Ford Kuga SUV gets new 200HP 2.5-liter Turbo Petrol Engine

When Ford launched the new Kuga compact SUV/Crossover in Europe during May 2008, the only available engine was the 136 HP 2.0-litre TDCi diesel unit. That will change in early 2009 as Ford will extend the Kuga range with the availability of a 2.5-liter 5-cylinder turbo petrol engine found in the Focus ST as well as in the new Mondeo and S-Max models. Ford recalibrated the 2.5L unit for the Kuga as it now develops a maximum output of 200 HP (versus the Focus ST’s 225HP) at 6,000 rpm and a linear torque peak of 320 Nm available from 1,600 up to 4,000. -Continued

Gunnar Herrmann, C-Car Vehicle Line Director of Ford of Europe said, “We always intended the new Kuga to be the most dynamic crossover vehicle in its class. The new 2.5-litre Duratec Turbo petrol powertrain offers extra performance and is a perfect match for the vehicle. The added power and refinement adds a lot of fun when driving Kuga both on- and off-road.”

The Kuga 2.5 Turbo comes with a Haldex Gen 4 Intelligent AWD system and a manual 6-speed transmission as standard, but buyers will be able to opt for Durashift 5-tronic automatic transmission. With the manual gearbox the Kuga 2.5T can reach a top speed of 208 km/h (129mph) while achieving a combined fuel economy of 9.9 lt/100 km (23.8 mpg US) with an average CO2 output of 234 g/km. As for the automatic version, it can go up to 202 km/h (126mph) with the combined fuel economy being homologated at 10.3 lt/100 km (22.8mpg US) with an average CO2 output of 244 g/km.

More details of the Kuga 2.5 Turbo will be released during the vehicle's public debut at the Paris Show in October.