SA Road Tests

Welcome

This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.

Editor's note: SA Roadtests accepts multi-day vehicle loans from manufacturers in order to provide editorial reviews. All vehicle reviews are conducted on our turf and on our terms.

For out-of-province vehicle launch features however, travel costs are covered by the manufacturer concerned. This is common in the motor industry, as it's more economical to ship journalists to cars than to ship cars to journalists.

Judgments and opinions expressed on this site are our own. We do not accept paid editorial content or ads of any kind.


Familiar: 2019 Ford Kuga 2.0 Ecoboost ST Line

a.k.a. Ford Escape in some markets

Sporty touches

Posted: June 1, 2019

The numbers
Base price: R552 400
Engine: 1999 cc, DOHC four-cylinder with direct injection, Ti-VCT and twin-scroll turbocharger
Power: 177 Kw at 5500 rpm
Torque: 340 Nm between 2000 and 4500 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 7.8 seconds
Top speed: 212 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 11.7 l/100 km
Tank: 60 litres
Luggage: 456 – 1653 litres
Turning circle: 11.0 metres
Ground clearance: 137 mm minimum, 188 mm maximum
Standard tyre size: 235/50R18
GVM: 2250 kg
GCM: 3750 kg
Maximum towing mass, braked, within GCM: 1600 kg
Warranty: 4 years / 120 000 km with 3 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 6 years / 90 000 km, at 15 000 km intervals

Don’t let those letters fool you. ST Line has little to do with truly exciting performance; it’s basically an appearance pack rather like M Sport on BMWs or AMG packages on Mercedes’.

Briefly, Ford renamed the Titanium spec on Kuga models; coated the honeycomb grille in glossy black; repeated the design on the fog lamp bezels; colour coded skid plates, skirts, mirrors, door handles, roof spoiler and wheel arches, then blackened the diffuser and roof rails. Its standard, 18-inch wheels match the grille’s glossy black.

The cabin boasts combination leather and faux suede upholstery with red stitching on seats, steering wheel and gear lever gaiter, black headlining and pillar trims, alloy pedals and scuff plates with ST logos. 
 
Two option packs are available. Driver Assistance at R16 060 provides adaptive cruise control, active parking assistance, blind spot information and lane keeping aid. The R21 400 Styling Pack adds a powered glass sunroof with opaque interior screen, 19-inch wheels and a bigger roof spoiler. Bi-xenon HID headlamps with LED running lights are available for R6600.

The sporty touch comes from suspension lowered by 10 millimetres, thicker anti-roll bars, steering recalibrated for quicker response, stiffer suspension bushes and altered spring and damper rates. Although slightly firmer, the ride was still very acceptable over the ripples and embedded stones along this gravel road we know. Handling-wise, it hustled quite quickly along our favourite, winding, country byway but it’s still a fairly tall SUV with up to 188 mm of ground clearance; certainly no Focus ST.

Both ST Line choices have 2.0-litre engines, petrol or diesel, all-wheel drive and a new six-speed, torque converter automatic transmission. Possibly new since you last drove one, ControlTrac ll made way for Intelligent Four-wheel Drive. A computer-controlled clutch replaces the viscous coupling and there’s no longer a mechanical lock.

It functions much as before, driving mainly the front wheels but shifting torque rearward as conditions deteriorate. Provided you keep within ground clearance limits, it will negotiate some pretty hectic goat tracks if you really need to, but the general idea is for improved handling and better traction in slippery conditions.

We last drove a Kuga, a two-litre TDCi Titanium awd, in 2013 and were surprised to find that little has changed. Apart from the dash being updated with a modern touch screen, it  looks very familiar with lots of buttons and its van-like gear lever on a tower. Even the wing mirrors sport wide-angle segments like those on Tourneo – not that that’s a bad thing, mind you.

Other practicalities include a low loading platform so Fido can embark and disembark easily, a pair of bag hooks, a light, four lashing loops, additional lightweight storage under the floorboard and a spacesaver spare.

Three full belts and adjustable head restraints, an armrest with the obligatory pair of cup holders, repeater vents, a 230-Volt/150-Watt Euro socket to recharge your laptop, reading lamps that double as courtesy lights and an almost non-existent central tunnel keep everyone happy. There’s stacks of head- and kneeroom too. Storage consists of seatback pockets and skinny door bins.

Up front, both seats adjust for height although only the driver’s is electrified. The standard, nine-speaker Sony sound kit still has its CD player so your dad can borrow the car occasionally. Storage includes a deep armrest box, a medium sized cubby, door bins similar to those at the back and drop-down holder for your shades. There remains a fist’s width of air above a tall driver’s head with the optional sunroof included in the Styling Pack. We experienced zero turbulence from the opened roof at 120 km/h although a soft whistle crept in at around 100.

Our overall feeling on handing it back was that Kuga ST Line with awd and auto-box was “Nice, but a bit old-fashioned, practical for family use but we wouldn’t kill for one.”

Test unit from FMCSA press fleet

Student lore: If the Jacarandas are in bloom, it's already too late to begin cramming.

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 or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.

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 ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle 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.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles.  And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.

Comments or questions?
Want to ask a question, comment or just tell me you completely disagree with what I say? If you want advice or have a genuine concern, I will be happy to hear from you. All I ask is that you write something in the subject line so I know which vehicle you're talking about.