If you’ve been eyeing the Ford Mondeo or S-MAX, the neat news is that the juiced-up variants said to be arriving are finally here, without fuss or fanfare – Sime Darby Auto ConneXion has quietly introduced the 240 PS EcoBoost versions for both vehicles, and these replace the previous 203 PS models.
The uprated version of the 2.0 litre EcoBoost mill offers 240 PS at 6,000 rpm and 340 Nm at 1,900 to 3,500 rpm. Aside from the increased output, the vehicles get some revised kit, especially in the case of the Mondeo, to offset the price increase that has also come about.
The 240 PS Mondeo, which goes for RM193,888 on-the-road with insurance, gets a full Titanium bodykit comprising a new grille, front, rear and side skirting, and there’s also mention of a new design 17-inch alloy wheel in the brochure.
For the interior, the previous leather and Alcantara for the seats and door cards have been replaced by full Nappa leather, in a Windsor Ebony shade. Also, a Sony audio system with nine speakers goes on in place of the non-Sony eight-speaker system found on the 203 PS version, and there’s now USB connectivity.
Less change on the S-MAX, which gets a fixed panoramic sunroof as the sole new item, though the price for the people mover is still under the 200 grand mark, at RM198,888, again OTR with insurance.
Gallery and brochures after the jump.
Ah shoot. I bought the wrong car last year. Should have waited for this. DARNN!!!
Haha, padan muka. You should have been wise and wait to buy the awesome Preve instead. LOL!!!
preve better than this and that…protong supporter will babbling the same quote over and over again….even ur top preve cant compete with this ford..pffttttt
Ford D segment, Preve C segment. Some more 3 times the price. Of course it can’t compete. With cars in its price range it can easily compete. Or perhaps even in its segment.
Preverete is F segment, a unique category for Purotong.
FAILURE!!!
Preve is awesome? Dream on, it is just car for poor people like you who think a Preve car is hell of a great
The Preve is probably better than any other car on sale in Malaysia at this price point. I think it could do rather well in other countries, if it is a bit cheaper than the Koreans, but offers all the same bells and whistles and a proper handling. However of course it isn’t better than a much more expensive fully spec’ed Conti.
Well…. just to console you, at least you don’t have to go through BAD AFTER SALES SERVICE by SIME DARBY :)
Great products from Ford, no doubt …. just the dealership needs serious improvement.
Lim
U do have a valid point there.
Sime darby is known for that.
And Mr Hiro, just go away. You are obviously not wanted here based on the amount of thumb down u get. You might not even care about that, but one thing u should care about, is that u are spoiling the proton brand. Now ppl will associate preve owners as idiots.
Something i don want it to happen, cause i do like that car and seeing proton make good cars make me feel all warm inside. But you just spoiled it for me and im sure for most ppl here.
Sigh. We have so many dealers from Sime Darby. Auto Bavaria also sime darby, Hyundai also sime darby, they even have one dealer named sime darby auto performance selling luxury cars. somebody break their monopoly please, malaysian car industry is hopeless :(
RM200,000 for a Ford? In this country? Only if you have money to burn and prepare to keep it for life.
Way overpriced. So much more luxurious choices for that price range.
Name me one that can match the Mondeo for the same price????
And… which one? Camry? Don’t make me laugh.
What makes you so concerned?
This car is not targeting buyer like you anyway.
this car is not for a kopitiam goer like you la. Uncle Kopitiam. Name the ‘lots’ that can compete with mondeo la, name it now!
Thats the sad part isn’t it? I drive a Ford Focus TDCi….really a gorgeous car…powerful, economical and everything..I can find a single fault…I can also compete with a BMW2.0. I don’t really see why I should buy the Beemers and Mercs and pay double for almost the same specs but just some extra electronics. If I am upgrading to a D segment, I will definitely consider the Mondeo, along side the Peugeot 408 and Passat and will not go closer to the Toyotas and Hondas. Guys, please do drive the Ford (Focus and Mondeo) and judge for yourselves.
