PRICES for Ford's satellite navigation system, which is now available as an option on various trim levels of the 2.0 Mondeo range, have been released. It costs £1,950 on GLX, Si and Ghia versions and £1,600 on the Ghia X. In all cases the system replaces the existing in car entertainment system with an optional CD autochanger, also available at £350.

The on-board unit enables a driver to select a destination from a database of street names, hotels, railway stations and other points of interest by scrolling through menus on the display. The system already knows the car's current location from its GPS receiver and calculates the best route to the programmed destination.

Spoken instructions are then issued in advance of every turn. Progress is continually checked by means of the on-board electronic compass, wheel-speed signals, GPS data and continuous computer matching to the digital map.