The modernized Ford Kuga will offer a large display inside, fewer buttons, better headlights and up to 243 horsepower. It is expected to go on sale in January 2024 and prices start from less than 700,000 crowns.
The American Ford Escape arrived with a new look already in 2022, its European sister called Kuga is getting an update now. Naturally, unlike the States, here too there are technological innovations.
But starting from the outside, the most striking change is the all-new front end reminiscent of the Mustang Mach-E. At the front, the car was given a new octagonal radiator grille and a light bar across the entire width of the car, at the rear, a cleaner design and a slightly different look of the lights.
The green piece in the photos is in the Active X version, which we already know from other Ford models; in Kuga it appears first. This means a richer plastic covering of the lower body and a different seat covering in the interior, but it is technically identical to the other versions.
Inside, the biggest change is the new, really large central display. It measures 13.2 inches diagonally and has one drawback: Many buttons, including climate control, have disappeared from the center console. At least it has its own fixed bar at the bottom of the display.
With the screen, the driver works with the latest generation of Ford Sync 4 infotainment, which supports wireless smartphone mirroring and 5G connectivity. The integrated navigation also offers a function for towing a trailer, where the driver enters the dimensions of his truck and the car itself chooses a route without too sharp curves or low bridges.
The on-board assistance systems have also been improved, such as the adaptive cruise control, which is now able to slow down before intersections and curves. The car is also equipped with a 360° camera system, useful off the asphalt and when parking. In addition to the aforementioned display, the interior will also offer a sliding second row of seats, thanks to which the boot can be increased from 412 to 553 liters under the curtain and the length of the boot floor can be extended from 865 to 1,017. mm. The maximum boot volume is 1,534 litres.
LED headlights with automatic high beam switching are standard, Matrix LED technology under the name Dynamic Pixel is available at an additional cost. It uses navigation data and cameras to read road signs and adjust the cone of light at bends, intersections and roundabouts to better illuminate pedestrians and cyclists.
Up to 243 horsepower
The Kuga lost its diesel engines with the modernization, but the top plug-in hybrid version is more powerful: it will offer 179 kW (243 hp), which is 23 kW (31 hp) more than before. A 14.4 kWh battery is left, with which, according to the WLTP measurement methodology, it should travel up to 69 km per charge in combined operation. Standard consumption is 0.9-1.2 l/100 km, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is 7.3 and the maximum speed is 200 km/h.
A plug-in hybrid can only be front-wheel drive, while those interested in 4×4 drive will only have a full hybrid. This is also based on a 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder without turbocharging, which operates according to the Atkinson cycle, but the combined output is 132 kW (180 hp) in the case of front-wheel drive and 135 kW (183 hp) in the case of front-wheel drive. case of all-wheel drive. Both versions have a continuously variable transmission. Fuel consumption here is 5.3-6.4 l/100 km, depending on the version, the front wheel accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.1 s, all-wheel drive in 8.3 s and both versions have the same top speed of 196 km/H.
For those interested in a purely internal combustion engine, a turbocharged three-cylinder EcoBoost base model with a volume of 1.5 liters with variable valve timing and an output of 110 kW (150 hp) is available. It is connected exclusively to a six-speed manual gearbox, consumes 6.3-7.2 l/100 km, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.5 s and reaches a top speed of 195 km/h.
Depending on the version, the Kuga weighs from 1,526 to 1,859 kg, while the plug-in hybrid version is understandably the heaviest due to the battery. The payload is between 541 and 550 kilograms for all versions, the maximum braked trailer weight ranges from 1,600 kg for the front-wheel drive hybrid to 2,100 kg for the four-wheel hybrid and the plug-in hybrid.
Prices of the modernized Ford Kuga
Titanium
ST line
ST X line
X active
1.5 EcoBoost
699,900 CZK 735,900 CZK 797,900 CZK –
2.5 Hybrid
801,900 CZK 837,900 CZK 899,900 CZK 899,900 CZK
2.5 hybrid all-wheel drive
– 891,900 CZK 953,900 CZK 953,900 CZK
2.5 Plug-in hybrid
– 991,900 CZK 1,053,900 CZK 1,053,900 CZK
2024-01-17 09:51:00
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