In South Africa we’ve been lacking a road-biased Ford crossover vehicle since the Aussie-built Territory left the showrooms in 2009. While the new Kuga isn’t seen as a direct replacement for the Territory, it does mean Ford now has a compact SUV that will go head-to-head against competitors such as the Hyundai iX35, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Tiguan, Chevrolet Captiva and Honda CR-V.

The new Ford Kuga is actually not new at all, having first gone on sale in Europe in the first half of 2008. Ford South Africa had no initial plans to introduce the Kuga, but say the burgeoning compact SUV market and a gap in their passenger vehicle line-up above the Focus, prompted them to introduce the German-built machine despite it being in its senior years. Fortunately, the Kuga carries the first generation of Ford’s ‘Kinetic Design’ language, which is only now being superseded by an evolutionary interpretation and recently introduced on the new Ford EcoSport. Thankfully, despite its age, the Kuga still looks relevant within the South African model line-up. Characterised by bold styling; distinctive and slightly swept back headlights; contoured bonnet; large trapezoidal grille and twin exhausts, the Kuga sets itself apart. Adding an athletic element are the pronounced wheel arches, stylish air vents and muscular shoulder line.

Inside, the Kuga’s five-seat layout might prove a little short on rear legroom for adults and the boot is on the small side too at 360-litres. Thankfully, however, the Kuga does offer practicality and versatility with a split tailgate, second row underseat storage, four D-ring tie-down points in the boot and rear seat backs that fold completely flat to create 1 355-litres of luggage space.

Luxury and convenience functions on both the Trend and Titanium trim levels include: cruise control, Bluetooth with voice control functionality, full leather trim with 6-way power driver seat and heated front seats, power windows, heated and powered door mirrors. Rain sensitive wipers, auto dimming rear view mirror Dual Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (DEATC) air conditioning, rear parking sensors (all available only on the Titanium) are just a few of the standard features that make the Kuga a luxurious place to be. The Titanium specification receives green tinted privacy glass, 18-inch alloy wheels and a panoramic glass roof.

From behind the wheel, the driver’s instrumentation is clear and legible, but while the styling of the dash is a little dated when compared to the new Ford Focus for example, the plastics and build quality are solid and well fitted. The seats are supportive, the driving position is comfortable and Ford have even made a cut-away on top of the door panel so you can rest your arm when cruising along.

On the safety front, the Kuga has earned itself a 5-star Euro NCAP rating, helped in part by its disc brakes all-round, which dutifully respond to the car’s numerous safety systems that include: Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) with Anti Rollover Mitigation (ARM) and Electronic Brake Assist (EBA).

The Ford Kuga is powered by 2.5-litre, 5-cylinder, Duratec turbocharged petrol engine. Essentially a detuned version found in the Focus ST, the engine gives the Kuga a serious dose of ‘get up and go’. Maximum power is 147 kW at 6 000 r/min, with maximum torque of 320 Nm being available between 1 600 and 4 000 r/min. This gives the Kuga a top speed of 205 km/h and a 0 – 100 km/h sprint of 8.8 seconds. Of course the performance comes at the cost of fuel economy and in the Kuga’s case it’s 10.3 L/100km and 244 g/km of CO2. The engine is mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission and while it has a ‘manual mode’, it’s a sluggish ‘box that in an ideal world, would’ve been replaced in favour of Ford’s newer PowerShift dual-clutch unit.

The Kuga is based on the Ford Focus chassis, which means it borrows the same suspension configuration, but with the components having being extensively tailored for work in the bigger and taller car. The result, despite weighing almost 250 kg more than the Focus, is a comfortable ride matched with levels of handling beyond what most drivers will need. In fact, when hustled along, the Kuga could even be described as ‘spritely’, with accurate enough steering and controlled body roll. On tarmac the Kuga delivers up to 90 percent of its power to the front wheels, but venture off-road, or into adverse weather conditions where the road becomes slippery, and the Kuga’s all-wheel drive system will distribute up to 50 percent to the rear wheels when needed. Like most soft-roaders, if you do find yourself off the beaten track, the standard fit tyres and 188 mm ride height are the Kuga’s limiting factors, but with a little care and attention we suspect it’d go further off-road than expected.

While the Kuga may not be the most fuel efficient, overly spacious or particularly cheap, it can be commended for its stylish looks, ST-derived performance and good handling, all of which make it a fun to drive compact-SUV.

Pricing includes a 4-year/120 000 warranty, a 4-year/80 000 km service plan and 3-year roadside assistance. Service intervals are every 20 000km.