Ford Kuga 2013 review: road test

SUV in Ford-speak stands for ‘Smart’ Utility Vehicle, and that’s what its new Kuga is all about.

The US-styled, Spanish-built Kuga is the first on Australian roads to automatically call 000 if you have a serious accident – and it also has attractions such as the ability to park itself and is the first to offer hands-free tailgate opening.

A mum with her hands full of shopping need only pass her foot under the bumper to have the tailgate pop up.

There are among many more innovative features in the latest contender in the medium SUV sector, a global model that seems to be Ford’s brightest light in a while.

The neatly-styled SUV is a bit longer, lower and narrower than the impressive previous 2.5-litre Kuga.

It comes in three spec levels and now has 1.6-litre turbo-petrol or optional 2.0-litre turbo-diesel power.

Value

The Ford Kuga starts at a competitive $27,990 for the front-wheel drive Ambiente 1.6 Ecoboost with 110kW/240Nm. The automatic model, only available with all-wheel-drive, is $31,490 with 134kW/240Nm.

The mid-spec Trend is $36,240 and the top-dog Titanium rises to $44,740. Both are automatic AWDs, and can be had with the diesel motor with 120kW/340Nm for an extra $3000.

Standard on Ambiente are 17-inch steel wheels, foglights, Bluetooth, USB and aux jacks for the six-speaker audio system, rear parking sensors, halogen headlights, adjustable splitfold rear seats, keyless ignition, airconditioning, trip computer, cruise control and stop-start (manual only).

The Trend comes with 18-inch alloys, leather inserts, powered driver's seat,  auto-dimming rearview mirror, dual-zone climate control, auto-on headlights and nine-speaker audio with digital radio reception.

The Titanium runs on 19-inch alloys and adds bi-xenon headlights, a glass sunroof, satellite navigation, that magic tailgate, a reversing camera and a self-parking feature. Plus a lot more.

Technology

For an extra $2650, there's an optional Technology Pack that stops the Kuga from running into other traffic at up to 30km/h, adaptive cruise control, blind spot and lane departure warning, self-dipping headlights  and a device that tells the driver it’s time to take a break when it detects doziness.

Safety

Kuga scores a five-star crash rating, but the ‘intelligent’ AWD system does a great job of preventing the car from getting out of control in the first place.

The torque vectoring feature uses a plethora of sensors to subtly correct driving imperfections through corners.

Other items are a stiffer frame, seven airbags, Dynamic Stability Control with ABS, Trailer Stability Function. Hill Start Assist and Brake Assist.

Inside

The cabin is roomy, exceptionally quiet and very comfy, the latter due to excellent Mexican-made seats and there’s a big flared panel in the centre of the dash that houses all the main cabin controls, aircraft cockpit style. Pretty impressive.

Cargo space has increased from 360 to 406 litres with the rear seats in place, and to 1603 litres when folded down.

Driving

We drove all three versions – and liked them all.

The 2WD Ambiente, the sole manual in the range, was a delight and its six-speed shifter was a honey. Performance was more than adequate for the twists and turns, ups and downs of the South Australian countryside and it had the best economy.

Ambiente AWD, Trend and Titanium have the more powerful 1.6 petrol motor, an eager performer that drives through a conventional six-speed auto.

Diesel models use Ford's PowerShift twin-clutch 6-speed automatic.

Suspension is very Euro-like in being firm, which translates to better handling and road behaviour as well as less fatigue, and the steering is light and precise. The different sized wheels also give each model a slightly different ride.

The sexy new Kuga has the goods to capture a good slice of its tough market sector. Its name alone might make it a hit with those predatory ladies of a similar sounding name.