People in Malaysia are so influenced by Japanese models. Sure most of them are reliable, but the specs and quality we get here in comparison with the price tags are just rubbish. We can now get affordable contis like Ford and VW with great handling, economy, and built quality that are worth owing.
This is THE CAR everyone eyeing for BMW 3 series and C class should at least consider.
There is some serious muscle in it.
Plus the Mondeo has 6-speed manual transmission which is very delicious.
unfortunately the local mondeo doesn’t come with 6MT but instead uses a 6 speed dual clutch Powershift which will still be better than the torque converters out there
unfortunately the local mondeo will not have a 6MT
it instead comes with 6 speed dual clutch Powershift
tapau new camry kaw2
Hidden due to lowcomment rating. Click here to see.
Well, Malaysians don’t buy what is better, they buy the car with the better image and better resale value. If a Lada Niva would have a great resale value, everyone in Malaysia would be driving the Lada Niva.
pricing lets it down? ok. then u expect it to to 99,999.99 is it? and u will say, “this car is SUPERB is it? no brainers are everywhere lah!
Will definitely give the upcoming Camry a run for its money!
If only people can get rid of their ‘ low resale value’ mindset.
so so expensive :(
but cheaper than mini cooper s n vw gti?
i know… it is SO SO expensive like you said..
but SO ARE THESE NEW CARS IN MALAYSIA:
1. Renaultsport Clio 200 Cup – RM199k (200ps) hot hatch
2. Renaultsport Megane RS 250 Cup – RM236k (250ps) hot hatch/coupe
3. VW Sharan – RM245k-269k(208hp) – 7 seater
4. Toyota 86 – RM243k (200ps) 2+2 sportscar
5. VW Passat – RM185k (160hp) 5 seater
6. VW Golf GTI – RM210k (210hp) hot hatch
7. Lotus Elise – RM238k (138hp) 2-seater sportscar
8. Mazda 8 – RM193k 7 seater
9. Mazda CX-7 – RM260k (230hp) 5 seater
The list goes on and on… the point I am making here is – what is out there that is cheap (and good value) to you or the rest of us? A Proton Preve may be… hahahahah
Camry 2.0 of course! Only 150k and great resale value.
lol.
The Sharan is pretty overpriced, hopefully Ford will introduce the Galaxy at a much more competitive price. They did offer the S-Max for 185k once… the S-Max is 29k Euro, the Galaxy 26k. The Galaxy doesn’t need a powerful engine, because it’s meant as a comfortable big family car with 7 decent seats (same like the Sharan). Price it at 180k and it’d be great value for a great car. Especially if it has one of those wonderful engines, even the 115 hp 1.6 is perfectly adequate.
The idea of a reasonably priced (RM170k-180k) 7 seater FordGalaxy mpv is surely enticing..
Not sure if that is realistic though. They could probably do it, after all they were able to offer the S-Max for 185k or so, and the Galaxy is a cheaper car. But the government might think “it’s bigger, so it has to be more expensive” and dictate a higher price.
On the other hand it’s not really competition for any Malaysian car. The Exora is somewhat similarly sized, but 1/2 the price. Just like several years ago where a 7 seater Conti could be sold for 70k, because there simply wasn’t any competition from P1 and P2 (and 7 seaters even got lower tax rates!).
I guess the pricing strategy for cars in this segment in Malaysia boils down to whether to make as much margin per car or to sell as much volume as possible. So using the Camry and Accord as the benchmarks, most other car makers prefer to go for higher margin thus sacrifing volume. They seem to have no confidence in meeting Toyota and Honda head on in terms of pricing because they’re unsure of the market acceptance for their models.
If they’re to undercut the Camry and Accord their margins might be razor thin and the volumes may still not come. They are also afraid of what low pricing might do to the brand image. So they put up their hands and surrender the volume to Toyota and Honda and hope there will be some Malaysians who will still be interested to buy their overpriced cars.
If only Ford has the guts to price the Mondeo perhaps just a few RM’000 above the Camry and the Accord and improve on their after sales service and parts pricing, I for one will definitely ditch the Japs and go American.
