Photo: Guido Ten Brink/SB-Medien
Also known as Escape in the United States, the Kuga is the Ford Motor Company’s weapon of choice in the compact crossover segment. And in accordance to the grandioseness of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, it touched down in ST-Line trim.
What ST-Line means in comparison to the bone-stock Kuga is lots of sporty bits and bobs, including improved handling. From the standpoint of driving dynamics, the 10-mm lower ride height and re-tuned steering are up to the job in the twisties.
The real party piece of the Kuga ST-Line, however, is the way it looks. Be it the standard 18-inch high-gloss alloys with a bright machined surface or the 19-inch wheels in Eboy Black, the compact-sized crossover is matched with a mesh motif for the fog lamp bezels and Ebony Black-finished upper and lower front grilles.
Contrasting with the body-color skid plate, side skirts, mirror caps, door handles, and roof spoiler, and rear skid plates are also painted in Ebony Black. The sporty theme carries on inside, where you’ll find partial-leather upholstery with red stitching, two-layer Deep Space trim on the center console, and a black headliner.
Available with either front- or all-wheel-drive, the Kuga ST-Line is offered with a choice of 1.5- and 2.0-liter engines, all of them benefitting from turbocharging technology. The range starts with the 120-horsepower 1.5 TDCi and 120-horsepower 1.5 EcoBoost. At the very top of the spectrum, the 1.5-liter EcoBoost with 182 metric ponies fits the bill, coming as standard with Intelligent AWD.
In the Kuga hierarchy in Europe, the ST-Line is the next best thing after the luxury-oriented Vignale. This positioning in the lineup makes it somewhat expensive, with pricing in Germany starting at €31,650. For comparison’s sake, the entry-level Trend comes in at €23,300 while the range-topping Vignale kicks off at €35,600.
Next year, the Kuga and Escape are confirmed to get a plug-in hybrid option.
The real party piece of the Kuga ST-Line, however, is the way it looks. Be it the standard 18-inch high-gloss alloys with a bright machined surface or the 19-inch wheels in Eboy Black, the compact-sized crossover is matched with a mesh motif for the fog lamp bezels and Ebony Black-finished upper and lower front grilles.
Contrasting with the body-color skid plate, side skirts, mirror caps, door handles, and roof spoiler, and rear skid plates are also painted in Ebony Black. The sporty theme carries on inside, where you’ll find partial-leather upholstery with red stitching, two-layer Deep Space trim on the center console, and a black headliner.
Available with either front- or all-wheel-drive, the Kuga ST-Line is offered with a choice of 1.5- and 2.0-liter engines, all of them benefitting from turbocharging technology. The range starts with the 120-horsepower 1.5 TDCi and 120-horsepower 1.5 EcoBoost. At the very top of the spectrum, the 1.5-liter EcoBoost with 182 metric ponies fits the bill, coming as standard with Intelligent AWD.
In the Kuga hierarchy in Europe, the ST-Line is the next best thing after the luxury-oriented Vignale. This positioning in the lineup makes it somewhat expensive, with pricing in Germany starting at €31,650. For comparison’s sake, the entry-level Trend comes in at €23,300 while the range-topping Vignale kicks off at €35,600.
Next year, the Kuga and Escape are confirmed to get a plug-in hybrid option.
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