Ford Mondeo Vignale Nero 2017 review

Ford’s Vignale brand continues to expand, but the Mondeo arguably suits the upmarket ethos best. The Nero Vignale pack, fitted exclusively to the Mondeo Vignale, is well priced and looks great in combination with certain paint colours. Elsewhere, it’s business as usual – a credibly plush alternative to similarly priced BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class models. It’s not half bad, in fact, so long as you’re not hung up on badge prestige.

Ford’s Vignale brand has had time to settle down, with the plush range-topping models now accounting for around one in ten of new Mondeos bought privately. Yes, that percentage is smaller for fleet buyers, but that’s still significant given the price tag. In five-door, 2.0 TDCI 180 guise as tested here, the Mondeo Vignale costs over £31,000.

From there, there are myriad options that can push that number close to £35,000. For similar money, you could choose a BMW 330i M Sport. But Ford points to the luxurious ambiance as justification for that price. 

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Price apart, the Mondeo Vignale certainly looks the part. The standard car sports plenty of chrome, which for many buyers oozes premium appeal. If that’s a view you don’t subscribe to, then there’s the Nero pack as tested here.

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For £250, it’s a well-priced package of features that gives the Mondeo Vignale a slightly more menacing presence, and one that’s chosen by just over half of buyers. It brings 19-inch alloy wheels finished in a dark grey, while the fog lamp bezels and strips on the front and rear bumpers are finished in the same trim. You might refer to it as a chrome delete option, in fact. 

To these eyes, the Vignale benefits from less bling, but the dark grey alloy wheels don’t suit dark bodywork colours quite as well as they do against lighter paintwork. It’s all a matter of taste, of course.

While the Vignale Nero pack is available on the five-door hatchback, you can’t choose it on a four-door Mondeo Vignale hybrid. But that doesn’t stop the Mondeo Vignale remaining an extremely accomplished cruiser. What it lacks in direct steering – a criticism common to every new Mondeo – it more than makes up for in eerie refinement and a comfortable ride, despite those big wheels and low-profile tyres. The Vignale’s laminated acoustic side glass means there’s a startling lack of wind noise, too.

Cover the badges, and you’d be hard pressed to tell you were in a Ford. Most of the surfaces are trimmed in leather and there’s no shortage of standard-fit equipment. Highlights here include heated leather seats with 10-way electric adjustment for the driver, a Sony audio system, Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment system, a rear parking camera and a full suite of safety kit.