Well, to be fair the Mondeo is so far ahead of the Camry and Accord… you wouldn’t ask BMW to price their D segment 3 series like an entry level Camry, would you? In terms of features, performance, safety, handling the Mondeo is in a different class. Of course it costs more. It’s way closer to the 3 series than to the Camry.
The margins that Toyota and Honda have must be enormous. The cars are often built in ASEAN countries, so they are taxed the same way as Proton and Perodua are (as opposed to the Contis which are often CBU or CKD and thus taxed higher). Their cars come without anything that is expensive. Modern tech, safety features, all missing. Makes it cheaper to produce (and who knows if they don’t use cheaper materials too).
You don’t really want to compare the Camry 2.0 with the Mondeo, do you? 2 airbags vs 7. No ESP vs ESP. No traction control vs traction control. 4 speed torque converter vs 6 speed DSG. 148 hp vs 240 hp. And many more things. Against the Mondeo even the Camry 2.4 looks extremely overpriced.
For most Malaysian, car priced over 100k are considered as expensive. Nevertheless, if we can afford the car, sure most of us will not say it’s expensive.
The word”expensive” is depend on your own opinion. If you only afford to get a car priced lower than 50k, then you would say this car is well expensive and overpriced.
Yet for some people with plenty of budget to spend on, even 200k or 500k, for them is not really that expensive.
For those who cannot afford a car, they would say a car priced 40k also very expensive and overpriced!
That’s why we still can see there are people still buying cars priced over 200k, while some others just use the public transports.
And again, the advice here is, buy the car that we afford to buy, use it properly, love it. We can compared and complain this or that are overpriced or this car has better spec than the others However, it wouldn’t change the outcome of the situation. Unless you can build and sell your own car or there is changes in the government policies. Because, in reality, as what we all know, all car in Malaysia (either national cars or imported cars) are expensive!
Good specs for the Mondeo compared to when it first arrived and i was quite disaapointed with the interior. This one should propel the Mondeo ahead of the Japs and even VWs.
Price is a bit steep though.
The 203PS Mondeo was already ahead of the Japanese and the Passat. I do agree that this new price puts it much closer to the Audi A4.
As much as i like the new Passat and Peugeot 508, this new Mondeo is really giving these rivals a run for its money based on power alone, not to mention the high spec.
Anthony. The 203PS S-Max already came with the Sony 9-speaker system with USB charging.
Ah, thought that which was highlighted in bold in the brochure denoted that which was new. Thanks for the correction!
Ford car spare parts pricing on par with Mercedes and BMW but none of the prestige
ehhh … the multi display, navi, reverse cam still missing …
Are there even maps for the navi? It would be rather pointless to have a navi in the car without maps…
Reverse cam can be fitted later.
since they are not selling many units of this car….they choose to avoid the korean, jap and euro competition in the 140-180k segment and went into upmarket status with lots of kit and power.
ehhh … the multi display, navi, reverse cam still missing …
Well, how about offering a CHEAPER alternative? Maybe THEN they could sell a few cars? It’s idiotic to move the car upmarket when the image isn’t even enough to sell them at the same price point. Look at how well the Skoda Superb is doing! Wonderful car, but I don’t think they sold a single Superb yet.
MARVELOUS!!! I just love it, best in handling and performance NOW, really!!!!
For the amount of kit, luxuries, and power you are getting, the 194k asking price is a very competitive if not value for money price indeed!
But they should have kept both the 204ps version alongside with this to give people more choice.
I would definitely rather save up longer to buy this sedan compared to the other rivals, especially the incoming very overpriced and poverty spec new Camry.
I think they should have introduced a lower end version. Like lets say 140-170 hp, no leather seats, a bit less kit, but all the safety. And then sell it for 150k.
Also I think moving up the S-Max price is a bad idea, unless they want to introduce the Galaxy as an more affordable and practical alternative (in Europe the Galaxy, despite being a proper 7 seater instead of a well, a 5+2 seater is cheaper than the S-Max, which in turn is the more exciting, more fun to drive and faster car). That would totally screw VW who demands 240k for their Sharan.
still looking forward the new ford focus.
