Ford Kuga ST unlikely

Ford has all but ruled out a performance variant of the second-generation Kuga, which is being launched in Australia this week.

Mid-size SUV customers want safe, efficient vehicles without a performance focus, said Ford Australia president and CEO, Bob Graziano.

“What we’re seeing right now is that they [customers] want efficiency and they want safety,” he said.

“We also have a number of what we consider to be ‘very smart technologies’ going into this vehicle that will enhance the driving experience.”

The new Ford Kuga, which goes on sale from May, shares its underpinnings with the current Focus, the flagship version of which comes primed with a 184kW/340Nm turbo-petrol four-cylinder in the form of the cracking Focus ST.

Ford could easily slot the same engine into the Kuga, which will be available here from launch with 1.6-litre turbo-petrol and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engines priced from $27,990.

A challenger to hot medium SUVs like Subaru’s 169kW/320Nm turbo-petrol Forester XT and Audi’s upcoming SQ5 super-diesel would give Ford a much needed hero in the segment.

Although we’re certain a Kuga ST would give mid-size performance SUV buyers an alternative to the Forester ST and higher priced German offering while still offering respectable economy and a high level of safety and technology, the Ford Oz boss wasn’t convinced.

“That doesn’t mean that there may not be one [a Kuga ST] down the road, but at this point I’m not seeing it. Ultimately the customers will decide,” said Graziano.

As for Kuga sales eroding those of the Australian-made Territory, Graziano simply said: “No, they're different demographics.”

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