Next Mondeo to get 1.0 EcoBoost

The next generation Mondeo, due in early 2013, will be fitted with Ford's award-winning 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that made its debut in the Ford Focus. It may be a small powerplant but it still produces 125PS with 170Nm of torque and an overboost function with 200Nm.

No economy figures have been released yet but we do know that CO2 will be 130g/km and Ford says it will have the power and refinement of a much larger engine. We've been impressed by it in the Focus and it will also go in the revised Fiesta but it's still a surprise to see such a small engine in a car as big as the Mondeo.

The engine has a low-inertia turbo, direct fuel injection and an aluminium cylinder head. It's so compact it fits on a piece of A4 paper and won the 2012 International Engine of the Year award.

The Mondeo is due here next year and gets a more spacious interior with new seats, a higher centre console with more storage and extra passanger space. This has been improved by moving the dashboard nearer the windscreen. Ford is also promising improvements in quality with interior surfaces that are softer to the touch, while panels gaps have been minimised.

Improvements have also been made to the already good handling with specially tuned electric power-assisted steering plus a MacPherson strut front suspension and an all-new premium-level multilink rear suspension – similar to Audi and BMW set-ups.