Vignale, the new name for posh Fords

Vignale, the new name for posh Fords

Author
Discussion

C.A.R.

3,967 posts

189 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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A work colleague has ordered a 2.0 hybrid as his replacement company car.

It's funny though, watching him explain to people what he's ordered;
"It's a Vignale Hybrid"
"a what?"
"it's top of the range"
"but what is it?"
"they're very new. It's a hybrid turbo so it's quick but won't cost me any tax"
"But what is it?"

"....it's a Ford Mondeo"

To be fair they look quite nice though. My colleague is convinced it will cost him zero tax as a company car - I can't find anywhere to confirm that, I can only find specs for the less expensive Titanium hybrid, which is listed as 92g/km, whereas the Vignale is 99g/km,so I can't imagine it would miraculously be FOC on the ol' BIK. I personally think he might be in for a nasty surprise!

CoolHands

18,677 posts

196 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Number one problem with this type of thing is....I don't know how to pronounce it. So I would never buy one as I would feel stupid saying it every time.

Not that I'd buy one anyway as they're so dull.

Trabi601

4,865 posts

96 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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CoolHands said:
Number one problem with this type of thing is....I don't know how to pronounce it. So I would never buy one as I would feel stupid saying it every time.

Not that I'd buy one anyway as they're so dull.
Vi-ni-al-ey

But yes, they're dull as ditchwater with horrible Peugeot diesel engines and FWD combined with a relatively crappy 'powershift' transmission.

But, they'll be dirt cheap and a bargain used buy in a few years.

CoolHands

18,677 posts

196 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Also, if Audi and merc are going downmarket eating into ford & co's share, and ford are going up market.. what's the point? Why don't they all just stick to what they know and are good at. Each expanding into the others market seems pretty stupid.

Buff Mchugelarge

3,316 posts

151 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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I'm surprised by how many Vignales I've seen out and about.
Mondeos and the odd S-Max too.
The Mondeo is a cracking car no doubt but it's a bit too close to BMW money in Vignale guise.

Trabi601

4,865 posts

96 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Buff Mchugelarge said:
I'm surprised by how many Vignales I've seen out and about.
Mondeos and the odd S-Max too.
The Mondeo is a cracking car no doubt but it's a bit too close to BMW money in Vignale guise.
It really isn't. It's thirsty, ponderous, not all that refined, low rent, and the technology is so far behind what the Germans have on offer it's laughable. It also looks terminally dull - worse than the Mk4, which really is saying something!

lucido grigio

44,044 posts

164 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Trabi601 said:
Vi-ni-al-ey
That doesn't look or sound right.

I'll go with Vin yar lay.

H20DJY

189 posts

94 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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It reminds me of the Scorpio in a way.




swisstoni

17,030 posts

280 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Course, I had a vignale roof on my Cortina back in the day, so is got some heritage behind it.

F1GTRUeno

6,357 posts

219 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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J4CKO said:
Ha ha, what a load of tosh, an a4 or three series is a measure of success ? Is it not just a measure of being able to pay £30 a month ?
Both, obviously.

No matter what your personal opinions are about the A4 or 3-Series, they are deemed a symbol of success due to their badge.

Audi and BMW are aspirational in the eyes of the modern world.

Barchettaman

6,318 posts

133 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Nice idea, but the current Mondeo is such a high-sided flabby munter that it was only ever going to be the equivalent of lipstick on a pig.

Regiment

2,799 posts

160 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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lucido grigio said:
That doesn't look or sound right.

I'll go with Vin yar lay.
Correct, or that's how the local Ford Store corrected it to being when I said "What's a Mondeo Vig-nail?"

Rawwr

22,722 posts

235 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Twenty years ago, company road plodders were Mondeos and Vectras.

Today they're 3-Series and C-Class.

There's really not much between them, it's just a fashion thing.

spookly

4,020 posts

96 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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I was at a show last year and the local Ford dealership were there and had a Mondeo Vignale. I haven't driven a Mondeo in years, so no idea if they are any good underneath the bling.

I thought it looked ok. Not to any degree justified by the price over a normal Mondeo though. Still a long way behind sitting inside a C-class, 3-series, A4 or even a VW.

When I was last looking for a new car, I popped into Ford. The one thing that put me off most of their range of cars were the ugly and clunky looking Stereo/Nav systems..... especially this one in a Kuga:



Edit:
Just had a look and the price difference is worse than I thought. You could have a Mondeo Vignale for £33k list price with auto box and 180hp diesel. Or for about the same list price you could have a Merc C220d SE Executive with a 9G-Tronic..... hmmmm..... difficult choice. I'll take neither due to the glued on tablet sat nav in the Merc :-)

Edited by spookly on Thursday 16th February 08:48

Mercury00

4,104 posts

157 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Do they have improved plastics or just added quilted leather?

Blakewater

4,310 posts

158 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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There are plans for a Fiesta Vignale too.

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/news/115263/new-ford-fie...

Fastpedeller

3,875 posts

147 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Del Boy driving a "Capri Vignale" doesn't have quite the same impact laugh

lee_erm

1,091 posts

194 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Trabi601 said:
Buff Mchugelarge said:
I'm surprised by how many Vignales I've seen out and about.
Mondeos and the odd S-Max too.
The Mondeo is a cracking car no doubt but it's a bit too close to BMW money in Vignale guise.
It really isn't. It's thirsty, ponderous, not all that refined, low rent, and the technology is so far behind what the Germans have on offer it's laughable. It also looks terminally dull - worse than the Mk4, which really is saying something!
The Mk4 was a genuinely brilliant car though?!

AmitG

3,299 posts

161 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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Mercury00 said:
Do they have improved plastics or just added quilted leather?
I think the plastics are the same, but they have:
  • Quilted leather seats
  • Leather wrapped dash and other bits
  • Additional soundproofing
  • Better audio (better even than the optional Sony system on the standard Mondeo)
So, more than a quick tart-up, but not fundamentally different.

I could see myself in a 1-year old Mondeo hybrid version, but there aren't many about...

Trabi601

4,865 posts

96 months

Thursday 16th February 2017
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lee_erm said:
The Mk4 was a genuinely brilliant car though?!
It wasn't. Never understood the hype. It looked overweight, was poorly built and, in common with the Mk5, it was heavy and incredibly thirsty. (Had a 2.0TDCI Zetec Powershift hire car for a few weeks - I couldn't get more than 34mpg from it. I get 42 from a 520d Auto.)