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talent to the Calais, but approaching that point it
remains an absolute delight. A Sport mode that
genuinely works, a pair of cooperative wheel paddles,
and a still-strong and spirited engine make the Mondeo
arguably the sweetest dynamic compromise here the
majority of the time. It may be old, but age is proving no
barrier to its ability ... providing people can get over the
fact that the Ford Mondeo is never going to be an SUV.
It’s just a bloody good car.
Unfortunately, however, therein lies the problem. If
the secret to salvation for the mid-size class is freshness,
dynamism and flair, then a sedan like the Hyundai
Sonata is flying dangerously close to extinction. Not only
is the MY18 model a flawed example of how to facelift
a car, it’s a below-average product in a shrinking market
sector. And if that doesn’t scream ‘dead duck’, then
its tanking US sales performance should be sending
messages to Namyang in bold red capitals.
Exactly the opposite is true of its spiritual blood
brother, the Kia Stinger. Developed at the same proving
ground in South Korea, with a big dose of European
aesthetic, Nurburgring dynamic flavour and good old
instinct for good measure, the Stinger is the only car
here that is truly ‘cool’.
Even in base four-cylinder form, the Stinger is a super-
sweet driver’s car that invigorates every journey, without
forgetting about the practical aspects of seating four
adults and packing a vast liftback tail for their luggage.
It’s only a decent set of rims away from looking like $60-
80K worth, and there’s a boutique-ness to it that makes
it feel the most expensive car here. Yet there’s also realvalue in this unashamedly anti-SUV, gran-turismo-esque,
coupe-liftback-sedan concoction.
The new-gen Camry approaches a similar level
of ‘special’ from a different perspective. On paper,
it’s just another front-drive Toyota with a familiar
(albeit extensively modified) hybrid drivetrain and an
efficiency bent. But what efficiency! Beautifully built
and impressively refined, it does everything Toyota
buyers want, yet has finally discovered sophistication,
luxury and nuance. You could even go as far as saying
it’s the best American car currently sold in Australia.
Which leaves the European Ford and Holden fighting
it out for the middle ground. Despite their difference in
age, they’re surprisingly similar in ability – especially
their outstanding braking performance, as you’d expect
from two cars designed to spend many hours plying
German autobahns. Yet the Mondeo actually wins out
in terms of refinement, mechanical sweetness and all-
round finesse.
Confident and capable as the Calais is, it doesn’t
join all the dots together quite as effectively as its Kia,
Toyota and Ford rivals. In fact, the only areas where the
Calais beats the Mondeo is for acceleration, 10-tenths
handling, overall cabin space and its number of gear
ratios. Otherwise, it’s just another German company car- very good at what it does, but also rather charmless in
some ways, aside from the dynamic flavour imbued in it
by Holden’s chassis engineers.
Going forward, that may not be enough to save the
medium-car category. For now, though, if you’re averse to
joining the SUV brigade, some fine alternatives await.
The Stinger invigorates every journey,
without forgetting about practical aspects