Ford has released UK-specific pricing and trim level details for the new, third-generation Kuga SUV. It’s priced from £23,995, with priority deliveries of the high-spec First Edition models early next year. The base price gets you in a Zetec model powered by a 118bhp 1.5-litre Ecoboost turbo petrol engine. The other trims are Titanium (from £27,245), ST-Line (from £29,345), ST-Line X (from £30,645) and Vignale (from £31,945). All Kugas come as standard with the Ford Pass Connect embedded modem, wireless smartphone charging and “advanced driver assistance and safety features”. First Edition variants of Titanium and ST-Line models bring a Bang Olufsen sound system and the Driver’s Assistance Pack. Further engine options include a 148bhp 1.5-litre turbo petrol and 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre diesels, the latter of which is also available in 187bhp form or 148bhp form with mild hybrid tech. A new plug-in hybrid option is also available from £33,095 in Titanium trim – the same price as the higher-powered 2.0-litre diesel. The Kuga has been redesigned from the ground up in a bid to attract more buyers in the still-booming family SUV sector, and the new model will be offered with petrol, diesel, mild hybrid, hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. As Ford ramps up its European business restructuring, SUVs will play a crucial role. “One in three sales across Europe are SUVs, and for us it’s one in five. We want to change that,” Jorg Beyer, managing director of product development, told Autocar. The hybrid line-up in particular is expected to be key to attracting new customers. Ford has beaten many of its rivals to market with its plug-in hybrid option, which mates a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine with an electric motor and 10.3kWh battery to deliver 222bhp. The model can travel up to 34 miles on electricity alone, giving it an official economy figure of 201mpg on the WLTP cycle in PHEV operating mode (or 43.5mpg WLTP with no charge in the battery). Official CO2 emissions are just 29g/km. Buyers will also able to choose a regular hybrid set-up, akin to that of the Toyota Prius, linking the 2.5-litre petrol engine to an electric motor and smaller battery to deliver 50.4mpg and 130g/km. A 48-volt mild hybrid setup is mated to a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine to offer 56.5mpg and 132g/km. Conventional 1.5-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel variants are also available, mated to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox. Front and four-wheel drive are both available. Also striking is the new, more sophisticated and less boxy look of the third-generation Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson rival. The styling moves Ford’s design language another step on from the more contoured lines of the latest Fiesta and Focus. The interior also follows those cars, delivering an uncluttered, sweeping look despite the raft of technological functions that are offered, the majority of which are controlled through the central touchscreen. The Kuga sits on the same C2 platform as the new Focus, being longer, wider and having a larger wheelbase – and therefore improved stability and dynamics – than the car it replaces. The platform is also said to be 10% torsionally stiffer than the outgoing car’s, as well as supporting the basis for a more aerodynamic design and allowing weight savings of up to 90kg over today’s model. In particular, the new Kuga is said to deliver more interior room than before, including what Ford says is class-leading space for rear-seat passengers thnks to an 89mm length increase. In the front, occupants get 43mm more shoulder room and 57mm more hip room than in the current model, while in the rear there is a 20mm increase in shoulder room and 36mm more hip room, while the seats, split 70:30, slide fore and aft as standard. This increased rear accommodation has been achieved in part by setting the dashboard closer to the engine bay bulkhead and positioned more upright than before, allowing front seat passengers to be seated farther forward. Despite sporting a dramatic, sloping roofline and an overall height that is lower by 20mm than that of the outgoing car, the new Kuga also offers 13mm more head room in the front and 35mm in the rear, thanks to clever interior packaging. New technology for the Kuga includes Ford Pass Connect, which can provide wi-fi connectivity for up to 10 devices, a head-up display, wireless charging for a phone, a system that automatically brakes the car if it drives forwards or backwards into crossing traffic and a self-parking system that can parallel park or drive into a space perpendicular to the car at the push of a button. A hands-free boot-opening system, which is operated by waving your foot under the rear bumper, is also available. A radar and camera-guided system that detects slower-moving and stationary vehicles, and which will automatically steer around them to avoid a collision if necessary, is also available,
