Hi all

I have been looking at the face lifted Kuga and it seems that the trim levels are Active/St Line and Titanium similar to the 4.5 Focus line up. Ultimately this looks like the last surviving Vignale Ford is to quietly disappear “not confirmed”, I know Vignale is still available as a trim level but they’re not the same as the original Vignale models there’s nothing that sets them apart from lower trim levels. Vignale had a lot of potential but I don’t think people were quite ready for it, if they’d of applied the Vignale strategy to new electric models and had them as the Lexus of Ford I think they’d of been more successful. 
 

I was introduced to Vignale by a family member that is no longer with us so I am naturally biased but I still believe they are fantastic cars that are so underrated. I think it’s a great shame that Vignale has been reduced to what it has become.
 

Any thoughts on this?
 

12 hours ago, Vignale Focus said:

Any thoughts on this?

Judging by the different versions I've heard from sales people, no-one knew how to pronounce it!😀

8 minutes ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Judging by the different versions I've heard from sales people, no-one knew how to pronounce it!😀

Vin-yar-lee.  It's really not hard... 

Don't suppose they drink champ-ag-nee?  

I've heard vignale as in "Withnail and I"😀

I've heard a well known US car restorer referring to it as 'Fig-nally'. 

Perhaps they should have stuck with Ghia after all...although I get equally irked at people pronouncing that the same as gear.  

Vignale WAS a good strategy, as was Ghia, but as soon as TVM got hold of them and started deleting the unique parts (just like Ghia) they were done for (a bit like Ford itself)

Getting back to what I think was Cameron's original point. I've never been much interested in what badge was on a car, be it Ford Vignale, BMW, Audi or whatever.

You could call it a turnip for all I care and if it was a good car I'd buy it, but I guess I'm not the target audience for that particular marketing technique. 

I agree with Dave though, Ford should have stuck with one thing or another. Recent actions have just devalued whatever equity there was in various badges and confused the customer. I recently had to explain to a non enthusiast friend that Titanium - which he still regarded as "a cut above" - was now almost the base trim!

6 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Judging by the different versions I've heard from sales people, no-one knew how to pronounce it!😀

I often get asked “what is it” followed by a moment of them attempting to pronounce it.

3 hours ago, DaveT70 said:

Vignale WAS a good strategy, as was Ghia, but as soon as TVM got hold of them and started deleting the unique parts (just like Ghia) they were done for (a bit like Ford itself)

 

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Getting back to what I think was Cameron's original point. I've never been much interested in what badge was on a car, be it Ford Vignale, BMW, Audi or whatever.

You could call it a turnip for all I care and if it was a good car I'd buy it, but I guess I'm not the target audience for that particular marketing technique. 

I agree with Dave though, Ford should have stuck with one thing or another. Recent actions have just devalued whatever equity there was in various badges and confused the customer. I recently had to explain to a non enthusiast friend that Titanium - which he still regarded as "a cut above" - was now almost the base trim!

What I liked about Vignale was in many cases especially with Mondeo you were getting BMW and Audi levels of technology and comfort but without the badge, it brought a bit of luxury accessible to the average person.

Even as an enthusiast I have to admit I find the current trim levels confusing especially with no way of clearly differentiating an STline Focus from an STline Vignale through badges for example, it completely devalues the higher trim levels in my opinion.

26 minutes ago, Vignale Focus said:

BMW and Audi levels of technology and comfort but without the badge

I think that was the key issue: "without the badge". 

To instance a friend of mine who got the choice of any company car up to a set monthly leasing figure. Choice basically came down to a Mondeo (Ghia, Titanium or Vignale, whichever it was at the time) with all the available bells and whistles, or a pretty basic 3-Series. She went for the Bimmer without a second thought.

Toyota with Lexus and Hyundai with Genesis, for instance, at least created a separate brand identity that looked and felt different to the parent brand vehicles. How did Ford expect to make a separate "premium brand" out of Vignale (and in a fairly short time) when to the average punter it was probably regarded as just an expensive Ford with the full complement of options and even had a prominent Ford badge on the front for good measure?

 

 

 

 

 

Good morning, I've had ford all my adult life and have always had top spec , ghia to giant X to Vignale. I've been running a kuga since there launch.

Now i went to buy a new one and they told me it's now ST LINE X . Absolutely rubbish, uncomfortable seats an awful ride. And at 75 yrs old I don't need that im looking for comfort at my age. I think ford have made a terrible mistake with thier products ,ie fiesta and focus, , the chinese are producing the same size vehicles to fill these gaps and doing it now.. in march they knocked the Puma off the top spot with the Jacoo or whatever its called. Very Sad....DG.

35 minutes ago, Dgee said:

Good morning, I've had ford all my adult life and have always had top spec , ghia to giant X to Vignale. I've been running a kuga since there launch.

Now i went to buy a new one and they told me it's now ST LINE X . Absolutely rubbish, uncomfortable seats an awful ride. And at 75 yrs old I don't need that im looking for comfort at my age. I think ford have made a terrible mistake with thier products ,ie fiesta and focus, , the chinese are producing the same size vehicles to fill these gaps and doing it now.. in march they knocked the Puma off the top spot with the Jacoo or whatever its called. Very Sad....DG.

Yes, they're not interested in you anymore.

Go and buy a Lexus, you'll love it