Ford Kuga review (2008-2010)

What – Ford Kuga
Where – Jerez, Spain
Price – £20,500-£22,500
Available – June
Key rivals – Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Jeep Patriot, Nissan Qashqai, Citroen C-Crosser, forthcoming Renault Koleos

Summary
Ford goes after the medium SUV market with an all-new crossover, and its first ever 4x4 designed specifically for Europe. But is it as good as it looks?
Likes: styling inside and out, excellent equipment levels, impressively green for an SUV
Dislikes: lacks usual Ford dynamic drive, bodyroll, the price

Read more Ford car reviews

First impressions

The Ford Kuga looks fit. And by that we don't mean we'd be after it if we saw it down the pub - although if medium-sized SUV crossovers are your thing by all means go for it; the Kuga would certainly rank near the top of our attractiveness tree. What we do mean is that it looks muscular, athletic, toned. With its bold wheel arches, sculpted, fat-free sides, and angular face, the Kuga is modern off-roader in the way that the guys on the front of glossy health and fitness magazines are modern man. It looks gym-honed, and ready for action.

GALLERY: Ford Kuga

The Iosis X concept car (right) that spawned this beast set out to prove Ford's latest 'kinetic design' styling language could work just as well on a 4x4 as it could on a car. The Kuga should certainly clear up any doubts about that. Combine this active appearance with a Focus derived platform, and Ford's commitment to delivering cars that are exciting to drive, and it seems like all the ingredients are there for something of a corker. The crossover segment - where the traditional SUV meets road-biased, sporty handling - is a hot niche right now. Anticipation is high. But can the Kuga deliver?

Performance

If you are expecting this to be a really performance orientated car news that the only launch engine is a diesel might come as a bit of a letdown. However, while Ford is keen to brand the Kuga a crossover, in marketing speak it talks only of targeting other five-seat medium-sized SUVs. The Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4, explicitly. A decent diesel engine is a key weapon here, and although a 197bhp petrol (a retuned for torque version of the 2.5-litre turbo in the Focus ST) will be available later in the year, Ford expects to sell hardly any of them.

Driven: Nissan Qashqai
Watch a video roadtest of the Ford Kuga

So the 2.0-litre TDCi, which we drove on launch in both range-topping Titanium and Euro-spec Trend trim (close to the UK's better equipped Zetec), will just have to do. Peak power of 134bhp isn't exactly inspiring, but it does produce 236lb/ft of torque at just 2,000 rpm. The twist tails off from there, but the engine revs smoothly, and there is even an upshift light. The official 0-62mph time of 10.7 seconds feels optimistic, but once moving the engine pulls well enough to cope easily with the hilly Spanish roads of our test route, and overtaking wasn't an issue.

Driven: Citroen C-Crosser

Ride and handling

Ford claims "Kuga is a car that will satisfy keen drivers" - in spite of its SUV pretensions. Suspension components are of the same type as the Focus, including the acclaimed "control blade" set up at the rear, though obviously different given the Kuga's increased ride height, wheelbase and track, and standard fit four-wheel drive. Given the build up and Ford's reputation, it is initially a disappointment. The steering isn't especially direct, feels vague, and the chassis apparently keen to push into understeer. The body control leaves much to be desired, too, lurching into lean round corners early and heavily.

However things improve considerably once you find the in-dash computer menu that changes the power-steering assistance. Standard, Comfort and Sport are the options, and while they don't alter chassis settings, selecting Sport does at least firm up the relationship between the steering wheel and what's happening at the road surface - allowing you to measure your inputs more accurately. The "intelligent" four-wheel drive is an on-demand system, working in close conjunction with the ESP, and only engages the rear wheels when necessary. You only ever detect this happening on loose surfaces. But the Kuga coped with some mild off-roading without difficulty, and on-road it delivers excellent traction.

Interior

Following similar strategic success with the S-Max, Ford UK is only offering two trim levels: Zetec and Titanium. These are middling to high specifications, and although £20,500 for the Zetec and £22,500 for the Titanium sounds steep (compare it to another 'crossover', the marginally smaller Nissan Qashqai, which starts at £13,799), they are both absolutely stacked with kit. The deciding factor between the two may not be so much the cost, as the interior accenting: in Zetec you get blue or orange, Titanium more subdued graphite. The tailgate-in-tailgate seems a bit of a gimmick, but generally, the Kuga is spacious, and barring some flimsy plastics in places, appears well built.

Economy and safety

If the on-road experience isn't as convincing as the Kuga's athletic appearance and crossover creed suggest it should be, one major area where the Ford scores over more ordinary SUV opposition is emissions. With its six-speed manual gearbox, and 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, the Kuga emits an impressively low 169g/km of CO2. This puts it an entire VED taxation band below the next best medium-sized SUV - Honda's CR-V diesel. The Kuga also manages 44.1mpg combined. Safety-wise, there are six airbags, standard ESP with rollover protection, and that four-wheel drive. If these issues are your main concern, the Kuga is certainly enticing.

The MSN Cars verdict: 4/5

It's good. But it's not brilliant. For us the driving experience - the compromised body control especially - doesn't quite live up to the looks or usual Ford promise, but this won't bother most buyers. The question is whether you are prepared to pay £20k plus for a Ford badge and a vehicle that is neither all-out SUV nor overtly sporty crossover. Still, limited numbers (only 6-7,000 will be coming to the UK this year), equipment levels, and its environmental performance mean the Kuga is definitely worth bearing in mind. As with the S-Max, Ford has likely got another niche success on its hands.

Ratings out of five: Ford Kuga
Performance***
Ride & handling***
Interior****
Safety****
Price***
Practicality****
Fuel economy****
MSN Cars verdict****

Need to know
Diesel engine2.0
Power (bhp)134
Torque (lb/ft)236
0-62 (secs)10.7
Top speed (mph) 112
Combined mpg44.1
CO2/tax169/21

All our Ford road tests
Driven: Citroen C-Crosser
Driven: Nissan Qashqai
Driven: Toyota RAV4
Driven: Honda CR-V
Watch a video roadtest of the Ford Kuga