Ford's new compact SUV, the Kuga, is another beneficiary of the new tax rules, says Paddy Comyn, although it will face some stiff opposition in the marketplace
THE FIRST line of the song July by Irish artist Mundy couldn't be more apt for the Irish car industry at the moment. July please, I'm on my knees is how it goes, and while this might be a little over-dramatic, there is no doubt that the industry is feeling the pinch of poor new car sales and a glut of used cars lying on forecourts. As expected, now that one or two of car makers have released their post-July 1st price lists, the floodgates have started to open, with more brands slowly showing their hands.
Ford, despite the slow year can't really complain too much about their performance. They are the second-best selling brand in the state, with 12.44 per cent of the market at the end of April. Their Focus and Mondeo models are the second and third most popular models in the country and their post-July price list sees two-thirds of their model range fall in price.
There are savings across the diesel range, most notably €3,600 off the Mondeo ECOnetic TDCi, but some petrol models drop in price too. There is €1,200 off the best-selling Fiesta Steel II and €400 off the Ka, both of which will see new models later this year.
Ford's new compact SUV, the five-seater Kuga is another beneficiary of the new Vehicle Registration Tax laws. Aimed as a rival to the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan and Toyota RAV4, the Kuga can probably best be thought of as a Focus SUV, although no doubt Ford's engineers and designers would baulk at such a sweeping simplification.
Either way, there is one choice of engine and that is the 2.0-litre TDCi diesel with 136bhp and while this would once have had us choking into our tax brackets, the engines efficiency, putting out a reasonable 169g/km means that it is subject to 24 per cent VRT and €430 road tax. This means that if the car were to be sold now, it would be on average, €2,800 more expensive. Rather sensibly, Ford have chosen to hold deliveries until July and prices will start at €32,565 as a result - some €6,500 than we guessed here in Motors in April.
Kuga certainly looks the part, taking the look and feel of the "Kinetic" design and pumping it up to be aggressive without pretending to be too macho. There is no doubt that a young or even young-at-heart female audience will flock to this model, yet it is the family buyer who Ford have their hearts set on. And with safety such a high priority to those buyers, news that the Kuga had achieved best-in-class results in the Euro NCAP safety tests will come as good news. There are two versions available in two specifications.
One is front-wheel-drive, the other, all-wheel-drive with enough gumption to get you out of a muddy field if little else.
The other choice is between Zetec with standard air conditioning, ESP, 17" alloys and the Titanium which adds climate control, cruise control, half leather trim and automatic lights and headlights.
At this price and with this pedigree there is bound to be interest, but Ford will still face competition from the Nissan Qashqai.
Its 1.5-litre diesel engine should see its already bargain price dropping a further €2,500 or so from July 1st meaning it will start at a very reasonable €25,000. Despite this, Kuga should and probably will be met with enthusiasm this summer.
Factfile Ford Kuga
Engine:1997cc four-cylinder turbo diesel putting out
136bhp and 320Nm of torque
Transmission:six-speed manual, front- or all-wheel
drive
Max speed:180 km/h
0-100km/h:10.5 seconds
Fuel economy:6.5 l/100km (43.4mpg)
CO2:169g/km
Prices:from July 1st
Zetec 2.0TDCI €32,565
Zetec 2.0TDCI €34,400
Titanium 2.0TDCI €37,155
Titanium 2.0TDCI €38,995