The Goodwood Test: Ford Edge Vignale

21st November 2017

Ben Miles

Each week our team of experienced senior road testers pick out a new model from the world of innovative, premium and performance badges, and put it through its paces.

Heritage

Ferrari 212, Tatra 613, Fiat 500 Topolino, what do all these names have in common? Each was somehow breathed upon or designed by legendary Italian coachbuilding house Vignale. Founded in 1948 Vignale was a stalwart of the days when you bought the base chassis of a car and then took it to a coachbuilder for the body of your choice to be added on. The striking Ferrari 212 Vignale coupe may be the most famous of a group of extraordinarily beautiful cars created by the company. But the brand was taken over by the ill-fated De Tomaso in 1969, before in turn being sold as a package with Ghia to Ford in 1973. There the history of Vignale appeared to have ended as Ford discontinued the brand. That was until the name was resurrected until Ford decided it was time for an upmarket dub-brand to be born. Now pretty much every one of the Ford range has a ‘Vignale’ version, ready to take on the Germans at their own game.

Design

We’re rather fond of the Ford Edge’s design. That may be a slightly controversial opinion to hold, but the looks are aggressive without being needlessly fussy and a breath of fresh air in the Ford SUV range after the slightly lacklustre looks of the Kuga and Ecosport. The Vignale additions may not be to everyone’s taste, but there is no denying that it will turn heads. In comes a lot of chrome (grille, wing mirrors, and in our case wheels) as well as rather fetching diamond-stitched seats, plusher carpets and a few more mod cons.

Performance

It’s a family mid-range SUV so it’s not going to turn many heads in the sport department, but the twin-turbocharged diesel under the bonnet is blessed with 450Nm and 207bhp of torque to whack you along to 62mph in a not unimpressive 9.4 seconds. It will then sail on if you so wish to a top end of 131mph, but you’ll probably be happier cruising along at 70, a job for which the Vignale was made. As with all the Edge range, the Vignale is comfortable and relaxed, and as with all Fords, the steering is nicely weighted and communicative. The automatic ‘box is nicely relaxed, which mates perfectly with the lump of torque that will carry you to cruising speeds.

Passion

It’s about time Ford found a way to attack the more premium end of the market, and about time that the Vignale name graced our roads once more. There’s no denying that the chrome will put some off, but it absolutely has a place for a certain clientele. Isn’t it nice to stand out amongst the legions of other mid-range SUVs?