Ford's Iosis concept is the basis for much of its future production including the new Mondeo. Joaquim Oliveira gets behind the wheel
This is Ford's first step into a more inspired future, the template upon which the next 10 years of European models will be based.
The Iosis - a four-door coupé concept car - may look a little futuristic, as all concepts do, but it signifies the new design direction for Ford of Europe that will spawn a new Mondeo and thereafter a revamped look for the entire family line-up.
The current generation was defined by what Ford referred to as "New Edge" design but that age is now coming to an end.
In fairness, it served Ford well. During that time the brand not only modernised its image and look but also dramatically raised the overall quality of its new products, improved interior roominess and - above all - managed to attain first-class road handling for its front-wheel-drive cars. The problem is that its "new edge" design has gone blunt.
Now is the age of Iosis. Admittedly we've already seen a sneak preview of this new design direction with the new S-Max, though there's a lot more to come.
Undoubtedly, the most decisive moment in the early days of Iosis influence will be the launch of the new Mondeo next year.
For those looking for hints to the future look, the key is apparently in the front nose and lines.
Ford has a buzzword for the new look: "kinetic design".
Chief designer Martin Smith is the father of this new look. He was poached from General Motors two years ago and given the unenviable task of reshaping Ford's styling for the future.
He explains the principle behind "kinetic" design as "everything we want to talk about through design - energy, movement, the notion of visual movement while the vehicle is standing still."
The view within the company was that Ford's current design was too solid, too rational - in fact, too German. This new look has to be more inspirational.
So it was that we found ourselves at a secure test track to drive the end result of Ford's efforts so far.
It's clear the Iosis is already not a million miles from the new Mondeo. The car's exterior is a four-door sedan body disguised in a muscular coupé shape and, of course, vertically opening gull-wing doors. The latter continues to prove a must for all concept cars as they offer better view of the cabin during exhibitions and displays, but for practical purposes they rarely make it through to production and certainly not in a mainstream production model.
As to the overall design, it doesn't take long to notice the subtle influences from within the Ford family.
Many of these come not only from the likes of the Mazda brand but also from other more aristocratic elements in the Ford world. Take the wide and robust C-pillar for example, which creates something of an Aston Martin flare at the rear.
There are also discreet hints of Ford's rivals, like the Lexus IS and GS (headlamps and surrounding side body panels) or Ford's main competitor in the family saloon segment, the VW Passat (front grille).
Other important elements of its styling are the ascending waistline and the dramatically sculpted profile. Again, the side panels and prominent wheel arches reminds us of the Mazda RX-8.
The Iosis also boasts the new face of the oval brand, formed by the air inlet with the shape of an inverted trapezoid and placed over a chromed grille. The trapezoid motif occurs in other areas of both the exterior and the interior, adding more consistency to the design concept. There's a common theme of sharp tapered lines in both the lighting clusters and side windows.
While it's easier to define the new design direction of the exterior through concept cars, interiors are always a little more tricky, largely as the designers have more freedom to experiement with these than they do on a real production model.
With the Iosis there is an ultramodern aluminium steering wheel and a prominent sequential gearbox lever (inspired by the Focus World Rally Car). This is placed only five inches from the steering wheel. Made of aluminium, covered by orange leather, it integrates the engine start button underneath a lid, placed in the lever surface. Whether this format makes it into the Mondeo remains to be seen, but it's worth noting that starter buttons rather than keys are becoming common in production cars these days.
In front of the driver is a simple instrument panel with a high-tech chronometer. Between the dials is a high resolution LCD display for navigation. The design of these instruments reflects the exterior design lines. Even the dashboard assumes a narrow and complex line.
So to the test: we take the wheel for a couple of laps around the track, committed not to go over 50 mph, so that no harm can come to a car whose development costs are in line with those of a F1 racing car.
Driving a concept-car is always a world apart from a production line finish. There are often metallic noises coming from all sorts of sources in the unfinished interior, some parts simply don't work or have a mysterious mission, and then there is the omnipresent fear that something might go wrong and our name may be eternally associated with the destruction of one-of-a-kind vehicle. Luckily not so this time.
In the Iosis, the electric power steering is one of the more conventional driving features and it signals that Ford is likely to retain its reputation for handling into the forseeable future.
At the heart of this concept-car is a four-cylinder 1.6 petrol engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission: sufficient to make the car move, though frustrating the sporty looks of the exterior.
Yet the concept is less about its dynamic performance and more about its design.
Whatever the principles behind "kinetic design", the Iosis signals a significantly more sporty look for future Fords than the current range.