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Previously, no one was interested in the appearance of SUVs, which were considered purely utilitarian cars. However, with the advent of the class of crossovers, design has become perhaps the most important factor in choosing a cross-country vehicle - an example of this can be the excellent sales of KIA Sportage, which has an original look. But Ford Kuga, despite the excellent reviews about it, not so successful in the world. Perhaps a detailed comparison will give an answer to the question whether it is worth buying a beautiful wrapper, and which of the two cars is better to choose - the Ford Kuga or the KIA Sportage. In addition, we will be able to find out if we really need the latest technologies, like the crossover used on the Ford Kuga, which still remains largely utilitarian.

Ford Kuga and KIA Sportage - comfort versus style

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A little bit about the style

Outside part

Even the updated Ford Kuga does not strike the imagination with its design - we can see most of the solutions used in it in other cars of the concern. For example, the front end is typical for all modern vehicles bearing the Ford brand - only LED strips of daytime running lights located in the side triangular apertures of the bumper give it some variety. The rear of the Kuga is incredibly similar to the Ford Mondeo station wagon, with the exception of a sharper corner of the roof and a highly raised bumper equipped with an imitation diffuser. Fully distinctive and independent from the rest is only the side of the car, the profile of which can be said to be a modern crossover with moderate ground clearance and a highly raised roof. It is worth paying attention to the upper window line of the Ford Kuga, the large length of which visually increases the car, and the spectacular triangular end gives the silhouette dynamism.

The appearance of the car Ford Kuga has the typical signs of other cars of this manufacturer

Crossover KIA Sportage совсем другой — несмотря на аналогичные габариты, он выглядит намного короче и выше, чем Ford Kuga. Это впечатление создаётся за счёт высоко поднятого капота, а также тёмной пластиковой окантовки, проходящей по всему нижнему периметру кузова. В решётке радиатора явно угадывается фирменная стилистика, тон которой задал немецкий дизайнер Питер Шрайер, однако фары Sportage со встроенными светодиодными лентами уже не похожи ни на одну из других моделей KIA. Борта автомобиля смотрятся грузно, несмотря на использование изогнутой подштамповки, визуально облегчающей силуэт автомобиля. Сзади же KIA Sportage выглядит не менее агрессивно, чем спереди — этому способствуют наклонённая к центру светотехника, высоко поднятый бампер с неокрашенной накладкой и узкий проём стекла.

Kia Sportage имеет внешность, соответствующую представлениям о современном автомобиле

Interior Comparison

But to talk about what kind of crossover looks better from the inside - Kuga or Sportage, have to be cautious, since both cars have their own advantages. For example, the Ford Kuga looks as if its interior was painted in an aviation design bureau, and engaged in the development of military equipment. The four-spoke Kuga steering wheel looks just perfect and blends perfectly with the broken deflectors that give the cabin an exotic look. And the main decoration developed by Ford stylists is the multimedia system monitor located in the upper part of the center console, hidden in a deep tunnel under the deflectors.

Ford Kuga boasts the presence of exotic elements in the cabin

If you choose between the KIA Sportage or the Ford Kuga, the Korean crossover Discounts for new cars! Profitable loan from 9.9% installments 0% adom.ru driver seems more boring. The devices are represented by two large dials, separated by a small on-board computer monitor, and the three-spoke steering wheel does not cause the desire to look at it again. KIA Sportage is also equipped with a large display that controls the multimedia system, but it is located on the surface and does not look quite harmonious when using light plastic frames in expensive trim levels. Of the stylish design solutions at KIA, it is worth noting the vertical slots of the ventilation vents and the climate control unit, trimmed with black plastic.

KIA Sportage has everything you need for a comfortable trip and nothing more.

Practicality and capacity

Trucking

Opening the fifth door in the Ford Kuga, you do not feel any enthusiasm - only 360 liters of cargo will enter the luggage compartment, which will allow you to transport food from the supermarket or personal belongings to the cottage, but no more. However, everything changes when the rear sofa folds - now the place for luggage in Ford gets a huge capacity, equal to 1.4 cubic meters. An additional advantage of the Kuga is a perfectly level floor, allowing you to transport such fragile large items as plasma televisions, electronics and home appliances.

