A few weeks ago Luxsure had the chance to enjoy a vip adventure in Vienna to discover Ford’s new flagship, the Vignale range, and in particular the Kuga and Edge Ford Vignale.
Vignale is Ford’s new expression of top-of-the-range, combining exclusive design, personalized experience and made-to-measure services. Once we’ve tested them, we love the flawless comfort, the demanding design and all the ancillary services that transform the driver’s experience to the point of offering a real lifestyle rather than just a means of transport.
Judge for yourself with this 360 video of our experience.
The new Ford Kuga Vignale and Ford Edge Vignale are the first SUVs to join the Ford Vignale brand, which offers premium products, an exclusive customer experience and personalized services. Both models arrive in Europe in response to growing customer demand for SUVs, but also to customer expectations for ever more upscale products. « Our Ford Vignale range directly echoes the growing interest in luxury SUVs, and represents the very best of Ford with top-of-the-range finish quality and materials, » details Roelant de Waard, Ford of Europe’s Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Service. « We believe there is real potential to expand our product range from the top.
In tribute to Alfredo Vignale, Ford has created a range of premium, over-equipped automobiles. But before talking about the car, let’s talk a little history.
Carrozzeria Vignale was founded in 1948 by Alfredo Vignale as a car design and bodywork company.
Vignale was born of the rich heritage and craftsmanship of visionary coachbuilder Alfredo Vignale and several generations of metalworkers and upholsterers (tappezziere) from Turin, Italy.
As a young apprentice, Alfredo Vignale was spotted by Pinin Farina, a renowned Turin coachbuilder, who invited him to join a small team of craftsmen charged with imagining exceptional automobile designs for Italian carmakers, thus giving birth to the first frameless monocoque vehicles.
In 1946, Alfredo Vignale set up a small coachbuilding workshop with his brothers in Gruliasco, in the province of Turin. At just 33, he found himself at the head of a small team of ambitious craftsmen producing elegant, lightweight designs for Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Fiat, Lancia and Maserati. Inspired by the lightweight racing cars entered in the famous Mille Miglia, Brescia Circuit and Carrera Panamericana motor races – where designers tested the aerodynamics of their creations – Vignale bodywork also exploited new manufacturing techniques developed by the aerospace industry. This new know-how was combined with the traditional techniques handed down by previous generations of craftsmen.
In 1969, Alfredo Vignale, who had no heirs, sold his design offices and manufacturing plant to Alejandro de Tomaso, who incorporated Vignale into Ghia, which he already owned. Ghia carried out the same activities as Vignale, but had established a privileged relationship with Ford over the decades, and when Ford USA sought to create a styling office in Europe for its German subsidiary, the idea germinated in Dearborn of transforming Ghia into a styling center for European Fords. Tom Tjaarda designed a small car based on a prototype built on a Fiat 127 platform. First sketches of what would become the Ford Fiesta…
In January 1973, the Detroit giant took over the Ghia bodywork and made it its styling research laboratory.
Back to the cars:
The Ford Kuga Vignale
Based on the new Ford Kuga, the Ford Kuga Vignale adopts a high-end treatment, including the exclusive Milano Grigio pearl tint and a Vignale grille with multiple hexagonal motifs. The interior follows suit, using quilted Windsor leather in Cashemere color, with dedicated hexagonal stitching for the upholstery, doors and dashboard. The Kuga Vignale features the latest version of the Active Park Assist semi-automatic parking system, which enables hands-free parking in « parallel » parking spaces, and now also reversing between two vehicles in « overlapping » spaces, thanks to its perpendicular parking aid function. The vehicle also incorporates an improved version of the Active City Stop emergency braking system. The adaptive front lighting system analyzes ambient light conditions and automatically optimizes visibility by adjusting the beam angle of the new bi-xenon headlamps to the driving environment and the weather. The system automatically improves visibility in deteriorating weather conditions. When a shower is detected, the system shortens and widens the headlamp beam to better illuminate the side of the road and avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.
The Kuga Vignale is available with a choice of engines:
The 1.5-liter EcoBoost 150 hp engine, with 6-speed manual gearbox (two-wheel drive), delivers an average fuel consumption of 6.3 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 143 g/km.
The 1.5-liter EcoBoost 182 hp block with all-wheel drive and 6-speed PowerShift automatic transmission (7.5l/100 km for 171g CO2/km)
The 2.0-liter TDCi 150 hp block, available in two-wheel drive with 6-speed manual gearbox (average fuel consumption 4.7 l/100 km and CO2 emissions 122 g/km), with all-wheel drive and 6-speed manual gearbox (5.2 l/100 km and 135 g/km of CO2), or with all-wheel drive and 6-speed PowerShift automatic gearbox (5.2 l/100 km and 134 g/km of CO2).
The 2.0-liter TDCi 180 hp engine, available with all-wheel drive and 6-speed manual transmission, with an average fuel consumption of 5.2 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 135 g/km, or with all-wheel drive and 6-speed PowerShift automatic transmission (5.2 l/100 km and 134 g/km of CO2).
