Ford Kuga ST-line X is an ever-growing proposition

THE long-levelled moan about today’s cars is they all look the same.

Well, Alfa Romeo can pat itself on the back here. With that famous upright grille and creamy, flowing lines, most of its models can be recognised from at least one hundred paces.

None more so than the Stelvio, the Italian marque’s first foray into the SUV market.

Like its saloon brethren, the fivedoor four-wheel-drive (4WD) has an elegance and an originality of design that makes it stand out from rivals.

Of course, good looks alone won’t guarantee success and as a latecomer to the crossover club, the Stelvio has much to prove and plenty of ground to make up against competitors such as Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC and Jaguar F-Pace.

There’s the usual choice between petrol and diesel-powered models, with the latter expected to draw most attention.

The version I drove was the 2.2-litre with 207bhp turbodiesel engine, a lively yet extremely economical choice that leads the way over rivals in terms of punchy acceleration allied to meagre thirst.

The diesel engine is a tad grumpy and growly at low revs and certainly lacks the sweet harmony of a six-cylinder petrol, but then it is an oil burner. On the move, things smooth out and the midrange punch plus mile-stretching economy tend to help make up for the early commotion.

As an indication of its superior clout, the Stelvio dispatches the 62mph sprint in just 6.6 seconds, a full second or so quicker than most similar SUVs and the official combined economy is 58.9mpg, making it cheaper than most to run.

It’s very much a driver’s car with well-damped suspension, restricted roll angles and sharper-thanaverage steering. Maybe the ride isn’t quite as settled and compliant as an F-Pace but it’s not far behind.

It has a constant four-wheel-drive system with the majority of the power being directed to the rear wheel most of the time. This results in crisp, sharp reactions with an accent on sportiness.An eightspeed automatic gearbox is standard and works a treat, with the changes almost unnoticeable.

The cabin on the Q4 Super is smart and nicely trimmed in leather with ample stowage space, deep pockets and cubbies and plenty of useful flat surfaces.

An 8.8in touchscreen that incorporates satnav is set high in the centre of the facia and a couple of big round dials – very traditional – are directly in front of the driver. The layout is appealing and usable, and appears appropriately durable.

There is enough room for four or even five adults to be comfortable. The rear seats split and fold 60-40 for extra versatility and there’s 525 litres of cargo room available with a full payload of passengers. Rear head height is slightly restricted by the sloping roof.

The Stelvio is a welcome fresh face in a talented sector. Definitely worth a close look. THE Ford Kuga ST-line X offers Titanium levels of equipment with some additional kit and extra styling to give it a more sporting image.

This is now the third-generation Kuga and it arrived at the start of last year with many changes to keep it in contention with the evergrowing SUV/crossover pack.

The refresh made it look more like its larger Edge sibling and it is now more spacious and comfortable than the first model, which arrived more than a decade ago.

It is also one of Ford’s global products and is made and sold in many markets.

In addition to the sports suspension the ST-line boasts a full body kit to enhance its looks, with roof rails, 19in dark machined alloys, unique headlight and fog light bezels as well as front parking sensors and a power-opening panorama roof.

Inside you get some extra sporting trim including aluminium pedals, contrasting stitching and improved active park assist. You also get a host of other features including Ford Sync 3 which has an eight-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth, advanced voice control, navigation and emergency assist. It also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The ST-Line also comes with climate control, heated driver and front passenger seats, cruise control, power tailgate, a Quickclear heated windscreen, hill start assist, keyless entry, parking sensors and a raft of all the latest safety equipment.

The cabin has plenty room for five adults to travel in comfort and the driver has good all-round visibility. The instruments and controls are easy to read and use but some scratchy plastics still let things down a little.

Boot space stands at 456 litres and this is increased dramatically when the rear seats are folded, making the Kuga a very practical family car.

I recently sampled the familiar 2.0-litre diesel version, which is capable of 124mph and reaches 62mph in 10 seconds flat. It was a smooth performer when combined with the PowerShift automatic gearbox and even with all-wheeldrive the claimed combined figure is 54.3mpg.

This time I was behind the wheel of the 1.5T Ecoboost version, again with an automatic box and all-wheel-drive (AWD), but it did not impress nearly as much.

The combination did not work as well for me and it felt a little sluggish. It offers the same 124mph top speed and takes 10.1 seconds to do the sprint to 62mph but it never really felt as comfortable doing it.

Economy was not nearly as good, either, with the claimed combined figure being 37.7 mpg, and I got much less than that.

New torque vectoring has been introduced to improve traction and stability and the Kuga always felt well planted, with the AWD system providing bags of grip.

If you wish you can add a retractable tow bar with electrics for £625. Options fitted to the car I sampled included a large rear spoiler at £200, rear privacy glass costing £225 and Deep Impact Blue paint at £570, taking the total to a hefty £35,440.

That is not cheap but most dealers will offer generous discounts, and if you want an automatic with AWD I would certainly go for the diesel.