Origin: New 2020 Ford Kuga: UK pricing and specs revealed
Kuga
New 2020 Ford Kuga SUV: UK pricing and specs revealed
Ford has released UK-specific pricing and trim level details for the new, third-generation Kuga SUV. It’s priced from £23,995, with priority deliveries of the high-spec First Edition models early next year. The base price gets you in a Zetec model powered by a 118bhp 1.5-litre Ecoboost petrol motor. Further trims include Titanium (from £27,245), ST-Line (from £29,345), ST-Line X (from £30,645) and flagship Vignale (from £31,945). All Kugas come as standard with the FordPass Connect embedded modem, wireless phone charging and “advanced driver assistance and safety features”, but First Edition variants of Titanium and ST-Line models bring a BO sound system and the driver’s assistance pack. Further engine options include a more powerful 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5 and 2.0-litre diesels, the latter of which is also available in 187bhp form or 148bhp form with a mild hybrid system. A new plug-in hybrid option is also available from £33,095 in Titanium form – the same price as the higher-powered 2.0-litre diesel. The new Kuga has been redesigned from the ground up in a bid to attract more buyers in the still-booming family SUV sector, and the new model will be offered with plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid powertrains, along with conventional petrol and diesel offerings. As the firm ramps up its European business restructuring SUVs such as the Kuga will play a crucial role. “1 in 3 sales across Europe are SUVs, and for us it’s 1 in 5 – we want to change that.” Jorg Beyer, managing director of product development, told Autocar. The hybrid line-up in particular is expected to be key to attracting new customers. Ford has beaten many of its rivals to market with its plug-in option, which mates a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine with an electric motor and 10.3kWh battery pack to deliver 222bhp. The model can travel up to 34 miles on electric range alone, giving it an official economy figure of 201mpg on the WLTP cycle in PHEV operating mode (or 43.5mpg WLTP with no charge in the battery), with CO2 emissions of 29g/km. Buyers will also able to choose a self-charging hybrid set-up, akin to the Prius’s hybrid system, which links the 2.5-litre petrol engine to an electric motor and smaller battery to deliver 50.4mpg and 130g/km. A 48V mild-hybrid set-up is mated to a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel option to offer 56.5mpg and 132g/km. Conventional 1.5-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel variants are also available, mated to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox. Two and all-wheel drive options feature. Also striking is the new, more sophisticated and less boxy look of the third-generation Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson rival. The styling moves Ford’s design language another step on from the more contoured lines of the latest Fiesta and Focus. The interior also follows those cars, delivering an uncluttered, sweeping look despite the raft of technological functions that are offered, the majority of which are controlled through the central touchscreen. The Kuga sits on the same C2 platform as the new Focus, being longer, wider and having a larger wheelbase – and therefore improved stability and dynamics – than the car it replaces. The platform is also said to be 10% torsionally stiffer than the outgoing car’s, as well as supporting the basis for a more aerodynamic design and allowing weight savings of up to 90kg over today’s model. In particular, the new Kuga is said to deliver more interior room than before, including what Ford says is class-leading space for rear-seat passengers thnks to an 89mm length increase. In the front, occupants get 43mm more shoulder room and 57mm more hip room than in the current model, while in the rear there is a 20mm increase in shoulder room and 36mm more hip room, while the seats, split 70:30, slide fore and aft as standard. This increased rear accommodation has been achieved in part by setting the dashboard closer to the engine bay bulkhead and positioned more upright than before, allowing front seat passengers to be seated farther forward. Despite sporting a dramatic, sloping roofline and an overall height that is lower by 20mm than that of the outgoing car, the new Kuga also offers 13mm more head room in the front and 35mm in the rear, thanks to clever interior packaging. New technology for the Kuga includes FordPass Connect, which can provide wi-fi connectivity for up to 10 devices, a head-up display, wireless charging for a phone, a system that automatically brakes the car if it drives forwards or backwards into crossing traffic and a self-parking system that can parallel park or drive into a space perpendicular to the car at the push of a button. A hands-free boot-opening system, which is operated by waving your foot under the rear bumper, is also available. A radar and camera-guided system that detects slower-moving and stationary vehicles, and which will automatically steer around them to avoid a
