By: Denis Droppa
Johannesburg - Ford has revamped the engine line-up in its South African Kuga range of mid-sized SUVs, which includes a new flagship model with a powerful 177kW engine.
This range-topping two-litre turbopetrol EcoBoost is derived from the engine used in the Ford Focus ST hot hatch, and also comes with a hearty 340Nm of torque. Paired with all-wheel drive and a six-speed Powershift dual-clutch automatic gearbox, the Kuga 2.0 EcoBoost is claimed to take just 7.8 seconds to sprint from 0-100km/h and has a 212km/h top speed.
As before the diesel option is a two-litre TDCi, and this engine’s been to the gym for a 12kW power boost to 132kW. Peak torque is also beefed-up from 340Nm to 400Nm, together with a claimed 12.9percent fuel efficiency improvement to 5.4 litres per 100km. Like the 2.0 EcoBoost, the TDCi is matched with all-wheel drive and a PowerShift transmission.
Lower down in the range, the 1.6 turbopetrol has been replaced by a 1.5 turbo with the same outputs as before, but a claimed reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Four Kuga derivatives are powered by this new 1.5 EcoBoost petrol unit: the two front-wheel drive six-speed manual derivatives (available in Ambiente and Trend specification) employ a 110kW version of this powerplant while the two automatic versions get 132kW.
STRONG PERFORMER
Both variants of the engine get the same torque output of 240Nm. Moving to this smaller engine has resulted in C02 emissions reducing from 154g/km to 143g/km, according to Ford. At the same time the factory-quoted fuel consumption’s dropped from 6.6 to 6.2 litres per 100km, although the Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost front-wheel drive automatic I drove at the media presentation last weekend averaged 10.2 litres.
Though thirsty, the 1.5 turbo petrol is a strong performer and contentedly lugs four adult passengers.
After a trace of initial turbo lag this mid-sized SUV gets moving at a zealous pace that keeps pulling eagerly even up steep hills, and the auto transmission has normal and sports settings to cater for different driving moods.
The cabin’s acceptably roomy and accomodates four adults without complaint, and the spec levels are high with standard features including cruise control, a Ford Sync multimedia system with Bluetooth and voice control, and a handy 230V/150W power converter for charging portable devices (along with 12V power points in the front and in the boot).
The Kuga, which has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, comes with standard features like seven airbags, stability control, ABS brakes and tyre pressure monitoring. An optionally available Driver Assistance Pack on the Titanium models adds adaptive cruise control, a lane keeping aid, blind spot warning, and Active City Stop which automatically applies the brakes if a potential collision at low speed is detected.
PRICES
1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente manual - R321 900
1.5 EcoBoost Trend manual - R357 900
1.5 Ecoboost Trend auto - R371 900
1.5 EcoBoost Trend AWD AT - R398 900
2.0 EcoBoost Titanium AWD Powershift - R439 900
2.0 TDCi Trend AWD Powershift - R424 900
2.0 TDCi Titanium - R459 900
All versions come standard with a four-year or 120 000km warranty, three years’ roadside assistance, and four-year or 80 000km service plan.
Star Motoring