Thailand already launched the new ford focus.. sadly, no diesel version offered currently..
http://www.ford.co.th/en/cars/new-focus
Reduce the price by RM15 – 20k and Ford might find 15 – 20k more buyers.
WTF.. too expensive..design not so good..
NOW THIS IS WHAT YOU CALL A FREAKIN’ UPGRADE!!! Hope others will learn… BEST in the segment… WELL DONE FORD!!!
Preve is a better value for money than this.
You mean cheaper to change front right lower arm?
ya ya ya… why doncha ask if Proton can ever produce engines and drivetrain anything remotely similar to Ford’s ?? And still able to offer good REAL world fuel economy rather than lots of on paper hot air?? LOL
Anyway thanks for making a foold outta yourself in this board.. LOL
You are funny.
Guess you are driving purotong, suit you so much.
potong turbo kit is from china, i am potong vender to potong, had seen them working very hard to put it on, ford’s ecoboost is from usa, ford innovation, try read their web site lah katak di bawah tempurung…
I wont break the bank to buy this..
Too Expensive!
price also increased along with power. but the 200ps is more than enough to smoke its competitor.
Are they doing good? Hardly can see one of this on the road.
The price increase for the Mondeo is quite significant for the amount of kit that has been added
But I guess it is still one of the cheapest car with over 200hp (the cheapest goes to the Mazda 3 MPS, with 255hp)
I guess the Mondeo would be more attractive if they could keep the price below RM190k… oh well
All the car prices can go low IF the government reduce tax lols….
since they have up the price, might as well wait for the 2013 ford mondeo that was unveiled in detroit recently. it looks like an aston martin but at a fraction of the cost. i was impressed with the design.
having said that, i guess this new price will be the precedence for the price of the new model.
I can smell the replacement for 2013 with taurus v6 will coming to our shore soon…
Hopefully not. V6? Why? Consume more fuel and cost more tax? In Malaysia you don’t need more than 115 hp in a D segment car. What for? Top speed is 110, and most drive slower than the speed limit (anywhere). Hell, I drive a Kangoo, which isn’t known for being overpowered, and most of the time I can keep up… actually most of the time I’m the fastest on the road. With a 75 hp car with the aerodynamics of a kitchen cabinet. Even Germans usually don’t drive cars with 240 hp, though 50% of their highways are unrestricted so they could actually use it.
This car is all over in UK…and from that we know that it is good. Anyways both the cars are CBU from Belgium IINM.
The price and branding not on their side, just like the d seg Suzuki…
Only in Malaysia. In Europe Ford has a decent reputation. And Europeans are kind of spoilt in terms of choice of cars. Even the Japanese cars there are so much better than what Malaysians get. Korean cars there are also better than those here, though the difference isn’t so big.
Mondeo is a powerful car indeed.. chase the car in SG plate before with one of the Germans on the highway..struggle to keep up. Ford have a good front-wheel drive system… but some people would go for the less powerful rear-wheel/all wheel german cars. Other than that, it’s the best kitted car for the price range… Camrys/Accords? Sorry.. different pages already…
Now whoever said the Americans can’t build great small engines? The Mondeo may be from Europe, but the 240hp 2L Ecoboost was designed and built in the USA and shipped over to Europe for product specific applications.
This engine can also be found in the new US market Ford Fusion (which will end up as the next gen Mondeo too), and the new Taurus and Explorer…
Fuel economy is really outstanding for such powerful engine, perhaps this is why it is called Ecoboost. Most SG Mondeo owners who bought this 240hp version reported pulling ard 12km/L even in SG often jammed roads.
One slight problem though, the new 240hp version requires premium 97-98 octane fuel to operate at its peak. 95 octane is acceptable but the ECU will reduce engine power slightly to prevent knocking.
really hope no sick guys come here commenting “preve is better” enough of preve’s free publicity guys!!!
the car only looks good in 18″.
