Ford has introduced the facelifted Kuga SUV in South Africa with a fresh design and enhanced feature specification. Take a look at specification and pricing for the new Kuga.

There’s a new Ford Kuga in town and it has just been launched in South Africa. The facelifted Kuga introduces a new exterior and interior design as well as Ford’s latest SYNC3 in-car connectivity system and improved safety specification. The Kuga is available in either Ambiente, Trend or Titanium trim grades

"We are thrilled with the new Kuga offering, with stunning new design inside and out, smart technologies, fuel-efficient yet powerful engines, and five-star safety, it's a vehicle that will stand out for our customers," says Tracey Delate, General Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.

What engines are available?

The Kuga range includes 2 petrol engines and 1 diesel engine. The previous 1.6-litre engine is no longer offered.

There are 2 petrol engines and 1 diesel engine that now powers the Kuga. The 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine offers 110 kW/240 Nm of torque for the front-wheel drive derivative equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission.

A more powerful version of this engine offers 132 kW and is offered on both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive derivatives equipped with a 6-speed automatic transmission.

The petrol offering is headlined by a 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine with 177 kW and 340 Nm of torque and is exclusively offered in all-wheel drive guise with a 6-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

The only diesel engine available is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel with 132 kW and 400 Nm of torque and is offered in all-wheel drive only and features a dual clutch automatic transmission.

What’s changed in terms of design?

SYNC3 makes its way into the Kuga and integrated navigation isan option.

The latest Kuga wears a large upper trapezoidal grille along with a lower grille that’s complemented with slim headlights and fog lights. The taillights, tailgate and twin exhaust system have been redesigned and the Kuga is now available with a new range of alloy wheel designs ranging in size from 17- to 19-inches in size.

As for the interior, the Kuga now features an updated cabin with enhanced storage in the centre console, rear tray tables, rear air vents (Trend and Titanium only) as well as an electronic parking brake. The Kuga’s steering wheel and air conditioning controls have also been updated to improve ease-of-use.

Kuga's design has been improved and an electronic tailgate is now offered.

The tailgate is now electrically operated for added convenience and all automatic Kuga derivatives feature paddle-shift controls for manual gear changes.

SYNC3 is offered in the facelifted Kuga via an 8-inch touchscreen and all audio and connected smartphones can be controlled with conversational voice commands. SYNC3 is offered as standard on Trend and Titanium derivatives and integrated navigation is optionally available across the range. SYNC3 also offers Apple CarPlay and Android AutoT.

Safety features

Standard safety features on the facelifted Kuga include 7 airbags, ABS, Electronic Stability Program (ESP), trailer stability function, hill launch assist and rollover mitigation. ISOFIX child seat mounts are also standard.

The latest Kuga also introduces an enhanced version of Ford’s Active City Stop with low-speed collision mitigation and avoidance which is offered as part of the Driver Assistance Package on Trend and Titanium derivatives. The package also includes features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot information system, lane departure warning, lane keeping aid and advanced active park assist.

Perpendicular parking functionality is also offered on the Kuga to help drivers locate parking spaces alongside other cars and parallel to the road and will steer into spaces while the driver controls the throttle and brakes. The facelifted Kuga has a 5-star Euro-NCAP safety rating.

New Ford Kuga – Price in South Africa

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente 6MT FWD – R368 800

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Ambiente 6AT FWD – R381 900

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 6MT FWD – R406 400

Ford Kuga 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 6AT FWD – R427 900

Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Trend 6AT AWD – R483 900

Ford Kuga 2.0 EcoBoost Titanium 6AT AWD – R497 900

Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Titanium 6AT AWD – R506 900

A 4-year/120 000 km warranty is standard as well as a 3-year/unlimited km roadside assistance and 5-year/unlimited corrosion warranty. Petrol Kuga derivatives are sold with a 4-year/80 000 km service plan with service intervals set at 20 000 km while the diesel derivatives have a 5-year/90 000 km service plan with service intervals set at 15 000 km.

Want to buy a Ford Kuga?

Find one on Cars.co.za

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