Review of the new Ford Kuga - The Driver's 4x4 Choice

You don't go and buy a 4x4 to throw it around the lanes. But it's great if the SUV in question can cope with a bit of spirited use of this kind, either when you're in the mood or simply when you're running late. By and large, most of them can't but Ford's Kuga is an exception. We've been running one on our long term test fleet and, quite simply, we can't get enough time behind the wheel.

As we all know, 4x4s tend to polarise opinion. Either they're so ridiculously macho that you feel the need to start chewing tobacco and killing your own food in order to drive them or they're so self-consciously suburban that you'll look like a harassed school run mum. Neither is a good look and a significant number of people despise vehicles of this kind. The Kuga is different. For a start it's manageably sized which means that the urban driving experience is a pleasant one.

On the move over faster roads, this car feels like the over-sized Focus hatch it basically is - which means that no rival model can get close to it in terms of roadgoing dynamics. Our test car is the model that most Kuga owners choose, a torquey 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi 136PS diesel engine with standard particulate filter and a six-speed manual transmission, plus full-time Haldex intelligent AWD. A two-wheel drive version of this car is also on offer, as is a 200PS 2.5-litre petrol model.

Show the Kuga a straight, well-surfaced road and it serves up a good standard of ride comfort and refinement. The ride is reasonably firm and that helps the Kuga resist body roll when cornered vigorously, plus it's also less liable to become unsettled over bumps in the road. The accurate steering makes it easier to position the car too. We can't think of another 4x4 that steers better. Ford's slogan with this car is "Feel the Difference", and you absolutely can.

Outside, we think that the detailing is exquisite, Ford hitting just the right tone between sporting aggression and nuggety cuteness. The interior isn't quite as successful as the exterior. For a start it's surprisingly small, the Kuga being one of those increasingly rare cars that doesn't pull all manner of packaging tricks out of its hat. Space in the back is tight for anything other than kids and drivers who are long in the body will find headroom an issue when getting in and out.

"Ford's slogan with this car is "Feel the Difference", and you absolutely can..."

The second row of seating has a 60/40 split and can fold completely flat to maximise the load space. We've found the underseat storage beneath the second row useful and there's further storage under the floor of the luggage compartment area. The Kuga has a generous luggage capacity of 1,355 litres when in two-seat mode, while with all the seats in place, there's 410 litres of space.

The pricing of the Kuga is interesting, with Ford pitching it directly against bigger, more spacious competitors and playing the style and handling card instead. Certainly, this is a car that doesn't play by the normal compact 4x4 rules. Prices lie in the £21,500 to £27,000 bracket - comparable in other words to obvious rivals like Honda's CR-V, Land Rover's Freelander2 and Toyota's RAV4.

All models are decently equipped including a keyless start system with its rather annoyingly situated button up in the centre of the fascia. You also get 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, ESP stability control, anti lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution and an MP3 connector to plug into your iPod.

Overall cost of ownership is a tough thing to tie down, due in no small part to the vagaries of fashion. Should the Kuga retain its desirability, then residual values will remain strong and ongoing running costs should be reasonable. That doesn't always happen.

Fuel economy on our test car hasn't kept us awake at night, the 2.0TDCI engine returning a healthy 44mpg, with carbon dioxide emissions a similarly benign 169g/km. Even around town, the Kuga has regularly returned around 35mpg, with the figure nudging up to close to 50mpg on longer trips. This is down to some slippery aerodynamics and a tall sixth gear on the Getrag Durashift gearbox.

Overall, in giving up trying to sell us a conventional 4x4 and instead concentrating on a niche crossover vehicle, we think that Ford might just have hit on something. The Kuga looks great, it'll hopefully persuade a few 4x4 drivers to downsize into something more suited to their requirements and in basing the main range around a 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine, Ford has made a powerful statement regarding the environmental credentials of this sort of vehicle.

Perhaps the Kuga's most impressive achievement is that it's a four-wheel drive car that targets an urban clientele but which it's virtually impossible to take exception to. That'll be more than enough justification for a very respectable swathe of customers, people who will luck into a very pleasant surprise the next time they're running late down a twisting secondary road. Who says that 4x4s have to be boring to drive? With this car, Ford have proved the opposite.

TOP 5 KUGA DEALS

The results below show the top KUGA deals on buyacar

Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi 163 Titanium 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £21,282 Read Kuga Reviews	Save £4,353
Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi 140 Titanium 5dr 2WD Diesel Estate
Price £19,636 Read Kuga Reviews	Save £3,999
Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec 5dr 2WD Diesel Estate
Price £17,991 Read Kuga Reviews	Save £3,644
Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi 163 Titanium 5dr Powershift Diesel Estate
Price £22,578 Read Kuga Reviews	Save £4,602
Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec 5dr Powershift Diesel Estate
Price £20,522 Read Kuga Reviews	Save £4,158
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