After just two years since its introduction, the Mondeo’s second generation received a mild facelift, which slightly improved its look and some interior trims.
The Mondeo was on top of its class and, in some countries, it was leading the mid-size segment thanks to its broader choice of bodyworks than its main rival, the Volkswagen Passat. The blue-oval lineup was available as a sedan, a hatchback and a station wagon. Only the Opel/Vauxhall Vectra was offered with the same choice of bodies.

From the outside, the only noticeable change was for the grille, which featured a chrome surrounding and a honeycomb mesh grille. The bumper was enhanced as well, with the introduction of larger fog-lights in different casings. On the sides, the turn-signals that were mounted on the fenders were transparent instead of orange. In the back, the taillights featured transparent lenses for the turn-signals on the 2003 model-year instead of red, but the carmaker couldn’t solve the issue with the wide C-pillar on the hatchback version.

Inside, Ford enhanced or changed some parts to improve the car’s quality. For instance, it signed a deal with Sony to provide the CD-radio unit, which was much better integrated into the center stack. Other buttons and switches received an improved design. Thanks to its split-folding rear bench, the Mondeo hatchback could offer a trunk between 500 liters (17.65 cu-ft) and 1370 liters (48.38 cu-ft).

For the engine lineup, Ford dared to introduce a 3.0-liter gasoline V6 unit for the top version. Since the European diesel market was increasing and became very attractive for fleets, the blue-oval brand enhanced the 2.0-liter TDCI unit to produce 155 hp instead, 25 hp more than its predecessor.