Test drove a Kuga - Ford never fails to disappoint

[wibblebrain]

Ali_T said:

New or used? Used, I'd happily buy another Mazda CX7. Bar overly light steering, it's bloody brilliant.

They are quite cheap second hand. What sort of economy do you get from it and how clattery/refined is the diesel engine?

[ZX10R NIN]

Charlie1986 said:

We went and had a look a the Kuga and didn't even take it for a test drive it felt cheap and tacky.

We are now looking at Q3 and the GLA ( God help me) where they look like whale vomit they feel better put together than ford.

But they cost more are a bit smaller & have less spec unless you spent more than you were going to on the Ford.

My sister has an auto Titanium X Sport Kuga it's now two years old but it has everything on it, she paid 28k for it in 22k nothing has gone wrong with it & nothing has fallen off it. She looked at Q3's etc but although she said they felt like a more plush car the Kuga drove better when she went spec for spec she couldn't justify spending 8k extra for a worse drive & slightly less space

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Tuesday 13th October 17:49

[nickfrog]

Charlie Michael said:

Have you considered a Mazda CX-5?

Good suggestion - we have one on order and it's quite superb compared to the Ford.

austinsmirk said:

well who buys a 30k car new ? Just to watch your money vanish ???

buy it 6/12 mths old for feasibly half the price.

at that point you have a bargain !

Compare the new cash price of say a facelift CX-5 2.0 SE Nav (when bought at the right discount) and the price of a 2 year old one : you may have to revise your pre-conceptions.

Front-drive crossovers are just brilliant for family use compared to estates IME, hence their popularity - there might be a bit of lifestyle aspiration BS in there but that doesn't take any of the products' merits away, it just helps residuals.

[valiant]

Agree that some of the plastics used are questionable at best but Ford have done a good job of sticking them together. My Ford is now approaching three years old and there is not one squeak or rattle and nothing has gone wrong.

So while they may be cheaper than a 'premium' brand and don't have the same soft touch plastics, they are just as well built as cars costing considerably more. Plus moaning about the list price is a bit daft as no one pays list for a Ford unless it's something special or you're a bit 'special'.

[gtidriver]

I hired one and drove it to Gibraltar for a holiday, probably put 4000 miles on it in just over a week. For quite a big car it's quite small inside, drove well though.

[J4CKO]

nickfrog said:

Charlie Michael said:

Have you considered a Mazda CX-5?

Good suggestion - we have one on order and it's quite superb compared to the Ford.

austinsmirk said:

well who buys a 30k car new ? Just to watch your money vanish ???

buy it 6/12 mths old for feasibly half the price.

at that point you have a bargain !

Compare the new cash price of say a facelift CX-5 2.0 SE Nav (when bought at the right discount) and the price of a 2 year old one : you may have to revise your pre-conceptions.

Front-drive crossovers are just brilliant for family use compared to estates IME, hence their popularity - there might be a bit of lifestyle aspiration BS in there but that doesn't take any of the products' merits away, it just helps residuals.

The CX5 never seems to do all that well relative to the Kuga in group tests, we were looking and they seem to be fairly evenly matched.

[Charlie Michael]

J4CKO said:

nickfrog said:

Charlie Michael said:

Have you considered a Mazda CX-5?

Good suggestion - we have one on order and it's quite superb compared to the Ford.

austinsmirk said:

well who buys a 30k car new ? Just to watch your money vanish ???

buy it 6/12 mths old for feasibly half the price.

at that point you have a bargain !

Compare the new cash price of say a facelift CX-5 2.0 SE Nav (when bought at the right discount) and the price of a 2 year old one : you may have to revise your pre-conceptions.

Front-drive crossovers are just brilliant for family use compared to estates IME, hence their popularity - there might be a bit of lifestyle aspiration BS in there but that doesn't take any of the products' merits away, it just helps residuals.

The CX5 never seems to do all that well relative to the Kuga in group tests, we were looking and they seem to be fairly evenly matched.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/honda/cr-v/91349/honda-cr-v-vs-mazda-cx-5-ford-kuga

Mazda 1st place!

[ArsE92]

We've just replaced a Q3 S-Line with a Kuga Titanium X Sport. Both 2.0 diesel 2WD.

The Q3 interior quality was a level above, but in all other important areas the Kuga is better in our opinion. Better to drive, a much higher spec (Cruise Control, DAB, Panoramic roof, electric tailgate, leather seats (heated electric front), self parking(!)). The Q3 was difficult to drive around town, and awful on long runs without cruise control.

The Kuga is also considerably cheaper to lease.

We considered a Mokka too. Briefly.