Ford has unveiled the all-new Escape, also known as the Kuga in European markets.
Visually, the new Escape/Kuga borrows heavily from the new Focus. Up front there’s a large trapezoidal grille, flanked by full-LED headlights and sporty lower air intakes on ST-Line models. Down the side, there’s a Focus-inspired window line, while at the rear there’s a pair of LED taillights as part of a familiar overall design.
Underpinning the new SUV is the latest Focus’ C2 platform. It’s 90kg lighter than the outgoing model, 89mm longer, 44mm wider and boasts a 20mm longer wheelbase. That translates inside, where there’s more hip and shoulder room front and rear.
Speaking of the interior, it’s a revolution. The redesigned dash is dominated by an 8.0-inch tablet infotainment touchscreen running Ford’s Sync 3 operating system, which features Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, digital radio and satellite navigation. Buyers can also get an optional 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster on higher model grades.
Powertrain wise, there’ll be a range of petrol, diesel and hybrid options. Petrol engines consist of the 134kW/240Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder and 186kW/373Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four (both connected to eight-speed autos), while diesel choices consist of 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre motors.
A plug-in hybrid option will also be offered, producing 165kW of power from a 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle naturally aspirated petrol engine and an electric motor – its 14.4kWh battery allows for 50km of pure electric driving.
The all-new Ford Escape goes on sale in Australia next year.
