From:
www.Autoexpress.co.uk Ford Mondeo Durashift
Ford can rightly claim to be at the cutting edge of motoring technology ? although in certain areas it lags behind the crowd by an embarrassing margin. Take its automatic gearboxes, for example. While rivals developed their new CVTs, clutchless manuals and six-speed self-shifters, the blue oval had still to get around to offering even a Tiptronic-style sequential change. But now, at last, the company is starting to catch up.
Designed to appeal to enthusiastic drivers, the £1,500 five-speed Durashift 5-tronic is currently only available as an optional extra on 170bhp 2.5-litre V6-engined Mondeos.
Whatever the car's speed, drivers can switch between the new unit's two functions simply by pulling the lever to the side, away from the D and towards a gate marked with + and -.
Used as an automatic, the changes are smooth and swift, and the system offers an impressive degree of refinement. Pull the lever across to the right, however, and the gearbox transforms seamlessly to a sequential mode in which the driver is given virtually full control over changing ratios.
Move the lever back towards you, and the car changes up into a higher gear. Push the lever forward and the system shifts down. To prevent expensive damage, an override system stops the gearbox from selecting a ratio that would cause the engine to rev higher than 6,500rpm. Similarly, the gadgetry makes it impossible for the driver to change up too soon, and offers a low rpm kickdown set-up that only functions at speeds below 45mph.
There's a stop-go feature for use in busy traffic, too. It alters the gearbox programming, preventing jerky starts. In all, the Durashift suits the V6 engine well. Although purists may still want the ultimate control of a manual, the new box strikes a balance between the two systems that should appeal to long- distance cruisers and city drivers alike.
