(Mon 01 Dec 08)

Ford launched the Kuga SUV on to the market with a two-litre TDCi turbo diesel engine, a six-speed manual gearbox, four-wheel drive and no other choices. But that has changed.

For customers wanting better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions, the Kuga is now available with the same engine and gearbox but with just front-wheel drive. The resulting reduction in weight and power losses has a small effect on straightline performance, but more important the FWD Kuga manages 46.3mpg rather than 44.1mpg on the combined cycle, while the CO2 rating drops from 169g/km to 159g/km. This is also the cheapest car in the range, costing £18,595 in Zetec form, or £1865 less than the 4x4 diesel.

Ford has also given the Kuga a 198bhp version of the Volvo 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine which has previously been fitted to the Mondeo, Focus ST and S-MAX. In manual form, this car has a top speed of 129mph and can reach 62mph from rest in 8.2 seconds, though since it has combined fuel economy of 28.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 234g/km it's unlikely to sell as well as the diesel.

The 2.5 Kuga, available only in the higher Titanium trim level, has the further option of five-speed automatic transmission, which increases the price by over £1100 to £24,962, slows the car down and makes it even less economical.

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