Motoring - Street runner
It has been a long time coming, but Ford's return to the 4x4 market promises to be well worth the wait. The Focus-inspired Kuga should be brilliant.
It is no insult to say that we knew what to expect from the Kuga. It is based on the class-leading Focus chassis (although both lengthened and widened), it uses the familiar 2.0 TDCI engine and it is clothed in a body that features Ford's family look, dubbed "kinetic design". Given the company's track record over the last 10 years, it was hardly likely that Ford was going to mess up with that list of ingredients.
The semi-premium look of the car is carried through on the inside - the instruments are from the recent Focus facelift and all the materials feel like pretty high quality items. The list of equipment is extensive ‒ you cannot buy a Kuga without sports seats, heated door mirrors and at least 17-inch alloy wheels.
On the road, the Kuga moves with Ford's trademark fluidity. The suspension is excellent, smoothing out even the roughest roads while offering secure handling with comparatively little roll. However, if you are new to off-roaders, you should be aware that no car of this type is going to handle as well as a Focus - it is taller and heavier and the engineering is all about disguising the masses involved in cornering. Ford is pitching the Kuga as a luxury SUV at a lower price than a BMW - an idea whose validity customers will decide for themselves.
The Kuga does not move the small SUV game on, which may come as a slight disappointment after the pace-setting Focus, S-Max and Mondeo. However, it is certainly at the top of its class and any potential CR-V or RAV4 buyer should take a close look, especially as the Ford does have two small, but significant advantages. It is currently the only vehicle of its type to slip just below 170 g/km of CO2 (with a figure of 169 g/km), which will be more important when the new CO2 tax bands come in. Meanwhile, the limited production capacity means that residual values are likely to be strong. Independent analysis suggests that the Kuga will be worth 47 per cent of its original price after three years and 60,000 miles ‒ three percentage points ahead of the Honda CR-V.
The Ford Kuga should be available from Gasan next month.
• Content provided by Verdict on Cars
The semi-premium look of the car is carried through on the inside - the instruments are from the recent Focus facelift and all the materials feel like pretty high quality items. The list of equipment is extensive ‒ you cannot buy a Kuga without sports seats, heated door mirrors and at least 17-inch alloy wheels.
On the road, the Kuga moves with Ford's trademark fluidity. The suspension is excellent, smoothing out even the roughest roads while offering secure handling with comparatively little roll. However, if you are new to off-roaders, you should be aware that no car of this type is going to handle as well as a Focus - it is taller and heavier and the engineering is all about disguising the masses involved in cornering. Ford is pitching the Kuga as a luxury SUV at a lower price than a BMW - an idea whose validity customers will decide for themselves.
The Kuga does not move the small SUV game on, which may come as a slight disappointment after the pace-setting Focus, S-Max and Mondeo. However, it is certainly at the top of its class and any potential CR-V or RAV4 buyer should take a close look, especially as the Ford does have two small, but significant advantages. It is currently the only vehicle of its type to slip just below 170 g/km of CO2 (with a figure of 169 g/km), which will be more important when the new CO2 tax bands come in. Meanwhile, the limited production capacity means that residual values are likely to be strong. Independent analysis suggests that the Kuga will be worth 47 per cent of its original price after three years and 60,000 miles ‒ three percentage points ahead of the Honda CR-V.
The Ford Kuga should be available from Gasan next month.
• Content provided by Verdict on Cars
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