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By
MURRAY HUBBARD and EWAN KENNEDY
15 December 2011
Ford Australia has announced it will soon replace its aging Ford
Escape SUV, a model that it shares with Mazda, with a European
replacement called the Kuga.
The five-door Ford Kuga wagon has been on sale in Europe
and some other countries for some time. It will finally arrive
Downunder in March 2012, which means it lands here near the end of
the current model. Ford is hoping the introduction of the Kuga
nameplate, even late in its model cycle, will help sales of the
all new Kuga when it is released in Australia in about 12 months
time.
Even at this stage of its life the Kuga looks attractive
and up to date. The styling has a touch of sleekness in its
profile and the large double-grille front ties in with the design
of the latest Ford Territory and the upcoming Falcon FG Series II.
“The
Ford Kuga will be an exciting addition to our Australian model
range,” said Ford Australia president and CEO, Bob Graziano.
“It is certain to appeal to customers looking for a stylish,
practical and fun compact SUV.”
Ford Kuga will come to Australia in two specification
levels, Trend and Titanium. Both will be powered by Ford’s
five-cylinder Duratec 2.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that develops
up to 147 kW of power, and 320 Nm of torque, from as low as 1600
rpm.
Both variants are fitted with a five-speed automatic
transmission matched to an AWD system.
There is no dual-range transfer case as you would expect in
a full-on 4WD, but the Kuga is really only aimed at the light-duty
and crossover market so is hardly alone. In any case, Ford
Australia claims buyers will be surprised just how far off-road
the Kuga is capable of going.
The
Kuga is expected to have a combined fuel consumption of 10.3
litres per 100 km when measured to the official Australian driving
cycle.
Ford Kuga comes with a five star European NCAP safety
rating and has six airbags, ABS brakes including emergency brake
assist, stability control and traction control with roll-over
mitigation.
The Ford Kuga Trend is well-equipped with 17-inch alloy
wheels, the rear tailgate comes with flip-up glass, there’s
Bluetooth connectivity, voice control, Sony CD 8-speaker system,
keyless start/stop button, cruise control, leather wrapped
steering wheel, front foglamps, roof rails, follow-me-home
lighting and capless refuelling.
The
highly specified Ford Kuga Titanium adds 18-inch alloy wheels, a
fixed panoramic glass sunroof, dual-zone climate control, leather
trimmed seats (the fronts are heated), leather trimmed gear shift,
six-way powered driver’s seat, rear privacy glass, rear parking
sensors, rain sensing wipers and automatic headlamps.
Ford Australia will announce Kuga pricing and any detail
changes to the specifications closer to its Australian release in
March 2012.
We haven’t had the opportunity to drive a Ford Kuga yet,
but will do so and write our review immediately afterwards.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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