2020 Ford Fiesta Vignale review - big car refinement, for big bucks

Compact, great to drive and with a broad range of trims at price points to suit varying budgets - there’s a reason the Ford Fiesta has been the top selling car in the UK for the last 11 consecutive years.

At a price to suit bigger budgets than mine, sits the Ford Fiesta Vignale. Starting at £22,290 (in actual fact, our test car cost £23,470 with options) the Vignale model tops the Fiesta line-up, excluding the high-performance Fiesta ST, and sets out to give buyers high-end materials, premium levels of equipment and ‘big car’ refinement.

With a starting price significantly exceeding that of entry-level Audi A1 and Mini Cooper models, does the high-specification Ford do enough to justify its premium price tag?

Premium materials and equipment

In general, the interior of the current generation Fiesta is of a decent standard to start with, the dated, angular dash of the old model is gone, replaced by a more elegant layout and an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system.

Vignale models add “Black Ruby” leather heated seats, a leather steering wheel, custom threshold plates, mats and a 10-speaker Bang and Olufson sound system to the interior.

The Vignale trim materials are well selected and, while there are still a few hollow-sounding and scratchy fixtures around the cabin, by and large it feels like Ford has achieved its aspiration of a premium feel.

Driving the Fiesta Vignale

Vignale cars have a comfort-oriented suspension setup compared with ST-Line and ST models. There’s a little bit more body roll, but the benefits of softer springs, thicker tyres and a slightly higher ride outweigh the cons in terms of comfort.

Vignale models, like Zetec and Titanium models that are tuned the same way, ride better than the sportier ST-Line and ST cars, particularly around the city, but the steering remains sharp and well balanced.