Fordand#39;s New Kuga on the Prowl in Geneva

Ford’s international product assault continues at the Geneva show with the

Ford's Kuga - a sharp looking compact crossover. (Photo: Ford)

introduction of the production version of the Kuga compact crossover. Following the Kuga Concept, which in turn was refined from the Iosis X Concept of 2006, Ford is ready to seriously compete in one of the hottest segments around the globe.

While Ford has been a strong player in the small SUV segment here in North America with the Escape, it hasn’t in Europe. In fact, Ford of Europe has generally shied away from SUVs, after offering the Escape (rebadged as the Maverick) and the Explorer briefly during the ‘90s.

The Kuga is based on the same platform as the Mazda3, European Ford Focus and the Volvo C30/S40/V50, and will be offered in front wheel drive or all wheel drive using Haldex technology. Ford says that he Kuga will be competitive within the class for off-roading capabilities. So far, Ford will only offer the Kuga with one engine and one gearbox, a 2.0-liter 134 horsepower

Modern looking interior very different from its American equal, the Escape. (Photo: Ford)

inline-four turbodiesel with 236 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

In addition to having sharp styling inside and out, the Kuga looks to be a practical alternative to an everyday run of the mill hatchback. It’ll have up to 14.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity from the floor to the bottom of the window line, and 47.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. Accessing the cargo bay is made easy too, thanks to a split tailgate, much like the Mitsubishi Outlander or Volvo XC90.

With the recent news that Ford will be combining its international resources to create new global vehicles, the vehicle that you’re looking at here could very well be the next generation Ford Escape.