Test drove a Kuga - Ford never fails to disappoint
Discussion
Test drove a Ford Kuga today and was very impressed with the way the car drove for a crossover.
However I can't see myself ever buying one. It felt so cheap and nasty inside. It's not as if the thing is even that cheap to justify that fact as the list price is close to £30k for a Titanium X 180. OK so you can get one from a broker for about £24k but when you compare the build quality and ambience compared to other manufacturers it just seems such a let down. Apart from the way it drives there's no pleasure or pride to be had in the way the car makes you feel.
Ford seem to be brilliant at making cars that look pretty good and drive well, but just shoot themselves in the foot with interior design, build quality and ambience.
However I can't see myself ever buying one. It felt so cheap and nasty inside. It's not as if the thing is even that cheap to justify that fact as the list price is close to £30k for a Titanium X 180. OK so you can get one from a broker for about £24k but when you compare the build quality and ambience compared to other manufacturers it just seems such a let down. Apart from the way it drives there's no pleasure or pride to be had in the way the car makes you feel.
Ford seem to be brilliant at making cars that look pretty good and drive well, but just shoot themselves in the foot with interior design, build quality and ambience.
Nickbrapp said:
ok.
Now try a mokka and report back
Isn't the Mokka a class down from the Kuga? Now try a mokka and report back
Anyway I know it's not a 4x4 but I also looked at a Skoda Superb Estate, which costs similar money, and they are simply not in the same league in terms of quality. You'd swear that the Skoda cost twice as much.
Wife had a Kuga from new a few years back and I thought the same, pleasant on the eye and was a decent drive. Felt solid enough but materials let it down, cheap plastics, the panels were very thin. But we did like it.
She got a Kia Sportage at the start of the year and it's a cracking motor for what it is. Looks nice and for the engine in it goes decent enough, but it wins as the materials, whilst not what you'd call up to German standards, are still better than the Kuga was, and it feels solid as a rock
She got a Kia Sportage at the start of the year and it's a cracking motor for what it is. Looks nice and for the engine in it goes decent enough, but it wins as the materials, whilst not what you'd call up to German standards, are still better than the Kuga was, and it feels solid as a rock
HannsG said:
Nickbrapp said:
ok.
Now try a mokka and report back
I may intrigued. Now try a mokka and report back
Is the Mokka better or worse in terms of quality?
I guess it's just me but I really don't notice interior quality stuff but perhaps it depends what you have previously experienced and interior quality, or the perceived quality to be exact, has never been high on my list as I know most of it is just smoke and mirrors and the stuff underneath is far far more important.
You get what you pay for. I have a leased new model Nissan Qashqai and the quality isn't the best; the bonnet shut lines are hilariously dreadful and the dashboard has a gap in it. Taking random examples, it creaks and rattles, the plastics are hard and the cruise control buttons are of a poor design. I don't really care as it's just a leased workhorse, but it is a bit crap. Oh, and it's the only car I've ever owned that has actually broken down. Not good.
Something like an Audi Q3 or Range Rover Evoque would be much better, but at a cost.
Something like an Audi Q3 or Range Rover Evoque would be much better, but at a cost.
k this. I think an X5 is next after these posts. I went from an Audi A4 to an SMAX when kid #3 arrived. Compared to the Audi, the SMAX is rather cheaply finished and there is a very tangible depth of quality to the Audi - the carpets covering areas you won't normally see, the durability of everything, the fact that it felt LIKE NEW even after 8 years of pretty tough use etc. However the SMAX is now 5 years old (2.5 years in my possession) and nothing has broken or fallen off. It comes across as a far more honest car, not pretending to be anything it isn't and for what it sets out to do, it exceeds every requirement.
It's not some pseudo "premium" brand - it's a fantastic family car, handles brilliantly, is well thought out and is easy to drive and live with. The kids love it and my wife thinks it's brilliant.
In fact when thinking about what I'd buy when my numbers come in, I'd imagine that next to the Bentley Mulsanne, 991 Turbo S and '85 288 GTO, there'll be a dark grey 10 plate SMAX.
It's not some pseudo "premium" brand - it's a fantastic family car, handles brilliantly, is well thought out and is easy to drive and live with. The kids love it and my wife thinks it's brilliant.
In fact when thinking about what I'd buy when my numbers come in, I'd imagine that next to the Bentley Mulsanne, 991 Turbo S and '85 288 GTO, there'll be a dark grey 10 plate SMAX.
I'll be honest here with an unpopular opinion but this is ultimately what put me off the Fiesta ST. I got in it and immediately found badly placed controls, and everything you could reach was made of the cheapest plastics known to man. Maybe I have been spoilt with German cars, but it felt worse than my 13 year old Skoda. Sure my Toyota doesnt feel up to German standards, but its at a level that I can live with.
Surely its quite embarrassing for Ford when the likes of Hyundai and Kia can produce a better quality interior finish?
Surely its quite embarrassing for Ford when the likes of Hyundai and Kia can produce a better quality interior finish?
Isn't it simply the case that Ford have a much bigger profit margin than the other manufacturers mentioned above, so a £30k Ford is not the same as a £30k Toyota, VW etc? The discounts available on new Fords compared to other manufacturers would certainly hint at that (note to PH pedants: I said "hint", not "proves").
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