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THERE is a certain amount of reluctance that premium segment sedan buyers display when they consider competing cars from a few brands in the market. Here, image is everything and though new age technology is all-important, it somehow does not seem to matter as much if it is being offered in a car from one of the brands that is lesser known as a luxury car marque.

This reluctance seems to markedly increase once the Rs 12-lakh barrier is breached. A car buyer in this price segment is extremely choosy, well informed and though he may initially be taken in by highbrow advertising, eventually settles for a tried and trusted premium brand that has always focused on parameters such as safety, reliability, build quality and cutting edge technology, even though the car may not be the most exciting in terms of design.

Over time, this divide has become more pronounced and, as a result, in the eyes of the average car buyer, some companies have been slotted into a rigid compartment. Clearly, the fall in sales of the Hyundai Sonata and the poorer-than-expected sales of another of the company's cars, the Elantra, seem to be related to this hesitancy amongst luxury car buyers. Another car that has faced a similar fate is the Ford Mondeo.

When Ford India launched the Mondeo about three years ago, it was rated as the car of the year in that segment. Though it was priced higher than it peers, Ford was hoping that its excellent drivability and its European styling would endear it to individual car buyers. But, unfortunately, what Ford did not bargain for was that most car owners in this segment employ the services of a chauffeur and rarely, if ever, drive the car themselves and had a distinct preference for exclusive styling that distinguished them from the rest of the crowd.

These factors, brand image, the increasing buyer expectations about interior quality and luxury and, of course, the comparable price-to-value advantage amongst cars in this segment seem to have been reasons for the success of the new Honda Accord. This car has steadily climbed up to become a benchmark in this segment in terms of technology, performance and build quality.

Two developments have probably prompted Ford to reintroduce the Mondeo in a new avatar. One, the maturity of the buyer, whose preference for quirkiness in design has now been toned down and, two, the looming prospect of a round two in the bout for wooing customers. At least here, Ford has stolen a march over rival Hyundai Motor India by launching the new Mondeo Ghia before the latter launches the new Sonata and, better still, it has given the Mondeo a new, lowered price tag.

The new Mondeo Ghia is imported as a completely built unit and is the same version that is currently on sale in Europe. To the casual observer, the Mondeo Ghia appears to be pretty much the same as the previous one. Only a closer scrutiny and only when you step in do the refinements that have been made to the car become evident.

On the outside, the Mondeo Ghia continues to exude the characteristic styling and design cues of a Ford with the same headlamp and tail lamp units as the previous, outgoing version.

The tail lamp cluster has seen minor modifications and the distinctive, white-light Xenon bulbs in the headlamp cluster have been replaced with twin halogen bulbs.

The car's external dimensions remain the same. Other exterior changes include slightly larger outside rear view mirrors (ORVMs) and the trapezoidal fog lamps that replace the older round ones. To add to the Mondeo's premium image Ford has generously used chrome trimmings in a number of places, including the bonnet grille lipping, on the linings for the pullout type outside door handles and for the inside door handles.

The Ghia also gets seven-spoked, 16-inch alloy wheels and ventilated disc brakes for the front and solid discs for the rear tyres.

With a wider track and the new changes that the Mondeo Ghia has been put through, this Ford is now looking well proportioned and confident to look at and (as we found out once again) to drive too.

A lot of inputs has gone into the new Mondeo in order to spruce up its interiors. The seats are new and offer more back and thigh support and the covers come with a mix of leather and alcantra offering both luxury and comfort. The new interior also carries a two-tone colour theme with ebony on top of the dashboard and a beige or camel coloured lower half that runs to the carpet and door panels.

The dashboard is neatly laid out and exudes a certain gentlemanly elegance with symmetrically designed buttons and switches. The highlights of the centre console are the dark oak wood inserts and the 2-DIN, in-dash Sony music system with an integrated 6-CD changer. Oak wood inserts have also been incorporated into the floor console and front door boards. Storage options include front and rear armrests with stowage and cup holders, a lighted glove box and large door bins.

The Mondeo was always known for its legroom and comfortable rear seats; these are obvious carry forwards. Other new luxury features include automatic climate control, power windows with global closing feature, which closes any window that may have been inadvertently left open, theatre-style dimming effects for the interior roof illumination and the two-way power adjustable driver and front passenger seats.

Some of the features in the Mondeo Ghia that we liked best were the front footwell courtesy lamps, the puddle lamps which were neatly tucked away under the ORVMs, the additional audio controls for the music system located on a stalk on the steering column and the classic brushed aluminium analog clock on the dashboard.

Inside the bonnet of the Mondeo Ghia is the same two-litre Duratec engine, but it now comes with a new, lighter aluminium alloy material that improves fuel efficiency and offers a more consistent performance. Lighter engine pistons and a heavy-duty crankshaft also go on to improve the engine's performance. While engine configuration has been retained, peak power output has been upped to 143 bhp from the earlier about 136 bhp. Peak torque rating has, on the other hand, come down marginally to about 185 Nm.

The engine-ignition system also features a smart charging alternator for better cold start reliability. Further, minimal work was needed for making the engine BS III compliant, since the European spec car is already more emission efficient.

The Mondeo was, even earlier, known to be an engaging car to drive. With a crisp and precise power steering, excellent stability and addictive driving dynamics, the Mondeo Ghia continues to keep up the attractive drivability characteristics of its predecessor.

The rev-happy engine is a bit sluggish in the lower rpm band of 1,500 to about 3,000, but once the engine goes past these levels, the car surges forward eagerly. The engine's rich, husky, baritone exhaust note will also make eager drivers want to keep their feet planted on the gas pedal.

Safety features in the Mondeo Ghia include ABS with EBD, three-point ELR seat belts with pretensioners for all five seats, dual stage driver and front passenger airbags, side airbags and a decoupling brake pedal. Drive quality inside the new Mondeo is on a par with cars in its class. The Mondeo's cabin is also one of the quietest in its class, thanks to the airflow undershield that runs from the front sub-frame to the rear bumper to reduce underbody turbulence.

However, while its suspension configuration is ideal for clean, black top roads and offers an extra smooth ride there, the drive tends to jar while going over uneven roads or kutcha lanes.

Ford calls the new Mondeo Ghia, the ultimate driver's car. But it is an anticlimax that most, if not all, owners in this segment will likely be chauffeured most of the time. What's more, competition from the Honda Accord and its V6 variant will continue to be as always intense, despite Ford having chopped off nearly Rs 3 lakh from the Mondeo's price tag and made it that much more attractive.

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