I drove a 208ps Mondeo for 6 months for my daily work commute (25km each way)
I recorded an average of 8.2 litres / 100km fuel efficiency over that 6 month period, on a factory new car, RON95.
The boot space impressed me the most, with the capacity of over 800 litres (for comparison, most large cars, like the Camry, only have around 520 litres). Of course it’s a somewhat unfair comparison as the Mondeo is a liftback design, which gives you more luggage space at the cost of… I think… much worse rear visibility due to the larger C pillars.
Official 0-100km sprint is 7.6 seconds, personal testing yielded figures around that range, but of course, only if you have no passengers and cargo and ideally with an empty tank to minimize weight – the fuel tank is 70 litres, so it’s like carrying an additional person when you have a full tank. This car seems made for European roads, i suspect you don’t even hit the 6th (top) gear when you drive at 100kmph, it feels like the computer only shifts up to 6th at 130kmph (top speed is 240kmph). Not that I’ve tried that speed, ahem.
I might have to go back and try the 240ps version now, apparently it hits 0-100kmph in 7.3 seconds.
hi abc,
am thinking of getting a Ford but is wondering whats their aftersales/support like these days, what’ s your aftersales/service centres experience from a mondeo owner’s perpectives?
Any better than before, is Ford under SDAC improving?
I don’t live in Malaysia unfortunately so am unable to comment.
Hi abc,
i am also thinking to get a mondeo.
Appreciate if u could share your driving experience with this car on its good and bad things.
quite difficult to get a test drive in JB.
Disclaimer: before I make additional comment, I need to disclose that I am currently working at an R&D centre for Ford, but purely in a back-end support role.
I’m not sure if the issues I experienced are universal or unique to the car I had.
Bad points:
The PowerShift dual clutch gearbox works well 99% of the time, except sometimes it will downshift very harshly while you are slowing down. It can be a bit of a shock. I guess the computer gets confused sometimes. I know globally there have been larger issues with the PowerShift computers on the new C346 Focus, but I don’t think there are similar issues on the existing Mondeos.
The brake action is very strange when slowing the last bit from say 2kmph to 0kmph – the whole car feels like it lurches forward, like its weight is shifting from the front to the back. In order to get a comfortable stop I need to release the brake pressure carefully just as I hit 0kmph. I never needed to do this with any other car.
Good points:
I like the EcoBoost engine. It’s neither here nor there on cost – yes it’s about 15% more fuel efficient than an equivalent naturally aspirated engine, but you pay more upfront and you need a higher grade of petrol so it’s a wash. But the driving dynamic of it is a lot better than naturally aspirated engines: I feel it is difficult to go back to regular petrol engines once you’ve driven an EcoBoost. Most regular engines reach peak torque at only 4000rpm-5000rpm, so you either have to wait a few seconds while you rev up to a higher speed or you need to downshift. The EcoBoost engine reaches its peak torque at 1750rpm, so when you put your foot down on the accelerator you feel the immediate surge of power. Basically, with this engine, you have “max” power available to you instantly at any time, as you will always be at least 1750rpm while driving. Since the engine never needs to rev hard to achieve optimal torque levels (upshifts are around 3000rpm) the car feels relaxed and quiet even under hard acceleration.
NVH / Interior fit and finish is a tick for me – I didn’t detect any interior noise or vibration at all in the Mondeo after 6 months. But you would hope to expect that in a RM200k car. I have consistently been disappointed with the cabin noise in the Thai made Fiestas (driven two variants of them so far), but I guess you do pay half as much for them as a Mondeo: or maybe the manufacturing tolerances in Belgium are much better than in Thailand.
i have the “move forward” in slow mileage in another top German car also…glad that you point out and now i realize why sometimes it behave like that..
About the brakes… it sounds very much like driving a manual gearbox, doesn’t it? You are used to torque converter auto gearboxes? Since DSG uses a regular clutch (well, 2 of them) it would be bad to keep it engaged when the car tries to slow down to a stop. It seems like it would disengage the clutch as soon as you are about to stop, just like you would do in a manual car.
