Filed under: Diesel, Ford, Geneva Motor Show
Geneva 2008: Ford Kuga gets a price tag

Ford introduced us to the Ford Kuga diesel crossover the other day and now has let us know what this 37 mpg (U.S.)/ 169 grams of CO2 per km vehicle will cost: £20,495 for the Zetec trim and £22,495 for the Titanium. The difference there is Titanium has nifty additions like rain-sensing wipers and dual electronic air temperature control. All the details are available after the jump. While our friends the Brits can buy one starting in June with the 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi 136PS diesel engine, we can only hope that a vehicle of this size and mpg rating makes it to the U.S. in the near future. It seems odd to fight 35 mpg CAFE regs when you're already making 37 mpg CUVs, don't you think?
Gallery: 2009 Ford Kuga
Related:
Press Release:
THE NEW FORD KUGA PRICES ANNOUNCED
Ford Kuga
- On sale June 2008
- Two trims available - Zetec and Titanium
- On-the-road prices from £20,495 for Zetec and £22,495 for Titanium
- Distinctive 'kinetic design' styling gives personality and presence
- Impressive on-road driving dynamics with substantial off-road ability
- Best in class CO2 figure of 169g/km
- 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi 136PS diesel engine
The Ford Kuga is based on Ford's acclaimed C-car architecture – well proven in both the Ford Focus and the Ford C-MAX. Distinctive design, intelligent AWD system, and impressive on and off-road ability make the Kuga an attractive proposition.
"I'm really excited about moving into this growing segment with such a stylish and capable vehicle. I'm confident that Kuga is going to give the competition a run for their money!" said Roelant de Waard, Chairman and Managing Director, Ford of Britain.
Powered by the 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi 136PS diesel engine with standard particulate filter and six-speed manual transmission, Kuga comes with full-time Haldex intelligent AWD system. The engine provides 320Nm of torque at 2,000rpm and 340Nm in transient overboost. With combined fuel consumption of 44.1mpg it also achieves class-leading levels of CO2 – 169 g/km.
Kuga is available in two specifications - Zetec and Titanium. Standard features include - keyless start, 17-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Ford Easy fuel, Thatcham category 1 alarm and MP3 connector.
Titanium adds rain sensing wipers, blue tinted glass, partial leather trim, cruise control, automatic headlights and dual electronic air temperature control. Additional premium options available include, rear facing camera, panoramic roof, USB connectivity and DAB radio.
New features to the segment and to Ford include a dual split-tailgate design - offering flexibility and convenience with separate access to either the glass upper tailgate section only or both sections simultaneously.
The car is available in a choice of nine body colours including two brand new metallic colours – 'Chill' and 'Electric White.'
The eye-catching Kuga interior incorporates cloth or fine leathers and gloss finishes with a choice of shades. Colour-matched details of the interior design and integrated trim colours highlight the instrument panel and door trims, creating a complete, unified look of design-led quality and premium sportiness.
Kuga offers comfortable and spacious seating for up to five adults. The second row of seating has a 60/40 split and can fold completely flat to maximise the load space. Underseat storage beneath the second row with further storage under the floor of the luggage compartment area offers maximum practicality. The Kuga has a generous luggage capacity of 1,355 litres when in two-seat mode, while the enclosed luggage compartment achieves a volume of up to 410 litres.
FORD KUGA
Preliminary Technical Specifications
ENGINE

DRIVE LINE
Drive: Ford AWD: All wheel drive 'Intelligent 4WD-System' with variable torque distribution, electronically controlled, torque distribution up to 50:50; with electronic Haldex system.
Transmission: Getrag Ford Durashift 6-speed (MMT6 - Modular Manual Transmission 6-Speed): manual, fully synchronised transmission with shift cable and dual driveshaft
Ratios:

Wheels and tyres:
Mini steel spare as standard
Optional: 7.5 x18 alloy for Zetec, 8 x19 alloy for Titanium
DIMENSIONS

