Ford has restructured the Mondeo range, reducing the number of trim levels, cutting on-the-road pricing and adding equipment to bolster its user-chooser appeal.

Gregory sees growth opportunities for user-chooser trims, such as ST-Line.

Available to order from the start of October, Ford’s fleet director, Owen Gregory said the realignment is aimed at improving residual values and offering more attractive lease rates, as well as cutting National Insurance contributions for employers, and Benefit-in-Kind for drivers. Of the 8,530 units registered to the end of August, 85% have gone to fleets.

Zetec Edition becomes the entry point for the new range, priced at £2,500 less than the Zetec it replaces. Standard equipment Zetec Edition upwards now includes autonomous braking at up to 31mph, claimed to cut insurance by up to three bands, and front and rear parking sensors aimed at reducing operating costs for job-need fleets this version is popular with. Dropping the former entry-level Style trim means satellite navigation fitted across the range.

Changes to the Titanium X trim, renamed Titanium Edition, are aimed at bolstering its luxurious appeal and attracting user-choosers. Accounting for almost half of all Mondeos registered in the UK, and growing volumes overall, this adds heated leather seats with ten-way electric adjustment, and memory functions for the driver’s side. On-the-road pricing has been cut by £2,000, and it’s offered with the full engine range, except for the most and least powerful petrol units.

Above the core models, the range splits into sports and luxury-honed versions, similar to premium-brand models. ST-Line is retained, but priced at £3,200 less, while ST-Line X has been replaced by the ST-Line Edition, which gets larger 19-inch alloy wheels and rear privacy glass, despite a £2,500 price cut. Both are seen as growth areas for the Mondeo, especially in true fleet, currently accounting for around 10% of overall volume. The luxurious Vignale gets a £3,000 price reduction, and includes the £250 optional Nero styling pack as standard equipment.

“The overall intent is that we add more distinctiveness into those two areas; sportiness and luxury,” said Gregory. “So more equipment, but delivered in a way that the acquisition price and operating costs for fleets remain broadly unchanged.”

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