Ford Kuga

Ford Kuga

Recommended. The Kuga is not a revolutionary product like the S-Max, but it is certainly one of the best small off-roaders you can buy.

It is no insult to say that we knew what to expect from the Kuga. It is based on the class-leading Focus chassis (although both lengthened and widened), it uses the familiar 2.0 TDCI engine and it is clothed in a body that features Ford's family look, dubbed 'kinetic design'. Given the company's track record over the last 10 years, it was hardly likely that Ford was going to mess up with that list of ingredients.

The look is 'Qashqai with attitude' - instantly the Nissan looks a bit bland in comparison, although given the price differential, the Ford needs to have a lot more presence than its cheaper alternative. The semi-premium look of the car is carried through on the inside - the instruments are from the recent Focus facelift and all the materials feel like pretty high quality items. The list of equipment is extensive - you cannot buy a Kuga without sports seats, heated door mirrors and at least 17 inch alloy wheels. The issue of what you have to pay for all thee toys is something we will come to later.

On the road, the Kuga moves with Ford's trademark fluidity. The suspension is excellent, smoothing out even the roughest roads while offering secure handling with comparatively little roll. However, if you are new to off-roaders, you should be aware that no car of this type is going to handle as well as a Focus - it is taller and heavier and the engineering is all about disguising the masses involved in cornering.

People attracted into the showroom may be taken aback that even the lowest-cost Kuga is over £20,000, which seems an awful lot of money. However, the fact is that you cannot buy a base Kuga, as Ford will only sell a 2.0 diesel Zetec or Titanium at launch. The logic is, that as Ford factories are working at full capacity churning out the rest of the range, there is no point selling a Kuga Style at £18,000. Instead it will sell a limited number of top-of-the-range models at a higher price. Indeed the UK is unlikely to see more than 7,000 Kugas a year for the foreseeable future. Ford is pitching the Kuga as a luxury SUV at a lower price than a BMW - an idea whose validity customers will decide for themselves.

The Kuga does not move the small SUV game on, which may come as a slight disappointment after the pace-setting Focus, S-Max and Mondeo. However it is certainly at the top of its class and any potential CR-V or RAV4 buyer should take a close look, especially as the Ford does have two small, but significant advantages. It is currently the only vehicle of its type to slip just below 170 g/km of CO2 (with a figure of 169 g/km), which will be more important when the new CO2 tax bands come in. Meanwhile, the limited production capacity means that residual values are likely to be strong. Independent analysis suggests that the Kuga will be worth 47% of its original price after three years and 60,000 miles - three percentage points ahead of the Honda CR-V.