Nifty: The Ford Kuga's a good car for a small family
I am not a car person and I doubt I ever will be. It’s not only because cars are expensive, but rather because I have never understood the fascination with cars — chasing after the latest model or itching to get a new one when a certain number of kilometres have been reached. In fact, had I not been involved in a horrible accident in 2015 that saw my first car being written off, I would probably still be driving it.
That said, I must admit to being excited by the opportunity to drive the Ford Kuga 2.0 Ecoboost ST Line. The first thing that struck me was the stunningly beautiful ruby red colour.
One thing about me is that I am a manual girl. Imagine my surprise when I got in and there was no ignition. I pressed the start button and stepped on the accelerator but the car would not move. A series of repetitive actions saw the same results.
Then, I did that which few motorists (especially men) would do — I pulled out the manual. A few minutes later, I was good to go.
In my day to day driving I must admit to having been prone to the occasional nick and scratch. One of the things I appreciated about the Kuga is the screen that shows you the surroundings and makes an annoying beep when there is any obstruction in your way.
I like practical cars with none of the unnecessary buttons and accessories. Life is already complicated enough to not be dealing with a car that has a thousand buttons that you have to navigate to do the simplest things. In this regard, the car ticked the box. Everything you need to do you do on the screen. Or better yet, you can perform whatever function on the steering controls.
A cool feature was listening to my text messages. (None of the messages were in isiXhosa so we cannot vouch for the car’s mulitlingualism).
I am a mother of two, so one of the things that matters a lot for me in a car is space, particularly boot space. My younger one is just over a year old and when travelling with a toddler you basically pack their whole life. Her car seat takes up much of the seat in my car, leaving just enough space for her brother.
But the Kuga ST Line, despite its diminutive look, actually has loads of space. In the back seat I could comfortably fit my mother, son and baby with her car seat.
I am sure there are many gems that I did not get to explore in the car but I had fun driving it. And as a family person it worked perfectly for me and my small family.
The Ford Kuga ST Line retails from about R548 000.