Ford Kuga Reviews

Well aware its elderly Escape SUV wasn’t doing well in the booming medium SUV market, Ford Australia has launched the European Kuga – which is almost in run-out mode overseas.An all-new Ford Kuga is scheduled to reach Australia early in 2013, this time only a matter of months after its debut in Europe.The Ford Kuga comes down under in two specification levels: the midrange Kuga Trend and topline Kuga Titanium. An entry level variant may be added to the range with the all-new model 2013 model, but Ford Australia executives won’t be drawn on discussing future plans.Starting at $38,990 the midrange model comes with your expected tech and design features. There’s Bluetooth connectivity, voice control, a Sony CD 8-speaker system, keyless start/stop, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel, front foglamps, roof rails, follow-me-home lighting and capless refuelling.Ford Kuga Titanium adds 18-inch alloys, a fixed panoramic glass sunroof, dual-zone climate control, leather trimmed seats (the fronts are heated), leather trimmed gear shift, six-way powered driver’s seat, rear privacy glass, rear parking sensors, automatic headlamps and wipers.As a special treat, the Australian Kugas are powered by Ford’s five-cylinder Duratec 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. Though not a new powerplant it produces up to 147 kW of power, and 320 Nm of torque. The large capacity of the turbo engine means that top torque comes in at a mere 1600 rpm, and the graph shows it stays at that high level until the engine is revving at 4000 rpm.Fuel consumption during our test period was typically in the nine to eleven litres per hundred kilometres range in town driving, falling to seven to eight litres in the bush. Not a bad number for a big petrol engine in an SUV.Many owners will therefore enjoy the efficiency of full torque almost all of the time. Aussie drivers traditionally like grunt and this engine supplies it in spades. Better still, it can be left in high gears and still pulls willingly.The big five-cylinder engine sits beside a five-speed automatic transmission. It runs through an AWD (All Wheel Drive) system. The sophisticated Haldex clutch system in the transmission means you can take the Kuga on only reasonably serious unsealed surfaces. It isn’t really aimed at the serious 4WD buyer, but will work fine for weekend and holiday excursions in the Australian bush.The Ford Kuga Trend is well-equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels and a two-part rear tailgate that can be opened in its upper section only, or like a full conventional hatch.Kuga has been on sale in several countries for up to four years, but it received a major facelift in 2011 so the styling looks bang up to date. In particular it bears a strong resemblance to big brother Ford Territory, as well as to the Ford Focus and Mondeo, as part of Ford’s global styling strategy.Ford Kuga comes with a five-star NCAP safety rating and has six airbags. To avoid the need for the airbags there are ABS brakes with emergency brake assist, stability control and traction control with roll-over mitigation, the latter handy in a relatively high-riding SUV.Ride comfort is generally good and, again, the Kuga has a sophisticated feel. It’s way ahead of the somewhat outdated Ford Escape that it replaces in the overall stability and refinement stakes.Other than the tyre noise on coarse-chip surfaces, the Kuga is quiet and relaxing to ride in. And it’s certainly not alone in suffering from tyre noise when treated to a stretch of Australian backroad running. It’s a pity Ford Australia can’t lend some of its suspension engineers to the European design centre to show them what can be done. Just look (and hear) the way Ford’s Aussie Territory and Falcon deal with these surfaces to see what we mean.Ride and handling give Kuga a Euro feel that will appeal to keen drivers. The way it grips the road makes it feel a lot better than the typical Asian sourced SUV. No longer does the driving enthusiast have to sacrifice driving pleasure just because the family is at the stage where it needs a station wagon.Not only is it strong, we were also impressed by the smoothness of the engine. It really does feel as though it’s from an expensive upmarket Euro car, not an affordable Ford. Perhaps the fact that the engine is also used by Volvo explains this feeling.We anticipate that the next generation Kuga may come with other engine and transmission options, including a turbo-diesel engine and manual gearbox.Kuga Trend 2.5-litre turbo-petrol five-door hatch (automatic)Kuga Titanium 2.5-litre turbo-petrol five-door hatch (automatic)

