Paris 2008: Ford Kuga Individual
by Noah Joseph on Oct 5th 2008 at 6:50PM 
Click above for high-res gallery of the Ford Kuga Individual
When we put the production Ford Kuga next to its progenitor, the Iosis X show car, on our test drive in Belgium, we couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The Kuga is a fine looking cute-ute, but lacks the aggressive styling that made the Iosis X such a show stopper. Ford promised to close the gap a little with the Individual version of the Kuga, launched here in Paris.
The Kuga joins Individual versions of the Ford Mondeo, Fiesta, S-Max and Galaxy, offering overseas buyers a host of luxury options you'd normally find on higher-end automobiles. The interior trim in particular goes a long way towards addressing some of the incoherence we mentioned in our review as well. Along with the leather and stuff, the Kuga Individual gets a revised exterior package that evokes some of the touches from the concept car, like aluminum intake fascias, 20" wheels and ground effects. The latter gives the Kuga a more road-skimming look as opposed to the Iosis X's jacked-up stature, but it's a nice touch all the same. The best part, however, could be the new engine option: the same Volvo-sourced turbo five from the hot Focus ST, albeit detuned to 200hp. Check out the photos in the gallery below to see the updated Kuga Individual from the Paris show floor.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Torrent 7:14PM (10/05/2008)
I'd sooo buy that.
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skipper 7:30PM (10/05/2008)
you would....
Torrent 8:28PM (10/05/2008)
you're right..... I would.... I said it before. remember?
OOMPH! 8:49PM (10/05/2008)
lacks aggresive styling???what the hell do u want from it??looks pretty nice to me
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ken_aisin 9:55AM (10/06/2008)
"lacks aggressive styling."
I'm not surprised that the Autoblog staff wrote the above criticism. We all know the Autoblog staff have really distinctive taste when it comes to exterior design. Remember how they praised the obnoxious new Acura TL?
I love the styling of the Kuga. These good looking European Fords should be sold here in America to replace the hideous Focus, Fusion, and Flex.
BoneHeadOtto 10:01AM (10/06/2008)
very nice looking except for one major thing.... That standard POS FORD steering wheel!! Seriously is it too much to ask to redesign a steering wheel for a car. Just take a look at the new GTI steering wheel and you will see just how bad this one is.
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arturo 10:58PM (10/05/2008)
the market in Europe was different then the one in The USA, this is changing and I expect,well I demand Ford to bring this models now that we know how it feels to pay $4.00 a gallon.
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AMcA 12:06AM (10/06/2008)
Wow - those 20" wheels make that look like a show car. Perfect.
Too bad they're heavy and probably mess up the ride and handling.
'Cause the look SO-O-O great!
P.S. Is the Kuga one of the ones they're going to build here? Would blow the RAV4-CRV-Rogue crowd straight out of the water.
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Cardude 12:38AM (10/06/2008)
Fail.
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Swede 4:49AM (10/06/2008)
Yes. Anyone who thinks the "Individual" looks better than the regular Kuga should have their eyes checked. It smells of Barry. For those of you who dont know what Barry is, google BarryBoys.
inteller 8:12AM (10/06/2008)
awesome looking car. Now just make it work with 18s.
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Rick 9:10PM (10/06/2008)
It's called individual for a reason. Not everyone likes tiny wheels. I love the 20" and the Kuga. Would be one of the few domestics I've ever even consider test driving.
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