Ford: Kuga crossover to hold the fort

Ford Kuga. Photo / Supplied

The crossover Ford Kuga goes on sale in New Zealand this week, three-and-a-half years after it first appeared in Europe and two weeks before its successor is unveiled at the Los Angeles motor show.

The new model won't be available in New Zealand until 2013, at which time Ford expects to offer a choice of petrol and diesel engines.

Meanwhile, the carmaker has to launch the existing Kuga with only a turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol unit.

"There is a diesel available for Kuga in the UK but we couldn't get it," said Ford NZ communications manager Tom Clancy. "The demand for diesel is so great there that it wasn't available to us. Hopefully, when the new model arrives in 2013, we will have a diesel option."

The next-generation Kuga has been pictured testing before its LA debut. It will be revealed badged as an Escape because it replaces the current Escape in the United States early next year. But it will carry the Kuga moniker for Europe and other markets later in 2012.

The new model is a global car, just like the latest Focus - on which its chassis is based - and Fiesta, and has been developed under the One Ford philosophy.

As a result, it will be sold largely unchanged in a variety of different markets.

The mild camouflage shows the company has stayed true to the original Vertrek concept, which debuted at the Detroit motor show earlier this year.

It retains the Vertrek's sharp lines and Kuga-inspired shape, bringing in an updated front end with a thin upper opening, larger lower air intake with triangular grilles and bold LED headlights. The sloping rear roofline and angular C-pillars of the Vertrek are carried over, too. The whole car is finished off with rugged protective cladding for the bumpers, wheelarches and sills.

Also obvious is the longer wheelbase. Kuga customers in the United Kingdom have complained about a lack of space, so the new model has a 100mm longer wheelbase, which is also 50mm wider. Ford estimates that the Kuga will have 20 per cent more space inside as a result.

Under the bonnet, the 2013 Kuga will use the latest 1.6-litre EcoBoost turbocharged petrol engine as seen in the Focus, along with a host of turbo-diesels.

It is likely the next model will continue to come with all-wheel-drive as well as a regenerative braking system and stop-start.

The current model is available in Ford's top-end titanium trim and has been praised for its handling and ride, mostly because of its donor Focus chassis.

The 2.5-litre engine develops 147kW and 320Nm and is mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Ford claims town-and-around fuel economy for the Kuga of 10.3 litres/100km (27mpg) and CO2 exhaust emissions of 244g/km. Braked towing capacity is 1500kg.

The Kuga is made at Ford's Saarlouis plant in Germany and is priced in New Zealand at $53,990.