Ford Kuga
Ford KugaFord

Ford India is reportedly planning to launch another SUV in the country. The company has already launched new Endeavour SUV in January 2016 and the new EcoSport will come to India in mid-2017. The new SUV in the pipeline is the Kuga that will be slotted between the Endeavour and the EcoSport.

In January 2016, Ford India imported one unit of the Kuga for research and analysis. The Kuga in India will be pitted against the Hyundai Tucson, Mahindra XUV500 and the Renault Duster range and hence it can be expected in the price range Rs 12 lakh to Rs 18 lakh, reports Oncars.

The Kuga, in terms of design, is a blend of new EcoSport and the Endeavour. The face of the SUV features new trapezoidal grille flanked by slim headlights incorporating LED daytime running lights. The Kuga features a boxy design, which is standard for many SUVs but with modern touches to keep it fresh. On the inside, it gets all black coloured upholstery. The new dashboard houses a large touchscreen infotainment system compatible to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, GPS navigation and advanced SYNC 3 system.

The Kuga will boast of features such as dual-zone climate control, push-button start, multi-functional steering wheel, rear AC vents, rear parking camera, rear parking sensors, 6-airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist.

The Kuga will be powered by a 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine and a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel. The 1.5-litre EcoBoost is expected to offer in 148bhp tune mated to six-speed manual transmission in FWD setup as well as 180bhp 6-speed automatic AWD version. The 2.0 diesel mill is expected to develop 147bhp and 370Nm mated to 6-speed manual transmission. The same engine is also expected in more powerful tune that will develop 177bhp and 400Nm.

However, the chances for the immediate launch of Kuga are fewer at the moment. An entry during 2017-18 time frame will be more realistic.

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