Test drive Ford Kuga since 2008 SUV

Boy named "Kuga"

The Ford-Cuga crossover will soon appear in Russia. They are waiting for him impatiently, they ask him, they are accountable for him. Sergei Voskresensky visited the presentation of the novelty. Photo by the author and Ford.
Whatever they say, for me he is one of many. These are the creators of the machine highlight a special, kinetic design, carry out parallels with a year before lasting concept by Josis K. Celebrate whimsical lighting equipment, an expressive combination of two radiator grilles, emphasize the determination, athleticity of the machine. The female part of the journalistic community immediately determines with some internal instinct: a boy. There is no doubt - he is fresh and elegant. But when the mosaic develops, a rather traditional image of the SUV arises, in which, remove the familiar emblem, the look will far from immediately highlight the family features. Today, there are so many crossovers in the market that a beginner needs very good arguments to attract attention. Will they find Kuga?
Fogi from Kugi
A strict, dark interior, a combination of smooth lines, corporate rough plastic and smooth silver details. Familiar forms, smells, controls. Having mastered in this merger of Ford Styles (Focus and S-Mah), as if you are at home. In some time, doubts are overcome for some time: what is more of an all -resistant or car? But then, thanks to a high landing that gives rise to a sense of security, a solid internal volume, visibility comes a feeling of a compact, but crossover. It is compact, because the hand of the sitting on the right is adjacent to mine, and in the back seat together is comfortable, but you are not especially walking around. But the optional glass roof violates the usual feeling of closed space, gives a little synthetic, but still freedom.
Down with gasoline habits! In pierced care of saving European life, everything is different. The Spinning diesel force quickly makes it clear from 2 liters and 136 turbols should not wait for something supernatural. It is good, even with a spark, he performs work on a high -speed autobahn, where the tachometer arrow is in the correct (20003000 rpm) range. Under these conditions, the kuga is light, mobile, besides indulging in excellent acoustic comfort. However, on the mountain serpentine, the engine very sharply denotes the border does not go, the car becomes demanding on the choice of gears. The driver turns almost into an athlete who is forced to constantly work as a lever. The task is not to drop the tachometer arrow below 1500 rpm. Allowed a mistake, and the car ceases to respond to the accelerator pedal. The most ordinary machine gun would be very useful for such a diesel, but a similar transmission paired with a 200-horsepower gasoline engine only in the future.
The strength of traditions
The creators of the machine emphasize: the kuga is mainly focused on asphalt. Engineers worked a lot on the design of the design, the characteristics of the suspensions, the nuances of the automatically connected all -wheel drive. In their opinion, the work as a whole was a success. We'll see?
The road is like music: the main thing is to get to the beat, and then the kuga playfully will fly over most irregularities. Pilings, pits, ravines on a fairly trained gravel coating, they almost silently disappear under the wheels, causing only smooth swaying the body. The crossover does not promise much, and it is better to slow down on serious potholes. But the fact that it is designed, even if the parquet, but off -road, to a certain extent, inspires.
On the asphalt ideal from the ideal, the impressions are changing: other speeds, the amplitude of the oscillations. Here the suspensions are too elastic, too detail repeat the profile of the road, allowing a sharp vertical build on deep waves. In these conditions, it shakes pretty. But in the pendants a solid supply is felt, almost like an adult all -terrain vehicle.
So, now I’ll set up the steering power steering, having loaded it with a sport option and partly this is an opportunity to amuse pride. The controllability of the KUGI is already good: understandable and balanced reactions, moderate body rolls, sufficient feedback. At first, the car seems even excessively solid. He reliably performs the driver’s commands, not showing excessive activity: they say, it’s safer.
However, if you do not stop there, it soon becomes clear that the Ford with an automatically connected all -wheel drive is capable of more. Of course, getting to the pothole, he sometimes will bury in a bend. But on the smooth canvas of the sophisticated the Spanish serpentine Kuga, like an experienced swimmer, dulls into the turns. I slightly overestimated the possibilities, he will immediately tell you, smoothly shifting the turn. And then, without unnecessary bustle, he will return to a given trajectory. Not a passenger car, of course, but it goes simple, understandable, and most importantly, reliably.
Predictable popularity
For me, he remained one of many: convenient, solid, pretty. He undoubtedly has a character, original solutions and finds, but against this background there is a variety of options. However, still ahead.
In Russia, interest in the car is huge, although the crossover market seems to be oversaturated. It seems that the name Ford itself has become so popular that it is a guarantee of the success of the model. Kuga is well prepared for our lives. Are you embarrassing diesel or not very popular on the Parnis of the mechanic? It is worth waiting a little, and a 2.5-liter gasoline version with an automaton will appear on the domestic market. It seems an overpriced base price from 880,000 rubles for the Trend equipment, 960,000 for Titanium? And this was taken into account by Ford accountants. For Europe, they have already made a front -wheel drive version, which, obviously, will be delivered to Russia. Ford-kug compact crossovers will appear on sale at the beginning of summer ._x0008_
Ford Kuga typical Ford: convenient, thoughtful, solid, designed for a mass consumer.
Organs transplant
Having taken as the basis the proven technologies and components of the focus chassis and C-Makh, engineers processed the geometry of the elements of pendants and steering for the kugi. The road clearance of the crossover is increased to 188 mm, to give better stability more made a base and track. The creators emphasize that borrowing parts is not direct copying. The size of the rear shock absorbers has been increased, the front settings are optimized. The design of the reptile stability stabilizer, the upper supports of the pendants, other hub bearings were changed.
A lot of attention was paid to connecting a full -wheel drive using a multi -disc supper. The torque served to the rear wheels varies from 10 to 50 %, depending on the conditions of movement, acceleration, the angles of rotation of the steering wheel and the position of the throttle.
Sergey Voskresensky
 
 
 
 
 
 

A source: The magazine "Driving"