Origin: New 2020 Ford Kuga SUV: UK pricing and specs revealed
Nearly-new buying guide: Ford Kuga
There was a Ford Cougar once; a family-size coupé based on the Mondeo Mk2. It was a handy thing that, in range-topping 2.5 V6 guise, could do 0-62mph in 8.2sec. Although it’s spelt differently, the Kuga, launched in 2013, at least sounds the same and, with the right engine, promises to be almost as much fun. It’s a family SUV rather than a coupé, so where the Cougar was sleek and low, the Kuga is tall and chunky. It’s based on the Focus Mk3 and is the model we think of when searching for an example of a fine-handling mainstream SUV. Like most cars, the Kuga can be split into pre- and post-facelift generations. The latter arrived in 2016 and is characterised by restyled front and rear ends, the availability of a new 118bhp 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine, an improved infotainment system within a more comfortable interior and extra driver assistance tech. If only for its striking-looking trapezoidal grille first seen on the Edge, Ford’s larger SUV, it’s the generation to buy and not as expensive as you might fear, with a 2017-reg 1.5 TDCi Zetec with 20,000 miles costing £13,350. Over the years, the engine range has expanded to include busy little Ecoboost petrols pushing out 118bhp to one producing 174bhp, although saddled with four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox as standard. They’re pleasant to punt along as well as cheap to run if your mileage is low, but if you’re a Kuga person with the kind of active lifestyle the brochure depicts, one of the diesels is a better choice – something like the mid-power 148bhp 2.0 TDCi. This engine has a braked towing capacity of 1800kg but add four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox and it can shift 2100kg, the same as the 178bhp 2.0 TDCi, which has four-wheel drive as standard. If you’re into dragging boats off the beach, four-wheel drive is perfect, but for most situations, a standard two-wheel-drive Kuga is just fine. The six-speed dual-clutch Powershift transmission is a good one, by the way, and worth seeking out. Ubiquitous Zetec trim opens the batting but it’s Titanium, the next one up, that’s easily the most plentiful on the used market. To the Zetec’s respectable roster of kit (alloys, a digital radio, air-con and a heated windscreen), Titanium adds larger wheels, partial leather trim, climate control and rear parking sensors. It’s our favourite, but if you must spoil the ride, have sports-suspended ST-Line trim. For reasons best known to itself, Ford unleashed a luxo-spec Vignale on impressionable buyers in 2016. Still, it’s not all bad since today’s canny buyer can pick up a 2017/17-reg 2.0 TDCi 150 Vignale with 17,000 miles for £17,000, compared with a current new price of £33,690. Ford was one of the first with an approved used marketing scheme. It promises full service history and cars covered by the balance of their original three-year warranty. Need to know The Kuga has been subject to a number of safety recalls, including potential cracking of the cylinder head, the B-pillar trim being too close to the seatbelt pre-tensioner, the possibility of the clutch pressure plate fracturing, the knee airbag not deploying and the risk of the sump cracking. Surprisingly, given the Kuga’s otherwise strong safety credentials, automatic emergency braking is an option rather than standard. Worse still, it’s not available with Zetec trim at all. Meanwhile, its five-star Euro NCAP rating was awarded as long ago as 2012, since when the test has been toughened up. If you like to have the driver’s seat just so, electrically powered 10-way adjustment is available from Titanium trim upwards. Our pick Kuga 2.0 TDCI 150 Titanium: This version boasts good performance and economy, while Titanium builds on Zetec with things such as a sat-nav and parking sensors. An approved used 2017/ 17-reg with 10,000 miles is £14,500. Wild card Kuga 1.5 Ecoboost 176 Zetec Nav Auto 4WD: Slower than less powerful versions due to its being four-wheel drive and automatic means this orphan in the range is great value used, with a 3000-mile 2018/68-reg one costing £17,500. Ones we found 2013 Kuga 2.0 TDCi Titanium, 120,000 miles, £7795 2015 Kuga 2.0 TDCi Zetec, 74,000 miles, £9283 2017 Kuga 1.5 TDCi Zetec, 25,000 miles, £11,200 2018 Kuga 1.5 Ecoboost Zetec, 15,000 miles
Origin: Nearly-new buying guide: Ford Kuga
All about car 