FIRST DRIVE
Ford Kuga 2.0-litre TDCi Titanium
The Blue Oval has launched the Ford Kuga. Classed as a crossover the SUV Ford is stepping into unknown territory with this vehicle as it has never had a car that falls into this class.
At IMN we are on the whole big on SUV vehicles but boy do we like this car, it’s actually a really good looking car. It’s was a real head turner on our test route.
We think the Kuga is stylish and funky, the front of the car has a powerful stance, while the side view combines a car with SUV. Part of the Kuga retains some of the iosis X Concept car, which predetermined the look of the Kuga.
At IMN we belive the Kuga has captured a stlish look but there is a rugged allure surrounding it. The Kuga has adopted the new face of Ford with its bold upper and lower trapezoid grille and swept back headlights.
Move to the inside and you’ll see that the boffins at Ford have been hard at work. It has a quality feel to it, the materials used are first class and are on a par with more expensive SUVs. The dash has a clean and unfussy design that’s not to say it is boring – no the plastics are of good quality and the brushed aluminium is tasteful. For handiness there is a centre stack which allows for good storage. There’s more, the second row of seats has underseat storage and if you more the Kuga has also got stowage under the floor of the luggage compartment area – a neat touch.
Do we have any niggles?
Yes, the most annoying component of the car is where Ford has placed the engine stop-start button, it sits between the two main air vents but this was the only part we didn’t like. It’s just a shame that you’ll have it irritate you every time you fire up your Kuga.
Moving round to the rear of the car and you’ll notice that the Kuga is very practical as it can be accessed through a handy split tailgate, which holds loads of up to 410 litres.
Our Kuga test car, was powered by a 2.0-litre Durateq TDCi engine – with 136PS on tap. For an SUV the Kuga is a sprightly and athletic vehicle. Ford claims that the car will get from zero to 62mph in just over 10.5 seconds while you have a maximum speed of 112mph. There’s plenty of torque – 320nm at 2,000rpm which means there’s plenty of shove when you need to overtake. The engine is stunningly refined at speed and at idle and only now and again can you notice a faint turbo whistle (we loved the turbo whistle) when you press on with the right foot.
Not many people will know this but the Ford Kuga is a proper off-roader as it’s equipped with a Haldex intelligent AWD system with variable torque distribution – this means that the system will provide optimum torque distribution when accelerating and decelerating giving you a better power delivery when needed.
On test the Kuga performed brilliantly – it has a comfortable ride as it has front McPherson struts and fully independent rear multi-link control blade suspension. If you like to drive enthusiastically you’ll not be disappointed as the Kuga is a joy to drive.
Ford know how to make driver’s cars and the Kuga is no different. It has minimum body roll through bends, impressive for an SUV while the car feels grippy and accurate and the steering offers you a choice of assistance weights - all three are precise and communicative just like the Focus that the Kuga is based on.
| Name/Price: | Ford Kuga 2.0-litre TDCi Titanium/From £22,500 |
| Engine/power: | 2.0-litre TDCi/136PS |
| Co2 emissions: | 169g/km |
| Official Combined fuel economy: | 44.1mpg |
IMN VERDICT
Ford offers the Kuga in Zetec or Titanium trim levels with prices start from £20,495. Our model costs £22,500 but is better equipped than the similar priced VW Tiguan. The Ford Kuga not only drives well, it looks good and is eco-friendly – we think it’s the best SUV in its class.
Simon McBride