Ford Kuga Zetec

Just like the Ford Kuga which is quite literally a car and a half but that extra half is a bit of a silent partner especially when it comes to polluting by-products. It’s been stretched and re-enforced but there’s no wasted mass to lug around. It carries the same drivetrain as its Focus cousin and it uses its 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine to good measure. C02 emissions fall short of 170g/km and its fuel consumption is 44.1mpg, not bad for a crossover vehicle that can also sprint from zero to 62mph in 10.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 112mph. Soft Off-roading is also in its repertoire of skills so you can take the kids out on your very own squirrel and pheasant safari in the fields behind your house. Not quite Longleat but if it involves mud, apparent danger and getting you out of the study for the afternoon, they’ll love it.

For the majority of the time though the Kuga behaves as a front wheel drive car allowing it to plough on through suburban traffic. It’s only when there’s a loss of traction that the torque gets shared between each axel and as this country’s weather is always catching us out, the back-up of 4WD is a real perk. But with its stretched proportions and heavier 4x4 equipment the worry is that you’d get a numbed sensation when handling the Kuga. Fortunately Ford’s engineers have fiddled around with the steering so as to give the Crossover vehicle natural and effortless manoeuvring.

Although most buyers will be more than happy to snap up the rather efficient diesel engine (which will be the only one on offer from the Kuga’s on sale date in June), performance is always a strong selling point so later on in the year the not so green 200bhp 2.5-litre petrol engine from the Focus ST will join it. There’s also two trim levels available in the UK; Zetec and Titanium, the former gives you a blue or orange trim with colour coded mono-stripped seats while the latter is defined by a glossy black finish and half-leather trim as well as cruise control, automatic headlamps and wipers, blue tinted glass and dual-zone climate control.

The new Kuga has the added sparkle of the new Ford generation with plenty of irregular dips, bulges and softer more malleable looking strokes to outline the headlamps and the curvature of the roof line. It was inspired by the Iosis X concept which was unveiled at the Paris Motor show in 2006. The production model has a less artistic interior than we would have hoped but can’t be faulted for its quality. Functionality had to be high on Ford’s list too what with so many other compact SUV’s offering solutions like fold flat seats, sockets for DVDs and laptops and split tailgates – the Kuga has all of these. There’s space for five adults and because the rear seats split 60/40 you can have up to 1,355 litres when they’re not in use.

The Ford Kuga will be just what middle England families are looking for and is sure to be another blanket success; it’s got just enough of everything you need from a compact SUV but none of the wasteful stigma.

Source:Ford