But with the KIA Sportage, the situation is exactly the opposite - with the seats spread out, the trunk of the crossover is larger than that of Ford, by as much as 200 liters. Perhaps the car will become a champion in the transformation of the back of the sofa? However, I don’t want to fold it once again in the KIA Sportage - the resulting volume is only 1.3 cubic meters. In addition, for ease of use of the resulting space, it is easy to choose between the Sportage or Kuga - the KIA has a high step on the floor that will not allow transporting many items.

Specifications

Car model:	KIA Sportage	Ford Kuga
Producing country:	Korea (Assembly - Russia, Kaliningrad)	Germany (Build - Russia)
Body Type:	Crossover	Crossover
Number of places:	5	5
Number of doors:	5	5
Engine capacity, cubic cm:	1995	1997
Power, l. c./about min .:	136/4000	140/4000
Maximum speed, km / h:	181	180
Acceleration to 100 km / h, from:	11,3	10,7
Type of drive:	Full	Full
CAT:	6 automatic transmission	6 automatic transmission
Fuel type:	DT	DT
Consumption per 100 km:	In the city of 8.7 / Outside the city of 5.8	In the city of 8.5 / Outside the city of 5.8
Length, mm:	4440	4443
Width, mm:	1855	1842
Height, mm:	1635	1677
Clearance, mm:	167	195
Tire size:	215/70 R16	235/55 R17
Curb weight, kg:	1525	1613
Full weight, kg:	2030	2130
Fuel tank capacity:	55	66

Passenger quality

Now let's try to sit in the Ford Kuga - the driver feels good, but the lack of normal lateral support for the front seats is annoying with active maneuvering. The rest of the seats are not bad - I especially want to praise the moderately stiff Kuga pillow, which allows you to find a compromise between comfort in urban environments and on a long journey. The back sofa of the Ford is also not bad, but it is very close here - the riders' legs will rest against the front row of seats. The width and shape of the sofa Kuga no complaints, as well as the distance from the head of a tall passenger to the roof.

Test drive a Ford Kuga:

In the test of the Ford Kuga against the KIA Sportage, the latter is clearly losing on the convenience of the front seats. Although they have developed lateral support, which Ford lacks so much, the backrest profile in KIA is not very well matched, and the pillow may seem soft, which will often cause you to change positions. Behind a lot more space - the distance between the rows of seats is significantly increased compared with the Kuga, and the space in other directions is no less. Here is only in the Sportage, the shape of the pillow is too convex, due to which the passengers constantly slip from it with active driving.

Dynamic features and comfort

If we talk about the Ford Kuga, then technically it is a more modern car than the outside. With a 2-liter diesel engine, a 6-speed robotized gearbox has two clutches. It allows you to make the car very economical despite the excellent speed characteristics. At the same time, driving a Ford is a pleasure, as the gearbox always keeps the necessary level at the ready and instantly connects it, allowing you to do without breaking the power. That's just the nature of the Ford Kuga from the use of such an innovative transmission becomes "nervous" - the car noticeably shudders at start-ups and fast accelerations.

You can talk about the undercarriage for a long time, but one thing immediately becomes clear - Ford engineers were able to make it moderately stiff and comfortable at the same time. The car easily passes minor irregularities and begins to annoy shaking only on large ones. At the same time, it is very pleasing that the Kuga does not allow strong steering oscillations.

Test drive car KIA Sportage:

The KIA Sportage has already used a traditional hydro-mechanical unit with the same number of stages, which fits in with a similar turbodiesel. Due to this, the Sportage becomes somewhat slower and inferior in efficiency Ford Kuga. But the time-tested design has its advantages - the crossover from KIA does not allow any jerks, which will be a significant advantage when driving in urban traffic.

The nature of the suspension KIA Sportage is very similar to the Kuga, but here the rigidity is already perceived as excessive. Road obstacles cause impacts even on such minor irregularities as the joints of the roadway and tramways drowned in asphalt. When driving on broken asphalt, KIA causes a desire to reduce speed in order to get rid of unpleasant sensations, but deviations from the course are not observed here.

Is there a winner?

I would like to say that in comparison Kuga vs Sportage won Ford, but there are two reasons why it is impossible to make such an unequivocal judgment. First of all, these are KIA's cargo and cargo capabilities, which allow you to simultaneously transport 5 people and a lot of things over long distances. And secondly, many people will not like the work of the Ford automatic transmission, which will seem to them too harsh. In addition, you can point to the Sportage body design, but the Kuga, although it looks more conservative from the outside, is much more modern in terms of the interior.