Ford Kuga (2013) full details on the new soft-roader

Ford's second-gen Kuga SUV will cost an average of £1000 less than the outgoing model, but boast more standard equipment. The Blue Oval's soft-roader starts at £20,895 for a basic 1.6-litre Ecoboost petrol model with two-wheel drive.

The new Kuga range kicks off with Zetec models, which you can spec with a 1.6-litre petrol good for 148bhp or 178bhp. The diesel is a 138bhp 2.0-litre unit, and with two- or four-wheel drive, and a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

Kuga Titanium and Titanium X models get identical petrol options, but the choice of a higher-powered derv: a 161bhp engine in conjunction with AWD only.

The more powerful Zetec petrol costs £24,645, while diesels start at £21,895. Ford has dropped the price of the faster 2.0-litre diesel Titanium model (the UK's favourite Kuga) to £25,545: £355 less than the old model.

Petrol derivatives start from £22,545. Top-spec Kuga Titanium X models are priced from £25,295 for the petrol and rise to £29,795 for the auto 'box diesel.

On-board cleverness comes in the form of standard flat-folding rear seats and an adjustable load bay floor height, Ford's 'Sync' mobile phone interface, hill-start assist and cruise control. The boot is 82 litres bigger than before (and 200 litres larger again with the seats folded away) and the new Ford Kuga borrows its Focus stablemate's torque-vectoring system, to shuffle power between driven wheels in slippery conditions.

You also get the option of automatic parallel parking, an automatic tailgate controlled by waving your foot under the rear bumper, and voice-control of many minor entertainment functions.

Orders are being taken now, with the first new Ford Kugas expected to find homes in spring 2013.

The mid-sized crossover sector is a hotly contested class of around 20 models, and the Kuga will fight the new Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 head-on.

Like the new Focus and Mondeo, the new Kuga is a global car, designed for mass-market appeal, which can be a risk. But British buyers do love a Blue Oval, and the 45,000 Kugas sold here since 2008 are testimony to that.

By Ollie Kew