During the tests, the Kuga had to crawl in dense city traffic, fly on perfect asphalt, shake on roads reminiscent of the aftermath of Finnish carpet bombings, almost get stuck in sand, and it all ended with a spectacular entry of the "kinetic" column into evening Petersburg. In short, there were enough situations and kilometers to examine the car from all angles.Comments (10)We first got acquainted with Ford Kuga a year ago, and even then the car truly impressed us. Attractive, well-handling, endearing — a real friend! The only thing that spoiled the impression was the price: even before the increase in duties and the fall of the ruble, 881,000 rubles for a crossover seemed excessive…
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| Ford Kuga left us with the most pleasant emotions a year ago too. But why is this stylish "kinetic" crossover still so rare on Russian roads? The main drawback of the Kuga was the complete absence of an automatic transmission. |
So why, despite all its advantages, the abundance of "Ford fans" and the widespread fashion for crossovers, does the Kuga remain a rarity on our streets even after a year?
The key mistake of the "Kuga" is the lack of an "automatic" and only one 2.0-liter diesel with 136 horsepower. Perhaps frugal Europeans are ready to be content with the economical combination of a diesel with a six-speed manual. No argument: the Ford diesel is quite peppy, the gearshift lever pleases with clarity and precision, but sales statistics in the crossover class in Russia unequivocally hint that people want an "automatic".
New — gasoline — engine
Having stopped testing the patience of Russian buyers and deciding not to take risks anymore, Ford finally brought two new products: the Kuga with a 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and, drumroll, the Kuga with the same engine but paired with an automatic transmission. We've waited!
The crossover with the new gasoline engine and MT we managed to try even before the premiere of Kuga 2.5 AT. On the outside, the car does not reveal its novelty — only the badge on the fifth door. But the character has changed.
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| The new 200-horsepower gasoline turbo engine with a manual gearbox performed excellently: superb dynamics, "car-like" acceleration, predictable response. The engine is so good that sometimes you start to overestimate the "sporty" inclinations of the Kuga, which still remains a crossover and is not ready to dart nimbly between lanes. |
The 200-horsepower engine turned out to be beyond all praise: dynamics are excellent, acceleration is like a passenger car, response is wonderful and clear. It feels like even the suspension was recalibrated: the car has become more tolerant of road "waves" and other delights of our surfaces. The engine is so good that sometimes you start to overestimate the "sporty" talents of the Kuga, although it, as before, is a crossover and not created for sharp lane changes. If you don't tempt fate, remembering the dimensions and high center of gravity, but simply enjoy the coordinated work of the turbo engine and six-speed gearbox, then from the Kuga you can get real driving pleasure.
New — automatic — transmission
The presentation of the version with the "automatic" was held in St. Petersburg — the second homeland of the "Focuses", also covering the Leningrad region. The Kugas had to break through city jams, race along a smooth highway past picturesque views, shake on broken roads as if they had survived Finnish bombings, almost get stuck in sand, and finally, in an effective "kinetic" column, fly into the evening Northern capital. In general, the route gave the opportunity to test the car in a variety of conditions.
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On the central tunnel, finally, that very automatic transmission selector lever appeared. It was worth flying 700 km for it! The gearbox is new, for the Kuga it was developed by Aisin AW, and it is related to the one installed on the Mondeo. Durashift 5-tronic has five gears, four of which are reduction gears. After break-in, the transmission adapts to the driving style.
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| The gearbox is new, for the Kuga it was made by Aisin AW, similar to the one installed on the Mondeo. There are five gears, four of them reduction gears. |
So far, the "automatic" is available only with the gasoline engine; the combination of diesel with automatic transmission is possible, but only in the distant future.
Through the places of the Winter War
We got to evaluate the new product right after leaving Pulkovo — in a traffic jam on the Ring Road. The engine responds predictably to pressing the gas pedal, no longer do you need to fight with the stiff "Kuga" clutch, which was tiring on cars with a "manual", and the panoramic roof for an extra charge adds space — beautiful!
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| The "automatic" immediately came in handy where it is needed most — in a traffic jam! |
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| Lunch break. |
Following the road book, we turn towards Vyborg, leaving the traffic jam behind. Pedal to the floor — the tachometer needle goes to 6,000 rpm, the engine roars… In acceleration, the version with AT is slightly inferior to the "manual" — 8.8 seconds versus 8.2 to a hundred, and reactions to the accelerator are not without delays. But otherwise, the automatic transmission deserves only compliments: energetic acceleration, smooth and imperceptible shifts, clear brakes.
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| In dynamics, the version with AT is slightly inferior to the "manual": 8.8 seconds versus 8.2 to 100 km/h, plus slight delays on pedal press. Otherwise, the automatic is excellent: brisk acceleration, smooth shifts, informative brakes. |
For those who want more, there is a manual shift mode, but it doesn't make a difference.
During the test drive, journalists not only studied the new Kuga but also participated in a quest: they had to unravel the mystery of the test driver Jaakko Markkola and find angel figurines hidden during the Soviet-Finnish war near the fence of a church destroyed by shells.
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Getting to the desired point on the Vuoksa, the crossovers had to fight through a road riddled with potholes — it seemed that no repairman's hand had touched it since the Winter War. We desperately maneuvered between craters, but one particularly treacherous one still ended up in our path. And here the Kuga surprised us: even the wheel rim remained intact, although it had every right to bend. The suspension overall copes decently with bumps, but on gravel it clearly lacks smoothness.
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| Having descended the sandy slope almost to the water, the Kuga did not want to return back. |
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| Only after disabling the stability control system did the car, spinning its wheels and kicking up fountains of sand, manage to climb out. |
On the sandy shore of the Vuoksa, the Kuga faced another challenge. The descent almost to the water's edge was easy, but the return climb the Ford stubbornly refused to conquer. I had to dig into the menu to disable the stability control system — and only then did the car, desperately spinning its wheels and throwing up fountains of sand, make it to the top. Let me remind you that the Kuga is equipped with intelligent all-wheel drive Haldex.
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The angel figurines we were looking for have finally been found, the sun is dipping toward the horizon, and the transparent roof gives way to the light St. Petersburg evening. The Ford crossovers briskly glide over the smooth roads of Komarovo and head toward the city center, catching the glances of passersby.
But enough of the lyrical digression — let's move on to the numbers.
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| Currently, the most affordable Kuga with a diesel engine and manual transmission in the Trend trim is offered for 1,172,400 rubles. Prices are valid under a promotion until September 30, 2009, after which they may increase by 150,000 - 200,000 rubles. |
And here the numbers bring us back down to earth. The base version of the Kuga — diesel with manual in the Trend trim — costs 1,172,400 rubles. If you take the same trim but with the 2.5-liter petrol engine, the price rises to 1,222,400 rubles, and for the automatic transmission you'll have to shell out 1,262,400 rubles. The Titanium version will cost from 1,197,400 to 1,287,400 rubles. All these are promotional prices valid until September 30 of this year, after which the cost may increase by 150,000 – 200,000 rubles.
We thank the Russian office of Ford Motor Co. for the test drive.
Svetlana Aleeva
