Skip advert
Advertisement

Ford Kuga

Focus-based SUV not at all bad

Evo rating
Price
from £20,500
  • Surprisingly enjoyable compact SUV
  • But do you need it?

Are you a lover of SUVs or a hater? The big, thirsty, bling-laden variety is ever harder to justify, but just as we admire cars that are light, nimble, fast and a riot to drive, so there might be a place for an SUV similarly blessed. Relatively speaking, anyway.

The best-driving workaday hatch you can buy is a Ford Focus. Fact. So what happens if you take a Focus platform, enlarge it in track, wheelbase and the height of the body it carries, and insert an extra, Haldex clutch-controlled drive to the rear wheels? You get a Ford Kuga.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Smaller than a Freelander, it doesn’t promise unstoppable off-road ability but it’s competent. It has the usual 2-litre turbodiesel (the 2.5-litre turbo five-pot petrol arrives later) and comes in top Titanium or well-gizmoed Zetec trim, the latter optionally with satin-finish blue or orange accents inside.

And it steers and handles like no other compact SUV I can recall. The steering is crisp, consistent and natural (providing you don’t switch it to heavy, stodgy ‘Sport’ or anaesthetic ‘Comfort’), there’s little roll and yet the ride is smooth, calm and composed. It’s a bit of a miracle, frankly. And the engine pulls with the zing typical of a good modern TD, with a CO2 rating of just 169g/km. Take that, SUV-haters.

Specifications

Engine4-cyl, 1997cc, turbodiesel
Max power136bhp @ 4000rpm
Max torque236lb ft @2000rpm
0-6010.7sec (claimed)
Top speed112mph (claimed)
On saleJune
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

2026 BMW 3-series spied, with exhaust pipes
2026 BMW 3-series front
News

2026 BMW 3-series spied, with exhaust pipes

The next 3-series will ring in BMW’s ‘Neue Klasse’ and be electric, hybrid and ICE powered
18 Nov 2024
TVR Griffith (1990 - 2002): a pure and unadulterated sports car
TVR Griffith front
Features

TVR Griffith (1990 - 2002): a pure and unadulterated sports car

The Griffith established TVR as a genuine contender and transformed the company’s fortunes – and it’s still as exhilarating to drive now as it was in …
17 Nov 2024
Cupra Formentor Abt review – a 365bhp crossover for Mercedes-AMG A45 S money
Cupra Formentor Abt – front
Reviews

Cupra Formentor Abt review – a 365bhp crossover for Mercedes-AMG A45 S money

It’s farewell to the original Cupra Formentor with an Abt-tuned run-out package. It’s a quietly excellent car; just a shame about the price...
14 Nov 2024