The Ford Edge Vignale
The Ford Edge Vignale is elegant and contemporary, thanks to a range of distinctive details such as chrome fog lamps, the Ford Vignale styling signature of the upper hexagonal grille with black matte finish and polished aluminum surround, and 19″ polished aluminum wheels.
The Ford Edge Vignale is available in a special Vignale Ametista Scura metallic brown exterior color.
Inside, the Ford Edge Vignale offers an upscale interior, with quilted Windsor leather with hexagonal stitching on the upholstery and door panels, in Cashemere or Ebony colors. The center armrest, center console storage area and dashboard are also covered in Ebony leather.
« The Vignale label exudes sophistication and sportiness, » says Joel Piaskowski, Ford of Europe Design Director. « For customers, Ford Vignale is a way to express their style and enjoy luxury in a more personal way. »
Comfort is further enhanced by the Active Noise Control system, which uses three microphones strategically placed in the cabin to monitor engine noise in the cockpit and direct opposing sound waves through the audio system to cancel out these nuisances and improve acoustic comfort.
The Ford Edge Vignale is also home to a range of driver assistance technologies that reduce stress and can help avoid potential collisions. These include the innovative Wide Angle Front Camera, which lets you see around corners when the driver can’t, thanks to a 180° front view displayed on the dashboard screen. But it’s also the case with Blind Spot Alert, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist and Approaching Vehicle Alert.
The Ford Edge Vignale is available with two powerful diesel engines:
The 2.0-liter TDCI 180 hp block with six-speed manual transmission (AWD)
The 2.0-liter TDCI 210 hp twin-turbo engine with six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission (AWD) Both versions boast an average fuel consumption of 5.9 l/100 km and CO2 emissions of 149 g/km.
A concentrate of advanced technologies
All Vignale models will feature the new SYNC 3 connected multimedia system, which delivers faster performance and a redesigned 8-inch touchscreen, with pinch-to-zoom and swipe-to-move functions for the first time. By simply activating the voice control on the steering wheel and saying « I need a coffee », « I need fuel », or « I’m looking for a parking lot », drivers will be able to find nearby cafés, service stations or parking lots, as well as locating railway stations, airports and hotels. The navigation system then takes over to guide the driver to the selected destination. iPhone users can also activate Apple CarPlay, the smartest and safest way to use your iPhone in the car and which allows drivers to make phone calls, listen to music, send and receive messages, get optimized navigation routes based on traffic conditions, and more, while remaining focused on the road. Android™ users, meanwhile, can activate Android Auto™. Android Auto makes apps and services, such as Google Search, Google Maps and Google Play, securely accessible and fully integrated. The system can be updated via a simple Wi-Fi connection. The new Intelligent AWD all-wheel drive system delivers a smooth transition between front-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive, and enables the vehicle to tackle slippery roads in complete safety.
Thanks to 25 different sensors, the system measures how the car’s wheels are in contact with the road and can adjust the 50/50 torque split between the front and rear wheels in less than 20 milliseconds – twenty times faster than it takes to blink an eye.
Handcrafted, high-tech finishing The finishing touches on every Ford Vignale model are handcrafted by master craftsmen at the Centre Vignale in Ford’s ultra-modern assembly plant in Valencia, which combines traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology.
The latest laser camera technology accompanies the expert eye, closely examining quality aspects such as panel alignment and paint finishes, to better meet customer expectations. Passionate about precision and attentive to the smallest detail, Centre Vignale experts hand-finish paint jobs and meticulously examine leather finishing details.
The Ford Vignale range now includes 4 vehicles
The new Ford Kuga Vignale and Ford Edge Vignale now extend the Ford Vignale range to four models, following the launch of the Ford Mondeo Vignale 4p and SW in 2015, and the Ford S-MAX Vignale this year.
In Europe, the Ford Vignale range is available at FordStores, dealerships that reflect the new face of Ford and are perfectly in tune with consumers’ new purchasing habits. Located in major urban areas, FordStores all feature a Vignale Salon, offering a top-of-the-range customer experience with personalized follow-up by a dedicated customer manager. Ford has already deployed 360 FordStores in Europe, and expects to have 400 by early next year. Ford is also offering an exclusive new service that gives Ford Vignale customers access to privileged travel offers, as well as VIP events. In partnership with Total Management – a global events and travel agency – the service offers a collection of carefully selected experiences for Ford Vignale customers. Ford Vignale customers can also download the Vignale Service smartphone app, for Apple and Android™, which offers a direct link to the online content of Vignale lifestyle magazine. The App also provides driving information and tips, integrates a dealer and gas station locator, geolocation services such as Ford Vignale Park Me, as well as a one-touch connection to emergency services or Ford Vignale OneCall (which puts Vignale customers in touch 24/7 with operators responding to any type of request).
Customers can now use the new dedicated Ford Vignale online configurator to explore vehicle pricing and options, including new equipment introduced this year that allows customers to further personalize the exterior styling of Vignale models. « Our customers have high aspirations. On some vehicles, our top-of-the-range Titanium finishes account for 70% of sales, » explains Jim Farley, President of Ford of Europe. « With Ford Vignale, we offer them the best of Ford in terms of products and personalized service. »
