It’s the new Ford Mondeo…

Americans were first to step on the moon, and first to listen to music played on a gramophone. Now they’re beating us again, dammit. They’ll get the new Mondeo a year before we do.

The car is another debutant at the Detroit show 2012, but we Brits won’t be able to buy it until well into 2013. Ah well, looks like a nice update on the car we have.

Actually, isn’t merely an update: it’s an all-new car, though you might not guess it if you looked at it from astern. The new nose is pretty striking. Some might say Aston-ish, but really no-one’s going to say ‘Oh gosh! Was that minicab you came in an Aston Martin Rapide?’ Anyway it’s very elegant, and we like.

See more pictures of the new Ford Mondeo

And yes, it’s an all-new car, with techy innovations that include a new multi-link rear suspension. There’s also electric steering, which (if you switch the options on) can nudge you in the right direction if you drift out of lane, or will steer into a parking space for those who can’t be bothered, or just plain can’t. But you can, oh skilled TG.commer, can’t you?

The engines will be much as per the recently revised ones on the current Mondeo: 1.6 and 2.0 Ecoboost Turbo, and diesels. There are also hybrid and plug-in hybrid options in the US, but don’t expect to see many of them over here.

What you’re looking at here the the American version, called the Fusion, which comes as a four-door. We Brits will also be offered a hatch and estate, and they’re of course the ones we’ll buy.

On the inside, the dials are replaced by another colour screen. There’s also a big menu-driven info-music-nav-comms setup. You can control that by voice – but in our experience it works only if you speak fluent robot. Like all other voice-activation systems, there’s no evidence it understands humans. Ah well, you’ll be able to stretch out and relax as you shout into the void: to make the cabin feel roomier, the seats have thinner skeletons.

By the way, the Americans weren’t actually the first to put a meat patty between two halves of a bread bun.

See more pictures of the new Ford Mondeo