IT'S a Ford Mondeo, but not as we know it.

WITH the gap between premium brand cars and others continuing to narrow with the marketing of top-spec models it was only a matter of time before a non-premium manufacturer filled the gap. The result is the arrival of the Ford Mondeo Vignale, a car that looks and drives for the most part like a Mondeo but is a lot more than a trim designation.

Sitting above the Titanium X model in the Mondeo range, it has unique exterior and interior elements and are designed to offer superior comfort.

This Mondeo is so posh that you can only buy one from specially-chosen Ford dealers. And you can search high and low for any Mondeo badging but all you will find inside and out is the Vignale name.

Created in Ford’s Valencia factory with additional layers of paint and higher quality standards, you even get your own Vignale person to handle the sale and aftercare.

With a price tag nudging £30,000, the hand-finished Vignale is entering new territory for the Mondeo, which was once hailed and sometimes derided as the car of choice for the aspiring working-class motorist.

And as the first vehicle to be introduced as part of Ford’s new Vignale brand it is very impressive and handsome.

On the outside there are unique alloy wheels, a gloss finish to the grille and pillars and some extra chrome detailing, plus badges to let your traffic-queue neighbour know that this is no ordinary Mondeo.

But there's no denying that at first view this is still very much the car that has been a favourite of families and company car drivers for a long, long time.

Step inside and your senses respond instantly. The carpeting has a thick pile, the electric-powered leather seats are lush and your eyes fall upon layers of leather.

It also has more kit than a yomping paratrooper, including a premium 12-speaker Sony audio system with navigation and Ford’s SYNC2 system for connectivity. And unlike the premium brands virtually all the kit comes as standard. You could list the optional extras on a postage stamp.

The calming ambience makes me want to sit back and relax. There's still the regular underpinnings that have brought universal praise, but the suspension has been altered.

Powering the Vignale in my test car was the 2.0-litre TDCI unit matched with Powershit transmission and all-wheel drive for enhanced road-holding and traction.

With ample power on tap, it combines a beautifully composed ride with the ability to accelerate quickly when the need arises.

The whisper-quiet ride may be smoother but it still has the Ford sharpness of response you’d expect, while the reduction in noise levels is a welcome improvement.

The choice of powertrains on offer also includes Ford’s new 210PS bi-turbo 2.0-litre TDCi diesel, 240PS EcoBoost petrol, and 187PS petrol-electric hybrid.

Technologies include pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection, which can reduce the severity of some frontal collisions involving vehicles and pedestrians, or help drivers avoid some impacts altogether.

Active park assist featuring perpendicular parking enables drivers to detect suitably-sized parking spaces and reverse hands-free into them, while

traffic sign recognition advises drivers of the latest detected speed limit, cancellation signs and overtaking restrictions via the instrument cluster display.

In addition, there's automatic braking to mitigate or avoid a collision with a vehicle ahead at speeds of up to 25mph.

Improving safety for rear-seat passengers, Ford’s industry-first inflatable rear seatbelts rapidly expand in the event of an accident to disperse crash forces across a body area five times greater than that achieved by a conventional seatbelt.

LED headlights that adjust the beam angle and intensity to match the driving environment plus a power-adjustable, a power tailgate and heated steering wheel are other features to admire.

In fact there is so much to admire about the Vignale that it should prove a tempting proposition.