Ford Vehicle

Email to a friend Printer friendly Font: * * * * At Ford’s Lommel Proving Grounds, I drove the key derivatives — the Focus five-door hatch and the Kuga, a compact SUV. While the two are very different in design and intended use, there is an enjoyable consistency to them. Both come loaded and so feel more like entry-level luxury vehicles than compact offerings. The interiors feature top-notch materials and a ton of content. The test cars were fitted with a navigation system and some extras.

This combination brings a level of sophistication simply not expected of a compact offering on this side of the Atlantic. The Kuga is a delightful SUV that would sell like hotcakes were it brought to North America. It has style and personality, so it’s quite unlike the typical two-box offering. Driving it, however, proved to be the real eye-opener. Gone is the mushy handling of an SUV in favour of something that feels more like a sporty car than a utility vehicle.

The Kuga’s 2.0-litre TDCi turbocharged, common-rail, diesel engine churns out 136 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque at 2,000 r.p.m. When married to the six-speed manual, it is a delight. Stand on the gas and the torque it twists out is enough to chirp the front tires, and this in a vehicle with a good Haldex all-wheel-drive system.