Weights

1 Basic kerb weight incl. driver (75 kg), lubricants and filled fuel tank (90%). All weights are valid for vehicles with basic specification.
ERFORMANCE, FUEL ECONOMY, EMISSIONS

Note: This information was correct at the time of going to print. However, Ford policy is one of continuous product development. The right is reserved to change these details at any time.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rgseidl 11:38AM (2/20/2008)
Technically, it would be possible to bring small displacement diesels with expensive T2B5 aftertreatment to market in the US. The trouble is, US consumers may not want to pay the hefty up-front premium over a gasoline engine. With fuel taxes very low and diesel costing as much or more per gallon, the economics just don't add up for them.
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Phil L. 12:00PM (2/20/2008)
Having watched Mercedes and VW struggle with 50-state-legal diesel technology, I suspect a T2B5 Duratorq might take quite a bit of effort and investment Ford doesn't appear to be ready to risk.
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Wildgoosechase73 2:03PM (2/20/2008)
I'm sure they would import it if the dollar wasn't so weak right now and if the diesel could pass US emmisions.
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Mattias 2:29PM (2/20/2008)
The DW engine family used is our bread and butter engine. So you make it T2B5 legal once and immediately have dozens of cars from Mazda, Ford, Volvo, PSA and even Mitsubishi that could be sold in the US.
Yes, exchange rates are problem, but ist should be possible to find a location in the Nafta area to build this engine, probably in Mexico or at some Ford engine plant in the US. Hey aren't they already tooling for the new 4,4l V8 T2B5 diesel which technically is a doubled DW12?
PS: I really love this engine. I'm just back from some autobahn trip where it averaged at 45mpg...
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James 3:03PM (2/20/2008)
44mpg? Are you kidding me? Ford, get your act together and give us a diesel. Look on craigslist or ebay and see what kind of fool prices people are paying for used VW diesels with ridiculously high mileage. There is pent up demand that American car companies refuse to acknowledge. Maybe my parents remember the nasty diesels of the late 70's, early 80's, but me and my generation don't. I've yet to hear a rationalization for this egregious absence that made any real sense now that diesels have cut emissions.
On top of that, this vehicle is actually attractive in contrast to the current Escape. Do Americans just like ugly cars or are they unable to get rid of old designers who are entrenched in the company?
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Tony C 10:24PM (2/20/2008)
James: That's 44.1 miles per (Imperial) gallon.
1 US gallon = 0.832673844 Imperial gallons
Do the math and that's where ABG gets the 37 they mentioned -- rounded up from 36.721 anyway...
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Bill 11:06AM (2/21/2008)
VW's saying its diesel premium will be $2000.
You can make that up in fuel savings in a few years.
A 2 or 2.2L T2B5 diesel engine used across multiple platforms would be a huge hit for Ford.
Remember, diesel competes against premium fuel, not regular, since no naturally-aspirated petrol-powered engine can come close to the performance of a turbodiesel engine.
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darwin 8:56AM (11/18/2008)
Been waiting for 3 years for US 3 to offer a Clean Diesel passenger car / crossover to us in the states.
Dodge makes the Caliber in a 2.0 CRD that gets similar performance and economy. Built right here in Belvedere, IL - for sale in UK, South America, and Austrailia - Only.
I drive a 1999 Chrysler 300-M right now that I need to replace. I will NOT buy another car that gets under 35 MPG, I need some utility space, and can maybe tow a light trailer. Today My option is a VW Jetta. I am holding out hope that US 3 will finally offer something like a Kuga before that 300 dies.
Seems funny that US-3 CEO's and Gettelfinger are in Washington today looking for financial help from the very people that legislate this kind of technology away from our own country.
US gets blasted over Carbon Emmissions and Kyoto Accord, but the entire world can drive High Mileage Clean Diesels.
Ignorant.
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