Ford Mondeo hatchback safety is excellent. It gained a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating and a place among the safest cars you can buy so it’s no surprise that the level of safety equipment is impressive.

Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) is standard on every car plus there are also seatbelt pre-tensioners, dual front, side, curtain and knee airbags, a collapsible steering column and ABS.

Keyless entry is available on some models too – this means you can leave the key in a pocket or bag and the car will sense your approach and unlock the car. After that it’s just a case of pressing a button on the dash to start the engine.

Safety on the 2010 Mondeo has been enhanced. Optional extras on the new car include includes blind-spot alerts, lane-departure steering-wheel vibrators, an alertness assessor, a rear-view camera, automatic headlight dipping speed limiter and LED daytime running lights.

The hatchback has more than enough room for the average family. There’s a huge boot and with 540 litres of boot space (easily enough for three or four large suitcases), which is better than nearly every other car of this type.

There’s also a wide boot opening and the seats can be folded in a two-step motion (the seat base flips up and the seat back folds down) for the largest loads.

Inside there are two cupholders built into the centre console and an air conditioned glovebox.

The most ingenious feature is one of the simplest – the fuel filler. Not only does the Mondeo do away with a conventional cap (it’s fixed permanently to the flap, which means you don’t get petrol or diesel on your hands), but it’s impossible to fill it with the wrong fuel – it will only allow the right nozzle into the fuel pipe, so you won’t become one of the 250,000 people who each year mis-fuel their car.