KUGA REFRESHED

MAKE-OVER FOR INFAMOUS FORD SUV

Troubled by reports of fire-related incidents involving its C-segment SUV, Ford southern Africa has bravely retained the Kuga nameplate for the refreshed model range. While it may be burdened by a chequered history, fact of the matter is that the revised Kuga is a great vehicle and a serious contender in the highly competitive compact SUV segment.

Apart from a refreshed design inside and out and improved specification levels, the troublesome 1,6-litre engine has been dropped for the 1.5-litre Ecoboost engine (delivering 110 kw coupled to the 6-speed manual gearbox, and 132 kw in the auto version), with the 132 kw 2.0TDCI diesel being retained, and a 177 kw 2.0-litre Ecoboost model introduced.

Available in Ambiente, Trend, and Titanium specification levels, there is a choice of front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive models with manual and automatic transmissions, but interestingly no FWD diesel model.

Handy new features include a hands-free power tailgate, an electronic parking brake, improved storage, rear tray tables, and rear air vents on the Trend and Titanium models. The dash layout is less fussy: auto models have paddle-shift controls, and the SYNC3 interface with Apple Carplay connectivity (Android Auto will be available later) enable pinch and swipe gestures.

Best of all, the new models (with more features) cost on average R10k less than its preceding derivatives, with pricing from R368,800 for the 1.5 Ecoboost Ambiente manual, R483,900 for the 2.0 TDCI Trend auto AWD, to R497,900 for the 2.0 Ecoboost Titanium auto AWD, and R506,900 for the 2.0 TDCI Titanium auto AWD.