A happy medium? Philip Nolan

(But it comes at a high cost to do your environmental duty)

FORD has sold a hybrid version of the Mondeo for five years in the United States, where the car is badged as the Fusion, so it’s a little surprising that it’s arriving here only now. Doubly so given the fact that the delay has seen Ford cede a lot of ground to Toyota in particular, with its vast hybrid options, and lots of other carmakers that also offer at least partial hybrid versions of their cars.

Where it might score with this Vignale version of the car is with those looking at Lexus. The trim level brings more luxury than we’re used to seeing from Ford, but it’s hard to tell if that’s enough to make people take their eyes off Japan and turn them instead onto the Blue Oval.

Certainly, when you sit into the car, there’s a very definite deluxe feel. The leather upholstery comes with honeycomb stitching on the seats, and the dash too is covered in soft leather. There’s an attractive digital instrument panel with lots of displays to tell if you’re driving in petrol or full electric mode only, or both, and diagrams to show you when regenerative brake energy is recharging the battery, and the percentage charge available.

The Ford Sync3 touchscreen is as attractive as ever, and comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for app integration. I had to send quite a lot of texts while I was driving the car and the dictation function is very handy for this, ensuring you’re not breaking the law (and, as we read here during the week, over 50,000 fixedpenalty notes have been issue in the past two years to drivers caught using smartphones, so hands-free really should be your only option).

So far, so good. The first stumbling block comes in the boot. Usually cavernous in Mondeos, it’s a great deal smaller here, at 383 litres compared to the 550 litres in a non-hybrid model with a tyre repair kit rather than a full-size spare. That’s because of the space taken up by the lithium ion battery, and it also makes the cargo space a split-level affair and not all that easily accessible either because this is a four-door saloon with a traditional boot lid, and not the hatchback style on other Mondeos.

The other downside is the continuous variable transmission. I’m not a fan of CVTs and the one Honda uses is just about the only CVT that doesn’t annoy me. I always feel they’re having trouble finding the sweet spot, though once they do, everything irons itself out. In fact, this car is at its best while cruising on the motorway, where it actually does feel there might be some urgency in the drive. Around the city, it’s grand, but only that and nothing special.

My test car came with attractive 18-inch alloy wheels, metallic Shadow Black paint, adaptive LED headlights that switch from high beam to dips automatically, front and rear parking sensors and rear parking camera, lane-keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, cruise control with speed limiter, heated driver and passenger seats, and the Vignale bodystyling kits, which mostly consists of badges and chrome detailing, and it undeniably is attractive.

This is not a plug-in hybrid, so you don’t have to worry about cables and charge points – the battery is topped up as you drive. That’s a plus for a lot of people who still are resistant to plug-in cars, whether hybrid or full electric. You still get the relevant grants and rebates for hybrids, though, and that means you will save thousands of euro compared to a Mondeo Vignale with a straight petrol or diesel combustion engine.

Ford has plans for 13 hybrids or electric cars by 2020, including a hybrid Mustang, so it certainly seems committed to EVs, even if it’s a little late in the day. What you get here is fuel consumption of a declared 4.2 litres in the combined urban/extraurban driving cycle, and emissions of just 91g/km, for annual motor tax of just €180. Running costs will not be a problem.

Where that issue might arise is in the price. Though cheaper than the petrol or diesel Vignale, the hybrid still checks in at €39,325, compared with the entry-level Mondeo price of €29,395, so your commitment to the environment, and a lot more luxury, would have to be immense.

That’s up to the buyer. With uncertainty still surrounding the ultimate fate of traditional combustion engines, but still not enough charge points for full EVs, hybrids definitely are the happy medium for now. I just wish driving them was a bit more fun.