Ford Edge Vignale 2018 review

1-ford-edge-vignale-2018-fd-front Ford's flagship SUV gets a mid-life overhaul, introducing sharper styling and a revised interior. Can it make Ford's priciest model stand out? According to Ford’s own research, exterior design isn’t simply one of the factors that drives SUV purchasing decisions; it is actually the most important factor. Never mind the badge on the nose, the quality of the cabin or the anything remotely connected to the driving experience. No, what most people in the market for a large 4x4 care about first and foremost is the way a particular model looks.Ford’s biggest and most expensive family car has been overhauled only a couple of years after it first arrived in the UK. In line with its own research, Ford has worked especially hard to improve on what one senior designer described as the outgoing version’s ‘heavy-handed’ styling. The sculpted bodywork and sharply raked C-pillars remain, but the front end is more sophisticated now while the rear loses its full-width light strip at a time when seemingly every other manufacturer is beginning to adopt them.The cabin has been reskimmed with smarter door mouldings and a slick rotary gear selector that does away with the previous model’s woefully outdated gearlever. This updated version is equipped with all the usual driver assistance systems you’d expect of a new large car in 2018 - think blindspot assist, front collision avoidance and automatic parking - which Ford collectively labels Co-Pilot 360, and there’s also Ford Pass Connect, which incorporates a full suite of connectivity options.The three-strong model range is made up of the Titanium from £36,995, the new ST-Line from £42,995 and the range-topping Vignale, tested here, which starts at £45,995. That’s more expensive than the cheapest Range Rover Velar. Delve a little way into the options list and a Ford Edge Vignale could well roll out of the showroom costing £50,000. Ford has a long history of offering large, grown-up family cars that sit atop its line-up, but to choose a top-spec Edge ahead of any number of SUVs from premium manufacturers such as Land Rover, Mercedes, Audi and BMW, you would need to be a particularly devoted Blue Oval fan, or otherwise be wholly unbothered by brand, image, impressing the neighbours and all the rest of it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BTCC 2018: Neal wins Diamond Double at Snetterton

Image
Neal clinched victory in the extended Diamond Double race Jack Goff stars in qualifying and race one, while veteran Neal clinches glory in double-length finale Triple British Touring Car champion Matt Neal clinched victory in the special extended Diamond Double race at Snetterton, held to mark the 60th anniversary of the series in his Honda Civic Type R . Rising stars Jack Goff and Ashley Sutton also took race wins at the Norfolk track. Instead of the usual reverse-grid finale, the third race at Snetterton was extended from 12 laps to 20, with double championship points on offer and no success ballast. The race also featured its own separate qualifying session. Picture special: 60 years of the BTCC That was good news for Eurotech driver Goff, who went fastest in both qualifying sessions to claim two pole positions in his Civic Type R. He made the first one count, pulling out a big lead in treacherous wet conditions.  The young guns of the BTCC Behind Goff, reigning champion
Read more

Japan's micro sports cars – Honda and Daihatsu kei cars driven

Image
S660 and Copen are the only kei sports cars in production Kei cars are big in Japan, but do they deliver driving thrills? We sample a pair in Tokyo to find out When the American style of christening storms came to Britain a couple of years ago, it was inevitable that some wag in the Met Office would find a way to undermine the whole concept with an underwhelming name to snigger about.  Storm Brian was the result. It’s a fine English name but perhaps lacking the gravitas of many of those coined overseas. “In terms of impact, we’ve had spray overtopping quaysides,” someone from the Environment Agency told the BBC of Brian’s pummelling of Cornwall. Top marks for not trying, Brian.  While Brian was doing his thing on the other side of the world, Typhoon Lan – now there’s a name – was homing in on southern Japan, bringing with it 140mph winds and a storm that made photographer Stan Papior wish he’d invested in a waterproof camera and jacket.  Look really closely at some of his pictur
Read more