Usurping the Mazda-made Ford Telstar in 1995, the German-engineered, Belgian-built first-generation Ford HA-HD Mondeo took on the Toyota Camry Australia's shrinking midsized market, but failed to make a splash despite being offered in keenly-priced sedan, liftback and commodious wagon guises. By 2001, the line was discontinued for the all-new Ford Escape SUV. This means we missed out in the larger second-generation Mondeo.
But skyrocketing fuel prices prompted a rethink, with the stylish third-generation MA Mondeo launching on October 18, 2007 with a diesel as well as a 2.3-litre petrol engine, while a storming Volvo-sourced five-cylinder turbo XR5 brought some much-needed spice to the medium segment. However, sales remained slow, with the 2009 MB dropping the four-door sedan for the return of a wagon. The MC facelift from 2011 to 2014
A Spanish-built five-door liftback or wagon version of the US Ford Fusion sedan, the final Mondeo sold in Australia was the MD released in 2015. It offered a new 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine in two states of tune, as well as an improved turbo-diesel. Though meant to be a de facto Falcon replacement once Ford pulled the plug on Australian manufacturing in October 2016, demand remained tepid, with the Mondeo discontinued for a second time in 2019.
The cheapest grade starts from $30,580, rising to $38,390 for the most expensive version.
This vehicle is also known asĀ Ford Contour (North America), Ford Taurus (North America), Ford Fusion (Americas).