Ford has taken the wraps off their a new posh Vignale version of the Kuga, bringing a higher level of luxury to their small SUV range. It is the most recent Vignale variant in Ford’s global line-up following the Mondeo, Edge, and S-Max.
“Our customers have high aspirations, and they want more from Ford. On some vehicles, our top-of-the-line Titanium specifications make up 70 per cent of all sales,” said Jim Farley, Chairman and CEO of Ford of Europe. “With Ford Vignale, we can offer them the absolute best of Ford in terms of luxury and personal service. That’s why we are expanding from Ford Mondeo Vignale to our flagship products Edge and S-MAX, with Kuga to come soon after.”
The exterior of the range-topping Kuga is now finished in a champagne-like pearlescent brownish shade that Ford calls Vignale Milano Grigio and has added a new hexagonal grille, 19-inch polished aluminium wheels, and chromed fog lamps.
Inside is where the Vignale name has more impact on the driver. Each vehicle is hand-finished by a master craftsperson at Ford’s Vignale Centre in Valencia, Spain, where the Kuga gains its luxurious interior.
There is the unique hexagonal quilted Cashmere-coloured seats in Windsor leather with tuxedo-style stitching that it shares on the door trim and dashboard as well. Kuga Vignales also come standard with Ford’s SYNC3 infotainment and navigations system, active noise cancellation, tri-zone climate control, upgraded sound system, and a panoramic sunroof.
“Our Ford Kuga Vignale speaks directly to the growing trend for luxury SUVs and represents the very best of Ford with premium design, materials and craftsmanship,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales & Service, Ford of Europe. “We see great potential to extend the top end of our Ford product range and offer a special experience that meets the growing expectations of our customers.”
Ford will offer the Kuga Vignale in Europe with a choice of two engines – a 1.5-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol or a 2.0-litre TDCi turbodiesel, each with two levels of tune, the more powerful of which also gains a six-speed Powershift dual-clutch automatic transmission and Ford’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system.
The Kuga Vignale should go on sale later this year but Ford has yet to announce pricing for Europe, which no doubt where it will be headed for first. Hopefully, Ford will see that the Vignale nameplate can flourish in other markets too and make a business case for offering it in Australia.
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