Ford Australia has announced a European replacement called the Kuga for the compact Ford Escape SUV. The five-door Kuga wagon will arrive in March next year near the end of the current model. Ford is hoping the introduction of Kuga name, even late in its model cycle, will help sales when the all new Kuga is released in about 12 months.
“The Ford Kuga will be an exciting addition to our Australian model range,” said Ford Australia President and CEO, Bob Graziano. “It is certain to appeal to customers looking for a stylish, practical and fun compact SUV.”
Ford Kuga will come in two specification levels, Trend and Titanium. Both will be powered by Ford’s five-cylinder Duratec turbo petrol engine that develops up to 147 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque, from as low as 1600 rpm. Both variants are fitted with a five speed auto transmission matched to an AWD system.
There is no dual-range transfer case although Ford claim buyers will be surprised just how far off-road the Kuga is capable of going. The cars should have a combined fuel consumption of 10.3 litres/100 km. Kuga comes with a five star EuroNCAP safety rating and includes six airbags, ABS brakes, stability control, traction control with roll-over mitigation and emergency brake assist.
Kuga Trend is well-equipped with 17 inch alloy wheels, rear tailgate with flip glass, Bluetooth connectivity, voice control, Sony CD 8-speaker system, key start/stop button, air con, cruise control, leather wrapped steering wheel, front fog lamps, roof rails, follow-me-home lighting and capless refuelling.
The high specified Kuga Titanium adds: 18 inch alloy wheels, fix panorama roof, dual zone climate control, leather trimmed seats (front heated), leather trimmed gear shift, 6-way power drivers seat, rear privacy glass, rear parking sensors, rain sensing wipers and auto headlamps.
Pricing and more specifications will be announced closer to Kuga release.
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