Ford Kuga Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Ford Kuga
Prices: £20,445-£25,745 - on the road
Insurance Group: 10-13
Emissions: 169-244g/km
Performance: [2.0 TDCI 4WD] Max Speed 112mph / 0-60mph 10.7s
Fuel Consumption: [2.0 TDCI 4WD] (urban) 34.9mpg / (extra urban) 52.3mpg / (combined) 44.1mpg
Safety: twin front and side airbags, ESP, ABS with EBD
Dimensions: (length/width/height) 4443/1842/1710 mm WHO TO SEE:

K-CLASS

Our Rating: 7.7 / 10

Ford hasn’t had a great track record with 4x4s in the UK but the Kuga looks set to change that. Andy Enright reports

Brilliantly styled, smartly finished and powered by one of the better diesel engines in its class, the Ford Kuga is undoubtedly one of this year’s must-have cars. With car-like driving dynamics allied to the all-weather security of four-wheel drive, it’s tightly priced and is creating quite a buzz.

For a company that has counted on sports utility vehicles for such a huge proportion of its global earnings, Ford has had a surprisingly patchy track record with the things in the UK. Where other manufacturers have rapidly jumped on the 4x4 bandwagon and made some fairly decent coin, Ford has tried half heartedly with a succession of Mavericks none of which were ever that appetising. Now it appears to be trying a different tack.

Rather than convince the British public that they need a big, butch wagon slathered in chrome, Ford has instead unleashed the Kuga, a so-called crossover vehicle that attempts to meld the best bits of 4x4 ownership with none of the antisocially obese excess. With taut, chunky styling and an economical turbodiesel engine, it’s one of the few 4x4s that won’t have you mumbling an apologetic justification when people ask what you drive.

4x4s tend to polarise opinion. Either they’re so ridiculously macho that you feel the need to start chewing tobacco and killing your own food in order to drive them or they’re so self-consciously suburban that you’ll look like a harassed school run mum – neither is a good look and a significant number of people despise them. The Kuga is different. For a start it’s manageably sized which means that the urban driving experience is a pleasant one.

It’s powered by a 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi 134bhp diesel engine with standard particulate filter and a six-speed manual transmission or a 198bhp 2.5-litre petrol unit that’s available with the six-speed manual or an automatic. The diesel engine provides 320Nm of torque at 2,000rpm and 340Nm should you really put your foot down and need what Ford calls ‘transient overboost’. The Kuga comes uses a full-time Haldex intelligent AWD system which sends 95% of torque to the front wheels until slippage is detected and more drive is redirected aft. Buyers less interested in maximum traction might like the 2WD version.

Show the Kuga a straight, well-surfaced road and it serves up a good standard of ride comfort and refinement. The ride is reasonably firm and that helps the Kuga resist body roll when cornered vigorously, plus it’s also less liable to become unsettled over bumps in the road. The accurate steering makes it easier to position the car too.

Outside, the detailing is exquisite, Ford hitting just the right tone between sporting aggression and nuggety cuteness. The interior isn’t quite as successful as the exterior. For a start it’s surprisingly small, the Kuga being one of those increasingly rare cars that doesn’t pull all manner of packaging tricks out of its hat. Space in the back is tight for anything other than kids and drivers who are long in the body will find headroom an issue when getting in and out. Of course, this high seating position will be a huge bonus for ladies and shorter guys, but those with short legs will find that they’ll need to shift their seat forward to such an extent that the heavily raked windscreen starts getting very close. The centre console appears to have been lifted from the C-MAX but a few more of that car’s practical touches wouldn’t have gone amiss, especially for rear seat passengers.

The second row of seating has a 60/40 split and can fold completely flat to maximise the load space.  Underseat storage beneath the second row with further storage under the floor of the luggage compartment area offers maximum practicality.  The Kuga has a generous luggage capacity of 1,355 litres when in two-seat mode, while the enclosed luggage compartment achieves a volume of up to 410 litres.

Two trim levels are offered. The first step is Zetec which comes with keyless start, 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, ESP stability control, anti lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and an MP3 connector to plug into your iPod. If you’re feeling a little more flush, the plusher Titanium trim level gets part leather trim, rain sensing wipe