- Ford Delivers New EcoBoost Engines and Most Powerful Diesel Ever for Kuga
- Ford offers most powerful diesel Kuga SUV ever; 2.0-litre TDCi engine delivers 132kW and 400Nm of torque
- Kuga facelift also introduces most powerful petrol engine in mid-SUV segment; 2.0-litre EcoBoost, delivering 177kW and 340Nm of torque
- Revised Kuga 2.0-litre TDCi diesel delivers 10% more power, and emits 19g/km less CO2; 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol emits 11g/km less CO2 than the outgoing 1.6‑litre EcoBoost
- Auto-Start-Stop and Active Grille Shutter to be standard on all Kuga models.
PRETORIA, South Africa, 12 December 2014 – The Ford Kuga is now available with a significant range of upgrades that include the smart utility vehicle’s most powerful diesel powertrain to date.
Improvements to the Kuga’s diesel and petrol engine range also deliver lower CO2 emissions. Kuga will have more advanced technologies as standard to help reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions, including Auto-Start-Stop and Active Grille Shutter.
“We’ve updated the Kuga range with new engines that deliver more power but also lower emissions – two things you don’t see very often,” said Tracey Delate, Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa. “It’s part of our strategy to offer eco-friendly vehicles that don’t compromise on driving enjoyment or excellent consumer technologies.”
Ford has increased peak power of the TDCi engine by 12kW to 132kW and peak torque to 400Nm, up from 340Nm. This engine choice will deliver the most pulling power ever for Kuga, particularly when combined with Ford’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system. The Kuga facelift also introduces the most powerful petrol engine in the mid-SUV segment – the 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine – which also powers the Focus ST, and delivers 177kW with 340Nm of torque.
Another new powertrain for Kuga is the 1.5-litre* EcoBoost petrol engine, reducing CO2 emissions to 143g/km from 154g/km – an improvement of more than seven per cent over the outgoing 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine. The engine also offers 134kW with 240Nm of torque.
Smart utility vehicle
Ford’s latest sales data revealed a high adoption rate for Kuga’s advanced driver assistance technologies: more than half featured Active Park Assist technology that helps drivers to parallel park.
On top of the Cruise Control with Adjustable Speed Limiter that is offered as standard, Kuga also offers Adaptive Cruise Control including Forward Alert, which warns drivers if they are travelling too close to the vehicle ahead. Another standard technology is the Tyre Pressure Monitoring System, which warns if any of the tyres lose significant pressure during a journey. Further available technologies include Hands-Free Tailgate, Blind Spot Information System, Active City Stop, Auto High Beam, Lane Keeping Aid, Lane Keeping Alert and Driver Alert.
Kuga, featuring the new 2.0-litre TDCi and 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre EcoBoost engines, is on sale now. It will also be offered in three additional colours, including Ruby Red Metallic, Magnetic Metallic and Tiger Eye Metallic.
In South Africa, Kuga has seen consistent demand since launch with EcoBoost engines proving popular among buyers. Sales have increased 26% year to date***, and earlier this year it topped the sales charts in its segment.
New Ford Kuga Engines
| Engine | Transmission | Power | Torque | CO2-combined** | CO2 improvement over previous engine |
| 1.5-litre EcoBoost | FWD Manual | 110kW | 240Nm | 143 g/km | 7.1 per cent (11 g/km) |
| 1.5-litre EcoBoost | AWD Automatic | 132kW | 240Nm | 171 g/km | 4.5 per cent (8 g/km) |
| 2.0-litre TDCi | AWD PowerShift | 132kW | 400Nm | 140 g/km | 11.9 per cent (19 g/km) |
| 2.0-litre EcoBoost | AWD Automatic | 177kW | 340Nm | 204 g/km | n/a |
