Animal attraction

The Ford Kuga is an attractively styled compact SUV with a long list of equipment.迷你倉 By Samuel EeA COUGAR is a fearsome animal of either the four or two-legged variety. A Kuga, on the other hand, is an attractive, compact SUV with a blue oval badge.Tall, with excellent all-round visibility, the Ford Kuga feels less like a sport-utility vehicle and more like a high-riding hatchback. With its clean lines and neat proportions, it is a small and handsome vehicle with some clever design cues.The Kuga shares the same basic platform as the popular Focus hatchback but widened and enabled with part-time all-wheel-drive.Called Intelligent AWD, it constantly adjusts the torque split between the front and rear axles for optimum handling and traction. Up to 60 per cent of the power can be sent to the rear wheels. But when cruising, only the front wheels are engaged or not at all to improve fuel economy.This four-wheel-drive operation can be viewed when the multi-function display in the instrument cluster is set to the Intelligent AWD graphic.Together with Torque Vectoring, which brakes the inside front wheels when cornering so as to reduce understeer and make "turn in"' easier, the Kuga is agile.But it does not handle like a typical front-wheel-driven Ford with the usual confident and fun-to-drive characteristics. Instead, the Intelligent AWD's enhanced grip helps to overcome the high centre of gravity and in so doing, corners are dispatched satisfactorily even if somewhat soullessly.Rather, the Kuga's merit lies in its extensive equipment and functional design. This Category A Ford brims with specifications.A collision warning system is standard, and so is a panor文件倉mic glass roof with an electrically operated sunshade. The cruise control includes a speed limiting function and there is a hands-free electric tailgate.Then there is the design. As it is based on the Focus, it has a largely similar dashboard with a Sony head unit neatly integrated into the centre console, which may look shiny but does not feel plasticky.The TFT screen above, though, is a little too small. But one nice touch is the fat rubberised wheel for the centre air vent - it may seem unusually large but is cool to look at and touch.Then there is the gear lever of the six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission, which is mated to a 1.6-litre inline four-cylinder turbocharged engine with 180 hp and 240 Nm. There is some turbo lag when accelerating from standstill but otherwise, it feels almost powerful in most driving situations.For greater control, the gears can be manually changed - not by manipulating the gear stick or a pair of steering wheel-mounted shift paddles, but by an unobtrusive rocker switch on the side of the gear lever.Good design, apparently, is not only about aesthetics but ergonomics too.This Ford SUV doesn't pretend to be a sports car, and like the rest of the spacious cabin with its good head and legroom with reclining rear seatbacks, it offers a respectable level of comfort and quality.There is nothing frightening about this Kuga.samuelee@sph.com.sgSPECSFord KugaEngine 1,596cc turbochargedGearbox 6-speed automatic transmissionMax power 180 hp @ 5,700 rpmMax torque 240 Nm @ 1,600-5,000 rpm0-100 kmh 9.7 secsTop speed 200 kmhCO2 emissions 179 g/kmAverage OMV $27,000Price $178,888 (with COE)Distributor Regent MotorsTel: 6376 2233存倉