The Kuga make not make a scratch on the SUV segment.Ford could be throwing its belated Euro soft roader into the lions' den. Yes, you can add another vehicle into the overcrowded SUV segment; one that hit double figures in 2010, and now represents 12 percent of vehicle sales.But while the segment soars, Ford Australia is playing catch-up. While the company has enjoyed a diesel-led resurgence of its large Territory, its compact entry  for the past 11 years  has been the Escape.As the name suggests, many of us cannot get away fast enough from this US-market-driven, old-school softie. The Escape dates back to 2001, and when it finally surfaced after lengthy delays, the Subaru Forester, Toyota Rav4, and Honda CR-V already had a stranglehold.History has repeated with the Kuga; the German-built Escape replacement debuted globally in 2008. Four long years later, we finally get 200 cars a month with a turbo five-cylinder petrol, auto transmission and two trim choices.So long has been the wait that the updated Kuga -based on the current Focus platform rather than the superseded one, with more tech, and most likely a 2.0-litre diesel donk - will be here next year.There's no base model per se; the Kuga comes only in mid-spec Trend and top-shelf Titanium, keeping with Ford's notions of the Kuga representing a high-end alternative and ensuring the resale value of the late-gen imports remains stable. The Escape is kept alive for now as an entry level car.The Trend starts at $38,990, which includes 17-inch wheels, fog lights, roof rails, dual chrome-tipped exhaust, keyless start, cruise, a decent eight-speaker stereo with Bluetooth and voice activation, and five-star safety.Step up six grand, and the $44,990 Titanium model adds a panoramic glass roof, 18-inch wheels, leather trim, heated front seats, power adjustment on the drivers seat, auto headlights and wipers, and dual-zone air-con.Herein lies the biggest dilemma for the Kuga. In 2008, it would have been right up there. Now VW's Tiguan and Subaru's XV hold the cards in the world of tech warcraft. There's nothing new about the inline five-pot powerplant; the five-speed automatic tranny with a sports shifter is mildly dimwitted next to the likes of the Tiguan's DSG, and the Haldex on-demand system is nothing special.The rear of the car is held up by an independent control blade suspension; the rear bumper coming short of covering it up, as if to give traffic behind a peep up its skirt at this inclusion, and it works well with the excellent handling characteristics.However, it misses out on Ford's patented EPAS parallel-park-for-dummies system that automatically parks the car for you. The US Kuga, which has kept the Escape nameplate, has this feature, so we may get it. But not yet.More than a big bloated Focus, the Kuga's design manages to avoid the crossover car-on-stilts typecast with low skirting, a big glasshouse and wedge-like roof and shoulder line. Its quite a tall car, but big alloys fill the arches, while a nifty split tailgate with a flat-loading cargo floor and covering net make it easy to access.Rear legroom is tight, however, and the high sill line will impede the view of  kids. But that isn't this empty nester/young active couples target demographic. Tow capacity, which is strangely set at 750kg whether braked or unbraked, is poor. And a space saver underfloor is the only spare, which is simply not good enough on an SUV in this country.The Kuga has already been crashed into a few barriers at the ANCAP facility, and earned a five star rating for its intelligent protection system or cabin capsule, front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, EBD, BA, and traction and stability control (DSC) with Anti Rollover Mitigation, which will brake the front wheels and cut the engine if the balance starts to skew in the roof's favour.High expectations come with a long-anticipated car, particularly one based on the superbly set-up Focus. The Focus XR5's rorty little turbo five is detuned to produce 147 kW at 6000rpm in the Kuga, but gets the same 320NM from 1600rpm - 4000rpm to get its 1653kg bulk away with good push. Its lovely power steering cops rough-road kickback, but remains pointy and progressive.The ride is supple, despite the New Zealand-specced cars we tested on the hilly roads north of Auckland being fitted with larger 19-inch rims and thinner rubber, where we get 17s and 18s (our cars will have a softer ride and absorb some of the test cars' front-end reaction to uneven surfaces; corner entry will be less crisp).It sits low which also aids handing -- though the ride height of 188mm is far below the 220mm legs of its SUV brethren.  The AWD system got a short workout on gravel, running 90:10 in favour of the front wheels but progressing to a 50:50 split without noticeable hesitation.However, it was felt through a fog of active driver aids - the stability control is deactivated through the setup menu; and a task to turn off. It's a good steer with a quality feel; as good as the top runners in the class. But it doesn't set a new benchmark.

In an interesting move, Ford launched its new Kuga to the Australian motoring media at a major event in Auckland, New Zealand.

Ford's cute compact four-wheel drive Kuga finally goes on sale here next month. We've been asking about this car for years, ever since laying eyes on it for the first time in Europe.