(To be honest it irritates me a lot when driving a torque converter… that the car would try to move forward even when I come to a stop… once I’ve almost crashed into something because of that… braking distance gets increased).
Hm, weird. Usually the 6th gear is only there for fuel economy (lower rpm at high speeds).
I only had the chance to drive the Galaxy (7 seater MPV, probably Estima sized, based on the Mondeo). It had a 1.6 diesel with 115 hp or so, perfectly adequate for 160-180 on the Autobahn. Suspension is comfortable, yet not floaty at 180 km/h. It can corner, though it will obviously lean a bit. The Mondeo should do better than this due to the low center of gravity. The interior was very nice.
The Mondeo comes in sedan, hatchback (your liftback) and estate versions. We are getting the sedan version in Malaysia.
nahh PEVE is much more better and hi resale value than this…(hehehehehe..did i annoyed some one?)
Judging by the thumbs down you got? Yeah, you did annoy some.The majority of the readers, in fact.
Btw, its PREVE, not PEVE
yeah u annoyed me MFB(you can asssume the full words)
hope to get pre-reg unit later….save sume bucks…very nice car & comfort…no wonder most airport taxi in UK using this mondeo. Silent ride yet powerful…not even feel it is moving at 70mph from Macnhester to Sheffield…the rpm just slightly above 2k.
The 203hp Mondeo gets RM8k discount. But only black color available and 3 units left. in PJ Fed Highway showroom Hurry!
As for me, I’m waiting for the NEW Ford Focus Sedan. Salesman said 1st quarter next year.
I looooooovvvve my one-month old SMax….it’s a whole new experience for me to drive it after owning Renault Espace, and then Honda Stream…..
The mileage now stands at around 3000 km, and I think it has “run-in” because I notice that the f.c is improving. Previously, for every 33 litres I pumped, I would get around a sad 280++ km, now it’s around 315 …..close to when I was driving Stream *yeay!!*
But I’m using Ron97 for SMax….. I don’t trust the 95 to work well with the Ecoboost…..
Glad I bought it before the uprated version…sunroofs don’t work with our hot hot weather…
People need to remember that the Mondeo and all the new European Fords are German engineered.. The guru’s of automotive luxury and quality.. In the UK, the Mondeo is directly competing with the likes of Mercedes, BMW, and Audi.. The fact that it runs with this sort of crowd is enough to justify the pricing.. It’s still cheaper than Mercedes and BMW..
I’d rather say it competes with the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra, VW Passat, Toyota Avensis. Which is good enough, cause the Avensis is a better car than our Camry. Of course the lines are floating, you can easily spec a Mondeo so high that you could buy a 3 series instead, but it is better value for money.
I don’t think it is smart of Ford to only offer such a powerful engine. There should be a more entry level version (without bodykit, smaller rims, standard seats, full safety features, less powerful engine (140 hp?)). That could sell better, and one of the main reasons why the Mondeo doesn’t sell is because people don’t see it around. Flooding the market with affordable Mondeos would change that, and then they might be willing to spend a bit more for the performance version. Why not offer a Mondeo ST then?
I like what you said about offering an entry level version the Mondeo so that it’d sell more and people would notice it much easier.. That’s the thing about ford.. The range of spec options is either limited or fixed.. That’s what we’ve seen with the Focus since it was launched in Malaysia.. It’s either the Ghia or the Sport.. But now we have the TDCi.. Despite this, I would love the see a wide range of options for every car they have..
Any clues as to why Ford only offers the top-ish spec Mondeo?
This is what I call a Global Car. Sorry Preve.
or u want to choose to drive a BMW3 or Merz-C. The answer is obvious.
those manufacturer just dont do enough to challenge the top german..
Ford Mondeo is gonna continue to be a very niche car in Malaysia, thanks to it pricing, close to RM200k, so many choices to choose eg Passat etc
Well …. kudos to the Ford Mondeo owners, it’s gonna be real exclusive car …… good or bad ?
