New Ford Kuga joins the club - Wheels Within Wales


Ford has added two new models to the Kuga SUV range to meet the current buying trend by retail customers and Corporation Tax changes for business car users. The new models are the ‘crossover' two-wheel drive 2.0-litre TDCi diesel and the all-wheel drive SUV 2.5-litre petrol with manual and automatic transmission options. As tax legislation changes this month, Kuga 136PS, 159g/km, 2WD models will especially benefit business customers who will be eligible for a 20 per cent annual write down allowance against Corporation Tax for a car with less than 160g/km CO2(compared with 10 per cent over 160g/km). Customers will also benefit from the model's improved fuel economy as it falls into the new sub-160g/km, £150 banding for Vehicle Excise Duty. The 2WD version is available with Zetec or Titanium specification with prices starting at £19,790, £2,000 less than the existing Zetec AWD version. Ford has also added new performance flagships to the Kuga range, pairing intelligent AWD with their 2.5-litre Duratec petrol engine found in the Focus ST, Mondeo and S-MAX. With 200PS and linear torque of 320Nm (between 1,600 and 4,000rpm) the five-cylinder Kuga powers from standstill to 62mph in just 8.2sec and on to a top speed of 129mph when mated with the six-speed manual transmission. A five-speed automatic transmission is also available with this engine. CO2 emissions are 234g/km for the manual version and 244g/km for the auto. Both cost £405 for annual road tax. The Kuga 2.5-litre model is available with just Titanium specification priced at £25,090 for the manual version and £26, 290 for the automatic variant. The UK's SUV//Dual Purpose vehicle sector is marginally less affected in the current downturn according to figures supplied by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. In the new registration plate change month of March, sales in this sector were 27,300, down 24.5% over March 2008, whilst the overall new car market was down by 30.5% for the same month. Although sales of City/Mini cars grew, to put the SUV sales performance into context, this was the smallest fall for any other sector in the UK's new car market. MPVs, multi-purpose people carriers showed the highest fall with a massive 47.7% drop in March 2009 against March last year. The relatively new Kuga has already made a significant impression in the SUV sector and since September last year it has been the best-selling vehicle range in the segment said Ford. So far this year the Kuga currently holds third position. Top is the Nissan Qashqai ‘crossover' range followed by the Honda CR-V models. David Calder, medium car product manager for Ford of Britain, said at the recent press launch for the additional Kuga models, "We expect the Kuga range to retain our sales forecast of 7,000 units this year with a 50/50 split between retail and business customers." "Initially we had no intention to introduce the two-wheel drive Kuga to the UK but the CO2 performances has opened up an opportunity for us." He added, "With regard to the 2.5-litre petrol model this will only account for about 5% of total Kuga sales equally split between retail and business buyers. We see this model appealing to customers downsizing from large SUVs who are unwilling to sacrifice performance and style."
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
As Ford launches Kuga two-wheel drive, Zetec and Titanium specification versions with 2.0-litre TDCi 136PS diesel engines and lower CO2 emissions of 159g/km to their SUV range, they can now compete with Nissan and its Qashqai models. Nissan has scored heavily with SUV ‘crossover' sales taking the Qashqai to the top of the SUV market in the UK with three quarters of their sales being for front wheel drive versions. This means they are less costly in terms of CO2 emissions and subsequently road tax but they are also less pricey to buy in a credit-crunch world. Ford has followed their lead with the front-wheel drive Kuga which has the same 136PS 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine as the initial AWD Kuga versions but with 159g/km as opposed to 169g/km, so the road tax is £25 less a year at £150. (See Milestones section). It also means that following Ford's recent price increases, due to the fall in value of the British Pound against the Euro, the 2WD newcomer is now the entry model at £19,790 - £2,000 cheaper than the 4WD version. Ford expects 30% of the 7,000 Kuga UK buyers this year to opt for the ‘crossover' 2WD versions. The UK's SUV market shows a significantly smaller drop in sales than other sectors because the buying public still love their SUVs, whether they are two or four wheel drive. They quite clearly like the looks and the practicality these high off the ground, versatile family carriers offer. So the new Kuga 2WD saves on fuel, CO2 emission costs and purchase price but retains all the style and five-door, five-position seating of the original model. Officially the 2WD TDCi Kuga will return 46.3mpg, over 2mpg better than the AWD model. In reality the brief recent road test showed my 2WD Kuga to return a promising 36.5mpg over busy roads so for a car of this size that is pretty good and the road tax bill of £150 I could live with. In most other respects the 2WD Kuga is the same as the AWD version, ride quality, agility, comfort and specification. It isn't perhaps quite so settled or controlled on poorer road surfaces due to its lighter weight and only have front wheel drive, but I doubt most users will notice any difference and will be happy to still be able to own a lifestyle SUV. With regard to the new Kuga 2.5-litre addition, this model uses the five-cylinder Duratec petrol unit with AWD and with manual or automatic gearbox options. Priced at £25,090 and £26,290 respectively and only available with the comprehensive Titanium specification, these models are aimed at those established owners of large 4x4s now downsizing due to running costs and high taxes but still wanting vehicles with good road and reasonable off-road performance and with a high level of luxury equipment. Not that the Kuga 2.5 comes cheap or has low road tax which will cost £405 a year, but with only about 5% of Kuga's 7,000 customers this year opting for these models, at least Ford can now offer a ‘premium' 4x4.
With 200PS of power and 320Nm of torque from 1,600rpm the turbocharged petrol engine provides for a top speed of 129mph and 0 to 62mph takes just 8.9 seconds. Officially this Kuga will return on average 28.5mpg and my test car eventually ended up at 21.1mph but for much of the time on a motorway the figure was below 20mpg. With this amount of power the all-wheel drive traction is a must and it ends up showing just how good the modern high powered, high-tech SUVs handle more and more like a large family car rather than a commercial vehicle. Yes this Kuga looks very good inside and out, it's fast and responsive but at a cost.

MILESTONES. Ford Kuga Titanium 2.0-litre, 136PS, TDCi 2WD £21,790. Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged diesel, 136PS, 320Nm (236lb ft) of torque from 2,000rpm, 6-speed manual gearbox, front wheel drive. Performance: 113mph, 0-62mph 10.6 seconds, 46.3mpg, (36.5mpg actual), CO2 159g/km, VED £150, BIK tax 22%. Insurance group: Braked towing weight: 2,000kg. 10. For: A worthwhile ‘crossover' 2WD addition to the Kuga range, saves on price, fuel and CO2 charges, looks good. Against: Not as controlled in the handling department as AWD models. © David Miles