• Ford drops Mondeo prices in market realignment
• BIK benefits to company car drivers as P11D price reduces by up to £3000
• Enjoy lower company car tax and more kit on new Mondeo line up
• New five model Ford Mondeo line-up debuts new ST-Line Edition and Titanium Edition models
• Expanded sporty ST-Line range responds to customer demand
• Vignale series enhanced with Nero detailing
• Satellite navigation with 8in touchscreen, autonomous braking plus front and rear parking sensors standardised across refreshed Mondeo range
• Price adjustment of up to £3,000 reduces tax bill for drivers of Ford’s acclaimed fleet and family favourite

WELL now. If you were contemplating a Ford Mondeo for your next company car, then Christmas has come a little early.

Because now you can get more Ford Mondeo for a lower P11D which means savings on your benefit in kind company car tax.

Hurrah! (And thank you Santa.)

That’s because from today (September 18, 2017), Ford is realigning its established Mondeo line-up with new sports and luxury models at lower prices.

So check this our for your future BIK tax liability.

On the road prices are reduced by:

• £3,000 (on Vignale),
• £2,500 (on Zetec and ST-Line Editions) and
• £2,000 (on Titanium Edition)

Ford says this translates into company car tax savings of up to £720 over three years (example on ST-Line Edition 2.0 TDCi 150PS, for a 40 per cent tax payer).

Meanwhile an SME employer benefits from £300 on the company car National Insurance costs. So savings all round then.

Simplified Mondeo range

The realigned Mondeo range has been simplified from seven to five as the new Zetec Edition becomes the entry level Mondeo, now priced at £19,445.

From Zetec Edition, company car drivers can then choose:

• Mondeo sporty – that’s the existing ST-Line and new ST-Line Edition; or
• Mondeo luxury – that’s the new Titanium Edition model and range-topping Vignale.

According to Ford fleet boss Owen Gregory, now was absolutely the right time to move on Mondeo to up the car’s appeal as company car drivers and other car consumers move towards the SUV market as their car style of choice.

“We are seeing some major developments in the car market, the biggest is the move from what we might call ‘conventional’ cars into SUVs. So there was a need for us to make some changes to Mondeo to keep it competitive in the market place.”

All five of the realigned Mondeo models have the following standard specification:

• navigation,
• DAB,
• autonomous braking to mitigate or avoid low-speed collisions at under 31mph,
• front/rear parking sensors and
• cruise control with speed limiter as standard.

Looking at the sporty company car choice for Mondeo, ST-Line is boosted by the inclusion of front, rear and side body styling, lowered sports suspension, Ford Power start button and darkened headliner.

While on the ST-Line Edition there’s also privacy glass and 19in rock metallic alloy wheels.

If you prefer your company car to major on luxury features, then the new Titanium Edition – which includes a 92g/km CO2 hybrid petrol engine among its powertrain choices – offers premium leather heated seats, with front 10-way power adjustment.

The topline Mondeo Vignale specification adopts the Vignale Nero appearance pack which was introduced as an option at the start of the year. The Nero appearance pack comprises 19in dark tarnish alloys and darkened fog lamp bezels, lower grille and side strips – now all standard on Vignale.

Do Ford Mondeo car leases reduce?

While there are certainly benefit in kind advantages for company car drivers, that doesn’t translate into lower car leasing prices, alas. Although, of course, you do get more Mondeo for the same money.

Although Ford says the residual value (RV) forecasters, such as CAP, have given Mondeo RVs a boost, by as much as £900 on the Titanium model, car lease rates remain flat.

According to Gregory that’s because transaction prices remain the same for those big leasing companies (in other words, all the discount has gone).

Ford Lease monthly payments for the Titanium Edition 2.0 TDCi 150PS five door are maintained at £258 + VAT over three years says Ford on a 6+35 month profile at 10,000 miles a year. A touch disappointing if RVs have gone up, but other leasing companies may take a different view as they consider the changes in detail.

What about diesel or hybrid Mondeo?

Gregory says the company will continue to offer both diesel and hybrid variants of the new Mondeo.

“We are comfortable on diesel having a central role in providing low CO2 to business users now and in the near term,” Gregory said, adding: “Mondeo is best selling large car below 100g.”

However, he acknowledged that interest in the Hybrid model could start to generate snowball. “We’ve had more than 500 UK companies that have tested the Mondeo hybrid. That gives some indication of the interest in product. As the debate over diesel continues, we expect that interest to grow.”

The Mondeo price changes are effective from September 18, 2017, with first deliveries of the new Mondeo line-up from November.