Bad, for car enthusiast…
In M’sia, the only car that the G/advantage group would like you to buy are Proton, P2, Naza, etc.
This is for the general ppl to enjoy latest Preve/Saga.
So that the advantage group are able to drive home a few real cars that they like (Porsche, BMW, etc).
But _all_ cars are taxed heavily, except for hybrids and electric cars. It’s just that CKD and especially CBU ones are taxed even higher than local cars and ASEAN built cars (same tax as local cars).
What I also don’t like is that every car and spec seems to need approval, so you can’t just say “ok, I’ll order the Mondeo with the small engine, no bodykit, smaller alloy rims, but I want leather seats, self parking feature, lane keeping feature, sun roof, and please the station wagon.”, wait a few months and there is your Mondeo. You’ll have to take whatever the importer thinks you’ll like. I think it’s this AP nonsense that is keeping the prices of foreign cars high. The government can simply say: “Nope, you aren’t allowed to sell a B segment car for 40k” and that’s that. It seems to me as if they say 70k is the minimum for a B segment car. The amount of kit isn’t as regulated, thus we see a 80k Fiesta with 7 airbags, 120 hp and DSG and a 80k Vios with 2 airbags, 100 hp and a 4 speed torque converter. You can already see how much profit Toyota is making there…
Just like how Hyundai enter the US market to compete with the Jap, full spec for entry level price. They also need at least 10 years to prove the reliability.
Ford however is an established manufacturer in other parts of the world… in fact they produced the first mass produced car (really mass produced). Toyota was founded a whooping 34 years later. Honda 45 years later.
With proper advertising and better SC I think Ford could do rather well. They just have to chance people’s mindset. Show them how experienced Ford is in making cars. How well they are doing overseas. Stress how much better the car is (Renault has an ad in Germany where the Scenic drives next to a Touran and some other car, and they mention specs, and then the Touran and the other car have to drive away, out of view, because they don’t have them. Or they had an ad where Renault would crash all their cars into each other, artfully. Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ETzgd62Elc ).
I think car advertising is a bit lacking in Malaysia. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaQolS9dAmw was rather successful, it says “wins hearts, not beauty pageants”. Or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk5JNnOfZY4 The new Honda Civic ad is also not bad, at least it looks really cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YcgjswoM9U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOqOXd7p5J4 isn’t that bad though… but I’ve never seen it.
btw, to all badge snobs and anyone who thinks Ford should priced and sell these cars even cheaper despite the unavoidable taxes & duties these cars have to suffer, PONDER THIS:
These Mondeo and S-Max have the same 240ps engine that sits in the Volvo XC60 (RM280k) and RANGE ROVER EVOQUE (RM363k)!!!
The 2 Fords are just much or less the same as the Volvo/Range Rover only with less fancy clothing (no designer image/badging, plain bodywork, no 4WD drivetrain or adaptive dampers etc) but anyone who buys them will still get a good chassis and engine/transmission.
The sad fact is that to the Camry/Accord crowd just 150+- bhp, 2 airbags, and any kind of auto tranny are good enough for them. Unless the other players are willing to agressively price their competing models they will always remain a niche player and not mainstream. Remember during the 80’s Citroen tried all the tricks in the book and got some measure of success in getting the numbers but didn’t have the staying power.
I reckon even if the RM190k Mondeo for some reason could sell well and UMW and Honda start to feel threatened, what they’ll do is simply dress up the Camry 2.5 and Accord 2.4 with skirts, spoiler, and go faster TRD/Mugen badges, but with engines and tranny remaining stock. Sell them at RM189k and the crowd will be coming back in droves. Such is the dominance and mindset that is ingrained unless somebody else tries someting drastic to change the status quo.
Haha, I love the go faster TRD and Mugen badges. :D True, probably. Though I wonder why the uncles would care about a faster look…
The young at heart uncles meh! Want to look cool, hip and also get the high resale value..he, he.
Plain bodywork? The Mondeo is a good looking car. Especially the Turnier (station wagon).
