Secret family cars of 2006 - Ford Mondeo

On sale: Late 2007
Price: £16,000 (est)
For family car fans, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that this is the future of family cars, Ford-style. The bad news is that it (or something like this computer-generated image) won't be on sale until 2007.

Over the next 12 months, Ford will be busy launching the Galaxy, SAV and the Focus Coupe-Cabriolet, and doesn't expect to have the new Mondeo on sale until late in 2007.

In the meantime, the closest indication of what to expect comes in this, the Iosis concept car, which was shown at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show. Ford freely admits that this is an indication of how Fords will look in the future.

Showcasing the company's new 'kinetic' design, the Iosis uses shapes that executive design director Martin Smith calls 'distinctive and emotional, more athletic and muscular'.

In this case, that translates as a four-door, four-seat saloon with a coupe profile, similar to the Mercedes CLS.

Some of its features – the gullwing doors and cameras instead of door mirrors, for example – are unlikely to make it into production, but it's clear we can look forward to a much more stylish car. The nose of the Iosis, in particular, is believed to be very close to the actual Mondeo's.

Inside, too, we can expect a step up in quality and class over the current car. To this end, the concept uses a combination of modern materials with more traditional features. The aluminium steering wheel, for example, has leather grips, while the seats are made from carbonfibre and aluminium, and trimmed in leather.


For more details on the What Car? 100 Secret Cars of 2006 and Beyond, see the February 2006 issue of What Car? magazine, on sale now.