The design refresh up front includes new and slimmer upper grilles combined with a bolder trapezoid lower grille, restyled bonnet profile and new LED daytime running lights. At the back, Ford's designers reworked the tail lights that now employ LED technology while all body styles receive a new rear deck lid treatment.
With an output of 203HP and a maximum torque of 300Nm, the 2.0L EcoBoost allows the Mondeo to achieve 0-62mph (100km/h) acceleration in 7.9sec (8.2sec for the estate) and reach a top speed of over 144mph (231km/h) for the four and five-door versions or 141mph for estates.
The 2.0-litre SCTi unit, which comes as standard with a six-speed PowerShift wet double-clutch gearbox, produces 203 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque from 1,750 to 4,500 rpm.
Ford didn't clarify in its press release if the new Kuga and Mondeo also benefit from any cosmetic changes of the same subtle nature as those on the S-MAX and Galaxy (the Mondeo pictured above is an '09MY), but here's what the company had to say about the upgrades under the hood.
Starting with the Mondeo, the firm's European competitor in the mid-size saloon and estate segment gains the all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost SCTi gasoline engine with an output of 203HP and a new version of the 2.0-liter TDCi diesel with 163HP, while the 115HP and 140HP variants of the same diesel have been improved.
Furthermore, Ford's Powershift six-speed twin-clutch automatic transmission is fitted as standard with the 2.0-litre EcoBoost gasoline engine and optionally available for the 140HP and 163HP Duratorq TDCi diesel engines.
Together with this transmission, the new Mondeo 2.0 TDCi 163HP delivers a combined fuel economy of 5.6 lt/100km, equal to 42 mpg US and 50.4 mpg UK.
The same 163HP 2.0-liter turbo diesel as well as the six-speed dual clutch transmission also make their way into the Kuga crossover.
With the 163HP diesel engine, the Kuga accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 9.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of 195 km/h or 121mph while achieving a CO2 output of 159g/km in the All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) models with manual transmission.
Ford is enhancing its European range with the release of a more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly, ECOnetic version of the Mondeo. Offered in five-door or estate form, the Mondeo ECOnetic is powered by an optimized 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine with 115HP that is linked to a six-speed manual transmission. Other improvements over the standard Mondeos include low-rolling resistance tires and an optimum gear change indicator, plus aerodynamics-enhancing sports suspension, air deflectors and a rear spoiler. 
The result is a combined fuel economy of 54.3mpg UK (45.2mpg US or 5.2lt/100km), rising to 64.2mpg UK (53.5mpg US or 4.4lt/100km) in motorway cruising with CO2 emissions of 139g/km for both the liftback and station wagon models.
The new Ford Mondeo 2.0-litre ECOnetic is on sale now, with prices in the UK starting from £20,145 on-the-road.
What we have here is a new limited edition version of the Ford Mondeo Estate launched exclusively for the German market. Overall, Ford will offer 500 units of the Mondeo Sport Estate that can be equipped with three different engines, a 145HP 2.0-liter gasoline unit and two turbo diesels, the 140HP 2.0 Duratorq and the 175HP 2.2 Duratorq. What makes this version of the Mondeo special is the MS-Design front and rear bumper aluminum decors, the 17-inch alloy wheels, the tinted windows and the silver roof rails.Inside, Ford has equipped the Mondeo Estate Sport with sport seats dressed in a combination of leather and cloth, aluminum pedals, decorative aluminum trim on the dashboard and instrument panel as well as a few more goodies. Prices for the limited edition Mondeo Estate start from €29,150.
At the AMI Leipzig Motor Show in Germany that runs from March 28 to April 5, 2009, Ford will pull the covers off a new tri-fuel variant of the Mondeo capable of running on gasoline, bio-ethanol (E85) or any mix of these two, as well as on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas). Available in four-door sedan, five-door liftback and in station wagon forms, the tri-fuel Mondeo uses a 2.0-liter Duratec petrol engine and comes equipped with two gas tanks, one with a volume of 70-liters for petrol and E85 and one with 48.8 liters (40 for the Estate) for LPG.
According to Ford, the 2.0-liter Duratec engine produces an output of 145HP when running on petrol and/or E85, and 141HP on LPG. With LPG, the Mondeo Sedan and Liftback models can cover an estimated total of 460 km (286 miles) while the Estate, 380 km (236 miles), before running dry. When running on conventional fuel and/or E85, the Mondeo has a range of 850 km (529 miles), meaning that the combined range is over 1,200 km (746 miles).
Ford said that its tri-fuel Mondeo cars will go on sale in selected European markets from April with prices starting in Germany from €27,500 ($35,150 with today's rates). This means that the tri-fuel Mondeo is €250 cheaper than the comparable diesel-powered, Mondeo 2.0-liter TDCi 140HP.
(Photos: Standard Mondeo)