Plain when u compare to the evoque or xc60 but if u compare with the camry then the mondeo is like as good looking as james bond!!
Own and driven this wonderful car (203 ps version) for 3 months now, always get the strange look and people asking “what car is it?”, “i didn’t know ford sells this”, bla bla..
Typical conversation goes like this, “Enjin 2.0 only ka?”, “ecoboost 200 horsepower & 300 Nm torque la bro”, “Oo, eco what? tinggi ke rendah tu?”, “turbo, 250 km/j selamba”, “Warggh, minyak sure makan banyak”, “12.9 km/L jer”, “Apo?”, “Satu tank boleh lenjan Gombak – Kuantan pegi-balik.. 2 kali”, “…….”
But when you own it long enough, you’ll start to hear creaking noise due to fitting gaps on the dashboard, not-so-smart auto headlight and rain sensors, too soft & springy suspension, etc. But normal cycle for buying any car (or awek), first you like, then after a while you regret, long enough you’ll ignore, after had enough you let go :)
Isn’t soft suspension exactly what you want in Malaysia? As much as I like the Touran, I just can’t stand the harsh ride on Malaysian roads (not helped by the stupid tyres). For a short while it’s ok, but I wouldn’t want to own it. What I want in Malaysia is a magic carpet ride.
Not so smart auto headlight and rain sensors is pretty typical for every car that is equipped with this, AFAIK. Soon Preve buyers will complain too… and join the ranks of Merc drivers, VW drivers, Ford drivers… I don’t understand what’s wrong with having a few switches. Though auto headlight does make sense in Malaysia, with so many forgetting to turn on their lights, or turn on everything as if their car is a Christmas tree.
strange…went to Ford showroom, no screen on the dashboard..its the old sony player in the previous mondeo.
Mondeo looks really good. I especially like the interior. But the price is too high!
What do you guys think about the Ford S-Max? Seldom see them on the road.
Good car, but few people have the cash to buy a car that will have little resale value (hello Sam Loo…). A MPV sports car basically, that sacrifices space for speed. Been in an older one, and it was fine.
I went to a Proton UK (proton.co.uk) website where they were featuring older models such as Gen 2, Savvy, Satria Neo and the Ecologic. The problem I have is that these Protons were selling for GBP 9,195 for Gen 2, Savvy for GBP 7,995, Satria Neo for GBP 8,495, Ecologic for GBP 10,195 all at an FX of 4.845 to the Pound (1 GBP = RM 4.845). So I checked a similar spec’ed car and if I took the Satria Neo 1.6L auto, it comes out to RM 60,763 in M’sia, where this car is made. If I were to purchase a similar Satria Neo 1.6L auto in Great Britain, it would cost me, GBP 9,295, after FX conversion, it is…RM 45,035. Which brings me to the conclusion, we’re getting royally screwed by Proton, supposedly made in M’sia for M’sians while robbing us blind. Regardless of whether you buy a Mondeo from Ford or any other brand for that matter, at least we, M’sians, are being screwed the proper and legitimate way! Syabas Proton, M’sia Boleh!
You forget the 65% tax the Malaysian government imposes on ALL cars, including Proton. In England a car is taxed at about 20%.
The better question is: Why is a Vios with cutthroat specs 80k? The better speced Yaris costs like 40k elsewhere. Don’t say taxes, because the Vios is produced in Thailand and thus subjected to the same 65%, and that’s it. Same taxes as Proton.
I think you need to revert back to cmpariing apples to apples. Vios is sold at a premium because it is Toyota’s only subcompact. Yaris is not sold in M’sia therefore there isn’t any point in questioning the offering. 65& tax is ridiculous because why is our govt taxing locally made cars? That’s like saying we have to pay more or just as much for eating nasi lemak…
Because that way the Government is earning shitloads of cash. 65% should be the rate for local and ASEAN made cars, CKD is 75 and CBU even more.
Now there may be subsidies to Proton or Perodua that we may not know off. But the tax itself is the same.