it and continuously reduce its base price through its life, reviving the in-showroom competition between the two models. Additionally, the Contour was hurt

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Ford Mondeo (first generation)
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
aka: Ford Contour (North America and Middle East), Mercury Mystique (North America and Middle East)
Production: 23 November 1992–31 August 1996 (pre-facelift), 1 September 1996 – 1 November 2000 (facelift)
Model years: 1993–2001
Assembly: Belgium: Genk (Genk Body & Assembly), Germany: Cologne (Cologne Body %26 Assembly), Taiwan: Zhongli (Ford Lio Ho), Mexico: Cuautitlán (Cuautitlán Assembly), United States: Claycomo, Missouri (Kansas City Assembly)
Designer: John Oldfield (engineer) (1989)
Class: Midsize (D)
Body style: 4-door saloon, 5-door hatchback, 5-door estate
Platform: Ford CDW27 platform
Related: Ford Cougar, Mercury Cougar
Layout: FF layout, AWD layout
Engine: 1.6 L "Zetec" I4 16V (gasoline), 1.8 L "Zetec" I4 16V (gasoline), 1.8 L "Endura-D" I4 8V (turbo diesel), 2.0 L "Zetec" I4 16V (gasoline), 2.0 L "Zetec" I4 16V (gasoline; US), 2.5 L V6 24V (gasoline), 2.5 L "Duratec" V6 24V (gasoline; US)
Transmission: 5-speed MTX-75 manual (US), 4-speed CD4E automatic (US)
Wheelbase: 2704 mm
Length: 4481 mm (1993 saloon, hatch), 4631 mm (1993 estate), 4556 mm (1996 saloon, hatch), 4671 mm (1996 estate)
Width: 1747 mm (1993 saloon, hatch), 1745 mm (1993 estate), 1749 mm (1996)
Height: 1372 mm (saloon, hatchback), 1391 mm (estate)
Predecessor: Ford Sierra (Europe), Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz (North America), Ford Telstar (Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa)
Successor: Ford Mondeo (second generation), Ford Fusion (Americas)