Ford Mondeo (2012) first official pictures

This is Ford's new Mondeo. Think it looks familiar? You'd be absolutely right - the European Mondeo is basically a rebadged and European-honed version of Ford USA's Fusion model.

That means the same large, slightly Aston Martin-style grille we've seen grafted onto the facelifted Fiesta, another new application for the 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine, and even more tech for this fourth-gen Mondeo.

You'd better believe it - the 999cc Mondeo is here. The tiny three-pot turbo already sees duty in the Focus and the facelifted Fiesta, but the considerably larger Mondeo will be its biggest test yet.

Good for 123bhp and 125lb ft, the engine can even be 'overboosted' to 147lb ft, handy for those opportunistic overtaking moments. That should please the Mondeo's crucial fleet market customers...

Ford estimates that the 1.0-litre Mondeo will return 130g/km in CO2 output and best-in-class fuel efficiency. The current petrol-powered benchmark to beat is the BMW 320i - although far more powerful at 184bhp, the Three emits 147g/km. 

Given that tax bands are such a battle ground in the fleet sector, the application of Ford's Engine of the Year-winning mill could be invaluable in enticing buyers away from the more premium German brands.

You'll have spotted Ford is joining the trend for oversized front grilles and slim, sharp headlights (thanks Audi), while the car's profile is a lot more rakish that the traditional three-box silhouette of old.

There's also a more heavily-contoured bonnet - Ford calls the design a 'power dome' and it's also applied to the new Fiesta.

To these eyes there's a certain resemblance to the Kia Optima from some angles, though we'll wait to see it in the metal, and of course drive the new Mondeo before we deliver the final CAR verdict.

By Ollie Kew