It might sound like an uphill battle for Ford, with this new Mondeo Vignale being priced to compete with some seriously tough competition in the form of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and even the new Jaguar XE. Taking the Mondeo from the class below and pitching it to customers looking for a premium executive car isn't quite what Ford has done here, however.
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Ford is also keen to point out that it isn't expecting huge sales from the Vignale. Instead, it means that it can keep customers who love the brand coming back - even if they are looking for a luxury car. That's lucky, because unfortunately the Vignale won't be challenging the 3 Series or C-Class for most buyers.
The Mondeo Vignale range starts at £29,345, and is available with two diesel engines, one EcoBoost petrol and a hybrid petrol-electric powertrain. There's a choice of gearboxes too, with a manual or six-speed 'Powershift' auto available on the petrol and diesel cars and a separate CVT gearbox on the hybrid.
We tried the most powerful 207bhp diesel with the automatic gearbox. With 450Nm of torque this engine is a good performer, but most of the time you're unlikely to worry about the extra 50Nm it has over the 178bhp model - both are easy to drive and feel powerful enough. The lower-powered model will be cheaper to run too, with economy of 68.9mpg compared to the 207bhp version's 58.9mpg figure.
We were disappointed by the softer, more comfort-focused handling of the latest Ford Mondeo, and although the Vignale has the same light steering and heavy weight that detracts from the car's enthusiast appeal it does start to make more sense in this context. Most owners will be using it for cruising up the motorway to work every day, and thanks to active noise cancelling and more soundproofing the Vignale is rather good at that. But keen drivers will prefer a BMW 3 Series, which is great at both.
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The interior is surprisingly premium-feeling, with a leather dash, door cars and steering wheel meaning everything you touch feels good. There's loads of standard equipment too, such as sat-nav, a rear-view camera, heated front seats and parking sensors front and rear.
It's often the small things you notice most, however, and it's here where the Ford could lose out compared to something like a C-Class. The hard plastic on the glove box, steering wheel and the centre console reminds you that you're in a Mondeo, and the fact that you don't get an electronic passenger seat as standard might make your car-share colleague feel a bit left out.
The seats look good, with a swish-looking pattern and soft leather material, but they aren't as comfortable as the seats in a Mercedes C-Class. There's not much headroom for passengers over six feet, especially with the optional sunroof fitted, but otherwise the Mondeo feels spacious inside.
With a 525-litre boot, the Mondeo saloon has more luggage space than the 480-litre Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series. Go for the Estate version and you can fold down the seats to free up 1,630 litres of space.
While the Mondeo Vignale can't beat rivals from the compact executive class, it does have plenty going for it - the low Ford servicing costs, personalised dealer service and low company car tax costs (thanks to the standard equipment) mean it's worth a look for those who want a quiet, refined commuter car without the fuss that sometimes accompanies premium cars.
- Model: Ford Mondeo Vignale
- Price: £31,595
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl diesel
- Power/torque: 207bhp/450Nm
- Transmission: 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 7.9 seconds
- Top speed: 145mph
- Economy/CO2: 58.9mpg/124g/km
- On sale: Now