Overall rating:

Diesel power and automatic shifting offered for the first time in the Kuga, as Ford adds Powershift to the range.

Key Facts

Model tested: Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Titanium Powershift
Pricing: £26,995 on-the-road
Engine: 2.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed 'Powershift' twin-clutch automatic, four-wheel drive
Body style: five-door SUV
Rivals: Volkswagen Tiguan, BMW X1, Nissan Qashqai
CO₂ emissions: 179g/km
Combined economy: 41.5mpg
Top speed: 119mph
0-62mph: 9.9 seconds
Power: 161bhp at 3,750rpm
Torque: 251lb.ft at 2,000 - 3,250rpm

In the Metal:

It's a Ford Kuga, which means it's one of the rarer Fords on the road today. It's a good looker though, the Kuga's edgy lines far more striking than rivals like VW's Tiguan or Nissan's Qashqai. That's especially true in upmarket Titanium spec with brushed metal finishes contrasting nicely with the Kuga's paintwork. The styling's so successful it's been largely copied for the new Ford C-Max and Grand C-Max.

The interior shares some the drama of the exterior, though despite this there's little in the way of style over substance. Indeed, Ford's cabin people have paid close attention to how the interior works, which it does so - effortlessly. Nice touches like scalloped out top door trim give a comfortable arm rest, while the rear seats split and fold easily. Plenty of stowage around the cabin is useful too, as is the opening rear glass on the rear hatch and the clever tap and release luggage cover.

Driving it:

Ford took its time developing a crossover, but being based on the Focus, the Kuga is among the very best to drive in the class. There's little obvious trade off in driving despite the additional height the Kuga brings. There's some more roll while cornering, but the steering is crisp and well weighted and the ride is nicely controlled.

With 161bhp from the 2.0-litre TDCi turbodiesel engine performance is adequate rather than rapid - 62mph arriving in 9.9 seconds - though it's smooth and refined. The Powershift automatic helps here, it suiting the engine's low-rev torque output and shifting almost imperceptibly on the move. Some slight surge at low speeds can make manoeuvring tricky, though. The Powershift transmission is not as slick at slow speeds as VW's DSG twin clutch unit.

What you get for your Money:

Titanium specification means a reasonable - if not overly generous - standard equipment list, with this Kuga featuring part leather seats, climate and cruise control, alloy wheels and fog lamps. Start choosing desirable extras like Bluetooth telephone connection, satnav and parking sensors and you'll add a sizeable amount to the Kuga's already lofty list price.

Worth Noting

The Ford Kuga has never been particularly cheap and in Titanium specification with the Powershift automatic - and in higher output guise - it starts at £26,000. Options bump that up significantly, pushing the Kuga into BMW X1 territory. The BMW might be smaller, but it's got a more desirable badge. Likewise the Kuga faces some tough competition from VW's Tiguan. The Volkswagen might not drive as well as the Ford, but it's arguably got more badge cachet and does everything else just as well. Powershift bumps up the CO₂ output and fuel consumption from 159g/km and 47.1mpg with the manual to a less tax and wallet friendly 179g/km and 41.5mpg.

Summary

Ford's Powershift gearbox makes the Kuga a more desirable all-rounder to many, but it adds more cost to an already expensive model. We'd perhaps stick with the manual version, saving money on the list price and saving on fuel and CO₂ emissions at the same time.