SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. We drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under South African conditions. It also just happens that most of the vehicles we drive are world cars as well, so what you read here probably applies to the models you can get at home.
*To read one of our road tests, just select from the menu on the left. Hover your cursor over the manufacturer's name, then choose from the drop-down menu.
*Please remember too, that prices quoted were those ruling on the days I wrote the reports.


We make a quick 'escape' in the 2013 Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi AWD Titanium with PowerShift

This car is called Ford Escape in certain markets

For pets and people

Readers of Women on Wheels voted it their favourite compact SUV, it has been promoted as pet-friendly with its back hatch opening down to bumper level so Fido can jump in and out easily, and its makers reckon it’s the most technology-intensive SUV available. And we loaded an enormous box containing a front bumper assembly for an Alfa 156 into the back, so can vouch for its load space.

As mentioned in our launch report, even the most basic version comes well equipped. For example, it offers auto stop-start, smart regenerative charging, alloy wheels, active grille shutters to control airflow through the radiator for both efficiency and reduced wind resistance, front and rear fog lamps, roof rails, powered and heated outside mirrors, trip computer, keyless starting, air conditioning, one-touch windows and cruise control.

Then there’s a 230-Volt power point, a six-speaker audio system with the usual plugs, SYNC® that connects your phones and devices via Bluetooth and reads out incoming text messages, and multi-way seat adjustments with lumbar support for the driver. On the safety front there’s ABS with EBD, EBA and ESP with TCS, seven airbags, trailer stability control, hill start assistance and ISOFix anchors.

The Titanium-level two-litre AWD diesel we had for review adds bigger wheels; a powered tailgate that opens and closes with a quick in-and-out kick below the back bumper; LED tail lamps; special interior lighting; a TFT colour screen trip computer with eco mode, shift indicator and seatbelt warning; dual zone automatic air conditioning; adaptive cruise control with  speed limiter and collision mitigation; branded velour floor mats; Sony audio with nine speakers and 4.2” TFT screen, and powered seats with warmers. Then add roll stability control; automatic HID headlamps with washers, auto high beam control, follow-me, static cornering beams and automatic levelling and finally, rain-sensitive wipers.

Toys are always nice, but what was it like to live with for a week? We drove it through our tenderfoot 4x4 trail with no problems at all then took it onto a couple of rough dirt roads we know. It was comfortable, no matter what, but we did find that the front suspension clonked occasionally over city speed bumps. We noted that both diesels share gearbox ratios and differential gearing, so buyers planning to do much off-road work might consider fitting 17” wheels with 55-aspect tyres from Trend versions, rather than the lower profiled 18” or optional 19-inch wheels and tyres that come with the top specification.

The engine has more than enough power for family use while the six-speed twin clutch gearbox shifts cleanly and kicks down easily. Manual override, available in both drive and sport modes, is controlled by means of a diamond-shaped button on the side of the shift knob; push the top of it for upshifts and the bottom for down. It’s a little unusual but works well.

The luggage area mentioned earlier is neat and square with a flat floor for easy loading and there’s a compartmented tray under the board, where the spacesaver spare is stored. Lashing rings, to secure luggage, are useful for Fido’s collar snap, too. It starts off at 456 litres but expands to 1653 as the split seatbacks are laid flat. A slight step remains, but your dog buddy won’t mind. A useful feature of the kick-to-open hatch is that loading of parcels or pet baskets doesn’t mean you have to put everything down first, in order to open it.

Most rear seat passengers will find plenty of head, knee and foot space and have the added luxury of a few degrees of backrest recline as well. Aircraft style picnic tables, a 230-Volt and 150-Watt europlug socket for recharging phones, laptops and what-not, aircon repeater vents and individual reading lights will help them feel right at home, or at least the office. The floor is essentially flat, so climbing back out is easy.

The only niggles we had with the new Kuga concern the much-hyped SYNC® connections and the air conditioner. We found connectivity rather slow, with an awkward user interface and the USB connector was not always reliable. The cooling power of the climate control wasn’t up to the standard expected in a car like this either.

Test car from Ford SA press fleet

The numbers
Price: R418 900
Engine: 1997 cc, four-cylinder, turbodiesel
Power: 120 kW at 3750 rpm
Torque: 340 Nm between 2000 and 3250 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 10,4 seconds
Maximum speed: 196 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 7,9 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Kerb mass/GVM/GCM: 1707/2230/4330 kg
Ground clearance (max): 193 mm
Approach/departure/breakover angles: 21,2/27,7/17,1 degrees
Warranty: 4 years/120 000 km; with 3 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 5 years/90 000 km at 15 000 km intervals


What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

My reviews and launch reports appear on Thursdays in the Wheels supplement to The Witness, South Africa's oldest continuously running newspaper, and occasionally on Saturdays in Weekend Witness as well. I drive eight to ten vehicles each month, most months of the year (except over the festive season) so not everything gets published in the paper. Those that are, get a tagline but the rest is virgin, unpublished and unedited by the political-correctness police.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.



Comments?
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