Ford Kuga

THE second generation of Ford’s Kuga compact SUV arrived in April 2013, just over a year after the first generation Kuga went on sale in Australia.

The original Kuga was well received by critics but the lack of an entry-level model and relatively high price saw just middling sales locally.

Ford Australia rectified that with version 2.0, kicking off the range with a much more affordable Ambiente base model in two-wheel drive manual guise while making higher spec variants better value than before.

The Kuga was available with a 1.6-litre petrol engine in two states of tune – 110kW for the base model and 134kW EcoBoost for the AWD Ambiente, Trend and Titanium models.

A 120kW 2.0-litre diesel unit was also available in mid and top-spec models with official fuel use of 6.3 litres per 100 kilometres.

Top-spec Titanium models offered a nifty option for people who have done a little too much shopping with a hands-free electric tailgate that functions using sensors under the rear bumper that responded to a kicking motion.

The base model Ambiente featured an engine start button, steering wheel audio and cruise controls, a 3.5-inch TFT screen, rear parking sensors and voice control with USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

Moving up to the Trend would add silver roof rails, partial leather seats, dual-zone climate control, dusk-sensing headlights, rain-sensing wipers and a larger 4.2-inch screen while the Titanium got 19-inch alloys, sunroof, bi-Xenon headlights, front parking sensors, heated front seats and keyless start.