FORD has opened up the upper-medium specification battle on a new front by becoming the first manufacturer to fit a standard CD-player on all but its entry Mondeo. The manufacturer is also throwing in a Quickclear windscreen in addition to the existing offer on air conditioning as a no-cost option on LX, GLX and Si versions.

Only the entry-level Aspen misses out on the £465 deal, while high specification models benefit from the addition of extra goodies. The Ghia gets a standard electric sunroof as well as air conditioning and the Ghia X benefits from 12-spoke alloy wheels at no extra cost. Ford increased Mondeo prices by about £400 earlier this month and Vauxhall fleet marketing and strategy manager Steve Higgs said the price hike just about covered the cost of the extra equipment.

'I don't think adding a CD-player to the standard specification is the answer for the end user,' said Higgs. 'For the typical company car driver, the TrafficMaster system fitted as standard to the Vectra is of much more use than a CD-player.'