Ford Kuga Titanium 2013 Review

Ford' striking new Kuga is up against it in the medium SUV class because there are so many worthy contenders including the excellent new Toyota RAV4 and Mazda's CX5.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT

But they aren't giving it away, with the top of the range Kuga Titanium TDCI Titanium with Tech Pack tipping over the $50,000 mark. They start at $28,000 grand for the front wheel drive petrol dunger model -- which is sharpish.

But you'd want at least some of the kit in our test car, especially the driver assistance Tech Pack that brings active city stop, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, lane keeping, lane departure warning, auto high beam and driver attention warning. It's the sort of stuff that should be in all cars these days as standard equipment - one day perhaps.

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

The Kuga Titanium we drove is an impressive vehicle offering a punchy 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine achieving some 120kW/340Nm output and 6.4-litres/100km.

TECHNOLOGY

Kuga is one of the first vehicles offered here with an automatic tailgate function triggered by waving your foot under the rear bumper. It works ... sometimes. It is also one of the first vehicles in Australia to offer voice operated SYNC using your own mobile (Apple) phone for multi media connectivity (and other things).

There's an impressive automatic emergency phone call system built into SYNC that makes the call if the air bags are activated and fuel shut off. Active park assist is standard across the range and extremely helpful but the panoramic sunroof is a delete option as far as we are concerned.

SAFETY

The new body is strengthened by selective use of high tensile steel. Kuga has a torque vectoring system lifted from high performance Focus and Fiesta models as well as what Ford calls "intelligent" all wheel drive. The torque vectoring is appreciated as a genuine safety enhancement.

DRIVING

We like the look of Kuga from all angles -- 19-inch alloys, dual outlet exhausts, rear diffuser and the new hero colour Ginger Ale grows on you. But the active cruise control had a hissy fit on the freeway at 100kmh thinking a semi was in our lane... it wasn't. And the Kuga Titanium is kitted out as a five star car -- with all that brings.

The engine is not the smoothest, punchiest or most economical 2.0-litre turbo diesel around but shifts the weighty Titanium (1738kg) with purpose once you get it off the mark. This is aided by the slick shifting dual clutch six-speed Sportshift transmission that maximises the engine's strengths as well as offering Sport mode.

The funky interior will appeal to younger buyers with its clever functions and appealing style. The dash is info rich and easy to use switches enhance the drive experience. We particularly like the one touch folding rear seat and large load area but the spare is a space saver.

VERDICT

Worth a look but the 1.6-litre Ecoboost petrol goes about the same, uses about the same amount of fuel and costs less.

The complete 2013 Ford Kuga range:

Ambiente 1.6-litre petrol FWD five-door wagon: from $27,990 (manual)
Ambiente 1.6-litre petrol AWD five-door wagon: from $31,490 (automatic)
Trend 1.6-litre petrol AWD five-door wagon: from $36,240 (automatic)
Trend 2.0-litre turbo-diesel AWD five-door wagon: from $39,240 (automatic)
Titanium 1.6-litre petrol AWD five-door wagon: from $44,470 (automatic)
Titanium 2.0-litre turbo-diesel AWD five-door wagon: from $47,740 (automatic)

Ford Kuga 

Price: from $27,990
Warranty: 3 years/100,000km
Capped servicing: 7 years/105,000km $2000-$2795 (total, depending on drivetrain)
Resale: 50%
Service interval: 12 months/15,000km
Safety: 5 stars
Engine: 110kW/240Nm FWD or 134kW/240Nm AWD 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo-petrol, 120kW/340Nm 2-litre 4-cyl turbo-diesel
Transmission: 6-speed manual (FWD), automatic (petrol AWD) or double-clutch auto (diesel AWD)
Thirst: 6.3-8 1/100km, tank 60 litres; 166-186g/km CO2
Dimensions: 4.5m (L); 1.8m (w); 1.7m (h)
Weight: 1550-1738kg
Spare: space saver