Ford wants to make its Mondeo Vignale even more premium by adopting noise-cancelling technology.

The Mark 5 Mondeo is already a well-equipped, balanced automobile, but even so, Ford’s mid-size, front-wheel-drive model isn’t a noteworthy player in the compact executive segment (occupied by Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar). Still, the American car maker tries its best to change all that with the range-topping, luxurious Vignale trim.

That’s why the model comes with a plethora of interior and exterior upgrades, the most potent engines and with active noise canceling technology to boost its finesse and refinement. To top it off, Sony engineers tuned the Vignale’s audio system for an improved acoustical experience with 12 high-quality speakers and a sophisticated DSP amplifier.

The active noise control system works just like the one found on noise-cancelling headphones, but in this case it uses three microphones strategically placed in the cabin, to delete undesirable noises from the engine and transmission. To put it simply, the system counteracts those noises with opposing sound waves from the audio system, without affecting the passengers.

Of course, the active noise control is just one part of an entire ecosystem conceived to help minimize noise, vibrations and harshness. Because the automobile’s cabin has been designed from the ground up to offer the optimum sound experience, Ford also introduced acoustic glass to the Mondeo Vignale that improves the sound-proofing qualities of the windscreen and front windows.

As a matter of fact Ford says that even sound-proofing within the underbody shields, wheel-arch liners and rear doors was used in order to reduce road noise, and that the Mondeo Vignale is one of the first European Ford vehicles to benefit from the Vehicle Harmony team – a squad responsible for testing all sounds in the cabin, interior illuminations, and feel of the surfaces, from the sound made by the indicators to the one made by the heated rear window switch. So, if that isn’t premium, we don’t know what is…

The system will soon be offered on other Ford vehicles, including the 2016 Ford Edge.

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