Swedish car mag says Ford Mondeo is dangerously, illegally overweight [w/video]
Thu, Dec 18 2014
Teknikens Varld claims the wagon is dangerously overweight because it weighs in 4,145 pounds, while Ford officially lists its weight at 3,530 pounds. That 615-pound disparity means that if a family loads it to what they think is the model's gross vehicle weight, it will actually be too heavy, and therefore illegal to drive in Sweden. According to the magazine, when it tried doing this, the rear wheels scraped against the wells, and the estate failed the mag's legendary moose test. However, at 220 pounds over the limit, it passed the test.
When reached for comment by Autoblog, Jay Ward, Senior Manager at Ford of Europe Product Communications, explained the reason for the deviation between the official numbers and the magazine's test:
Teknikens Varld is well-known for calling out automakers for perceived transgressions. Most recently it leveled criticisms against the all-wheel drive system in the Honda CR-V, and both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Porsche Macan failed its moose test. Scroll down for the magazine's video of weighing the Mondeo Estate and the model's test results."We are aware of this, but this is not an issue that relates specifically to the safety of the Mondeo, but is in fact related to the way in which the cars are tested by the authorities. We provided an Ambiente model for the testing but the car that featured in the magazine test was a Titanium model which has a different weight. We are in discussion with the Swedish Transport Agency to change the framework so the real weight of the Titanium model is reported instead of the Ambiente model which will resolve the issue."
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The new Ford Mondeo is dangerously overweight
The new Ford Mondeo is a great car, which Teknikens Varld's test shows, but there is one problem – the weight. Mondeo weighs 279 kg more than Ford claims. With big load (ie family plus luggage) the car therefore becomes illegal to drive.
The last car test that Teknikens Varld performed in 2014 included three highly interesting cars: the new Ford Mondeo Estate (Turnier in Germany), new Volkswagen Passat Estate (Variant in Germany) and Volvo V70. All three cars performed well except for one thing, the weight of the Ford Mondeo.
According to Ford's official figures, aka the vehicle's registration certification, the Mondeo Titanium Estate 2.0 TDCi 150 bhp S6 MPS has a curb weight of 1 601 kg (3 530 lbs). When we put the car on a crested scale, it turns out that the Mondeo weighs 1 880 kg (4 145 lbs). In other words, 279 kg (615 lbs) more than Ford claims. The curb weight is 17.4 % more than indicated.
If you load the car to the max, in the belief that it is okay, you actually commit a crime because the car's total gross weight is exceeded. Even worse, it can also be dangerous which our moose test shows. In an evasive maneuver the new Ford Mondeo Estate can not handle 279 kg (615 lbs) of overweight (an overweight that is not an overweight according to the car's registration certificate). Not even when driving straight ahead the Mondeo Estate handles the overweight in a good manner. The rear wheels scrape the wheel arches.
It should be mentioned that the new Mondeo Estate performs a good result in the moose test when the load is only 100 kg (220 lbs) above the actual maximum load limit. That is 179 kg (395 lbs) less than the vehicle registration allows you to load.
A month ago we discovered the same problem with the new Mercedes C 220 BlueTEC Estate (T-Modell in Germany). It weighs 245 kg (540 lbs) more than the car's registration certificate says. Mercedes-Benz in Sweden realized the problem and says they are now going to change the practice of weights. You can read more about this in the latest issue of Teknikens Varld, available in stores now and also available for online order.
The new Ford Mondeo is a great car, which Teknikens Varld's test shows, but there is one problem – the weight. Mondeo weighs 279 kg more than Ford claims. With big load (ie family plus luggage) the car therefore becomes illegal to drive.
The last car test that Teknikens Varld performed in 2014 included three highly interesting cars: the new Ford Mondeo Estate (Turnier in Germany), new Volkswagen Passat Estate (Variant in Germany) and Volvo V70. All three cars performed well except for one thing, the weight of the Ford Mondeo.
According to Ford's official figures, aka the vehicle's registration certification, the Mondeo Titanium Estate 2.0 TDCi 150 bhp S6 MPS has a curb weight of 1 601 kg (3 530 lbs). When we put the car on a crested scale, it turns out that the Mondeo weighs 1 880 kg (4 145 lbs). In other words, 279 kg (615 lbs) more than Ford claims. The curb weight is 17.4 % more than indicated.
If you load the car to the max, in the belief that it is okay, you actually commit a crime because the car's total gross weight is exceeded. Even worse, it can also be dangerous which our moose test shows. In an evasive maneuver the new Ford Mondeo Estate can not handle 279 kg (615 lbs) of overweight (an overweight that is not an overweight according to the car's registration certificate). Not even when driving straight ahead the Mondeo Estate handles the overweight in a good manner. The rear wheels scrape the wheel arches.
It should be mentioned that the new Mondeo Estate performs a good result in the moose test when the load is only 100 kg (220 lbs) above the actual maximum load limit. That is 179 kg (395 lbs) less than the vehicle registration allows you to load.
A month ago we discovered the same problem with the new Mercedes C 220 BlueTEC Estate (T-Modell in Germany). It weighs 245 kg (540 lbs) more than the car's registration certificate says. Mercedes-Benz in Sweden realized the problem and says they are now going to change the practice of weights. You can read more about this in the latest issue of Teknikens Varld, available in stores now and also available for online order.
By Chris Bruce
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