THE Ford spotlight has certainly been shining directly on the new Focus hatchback. And quite rightly. It’s a massively important new car.
But if you’re wondering what happened to a Focus SUV…well, it already exists.
It’s called the Kuga.
This is Ford’s five-door SUV in that family compact sector that the Focus inhabits.
The Kuga was refreshed in 2017 to include the hexagonal grille and revised rear end treatment. The new look gives it added road presence; and in the ST-Line version we’re driving – doubly-so.
It’s also good on driving dynamics, too. We’re trying the business motoring friendly front-wheel drive specification with 150PS engine.
If you want the full-bore ST-Line experience then you can opt for the 2.0 TDI with 180PS power and drive to all four wheels, which hurry you along to 60 secs about a second quicker. Or to detune the experience, there’s also the 120PS version which takes a couple of seconds longer to reach 60 – and it’s not so good on emissions. As is the case with the 180PS version.
Which leaves us with the ideal choice for business motoring – the ST-Line Kuga 150PS.
While there has been plenty of anti-diesel sentiment around, diesels remain a key engine for larger SUVs like this Kuga. And for larger fleets diesels remain a critical part of the fleet make up: big distances still require diesel motivation because they are so fuel-efficient.
And that’s something our Ford Kuga is already appearing to be. The official consumption is 48.7mpg. But we’re seeing a really impressive 40.6mpg. That gives us a really good tank range of 533 miles.
The diesel is gutsy too. There’s plenty of pulling power from the engine, which gives the Kuga plenty of verve. Like the Focus platform its built on, the Kuga is an impressive handler, despite its top heavy appearance with stiffer ST-Line suspension
And with those impressively sporty looks that come with ST-Line spec – these include 18 inch special alloy wheels and body kit plus sports seats with red piping – King Kuga’s a pleasure to get into each day.
Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCI ST-LINE 150PS FWD 6SP
- Power – 150PS
- Torque – 370Nm
- Transmission – six speed manual
- Top speed – 121mph
- 0-62mph – 10.1s
- CO2 emissions – 151g/km
- Company car tax band 2017/18 – 35%
- Fuel consumption (official) – 48.7mpg
- Fuel consumption (actual) – 40.6mpg
