New Ford Kuga arrives in the guise of 2012 / 2013 Ford Escape

The 2013 Ford Escape arrives - the 2012 Ford Kuga

The reveal of the new Ford Escape ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show this week may not have the Kuga badge on its boot, but it is – bar a few tweaks and engine changes – just what we’ll see in Europe as the 2012 Ford Kuga.

Based on the European-designed Ford Vertrek concept, the Ford Escape replaces the old-fashioned North American escape with a very European take on a compact SUV, but one that benefits from much more room to accommodate average Americans.

The Ford Kuga / Escape is the next instalment in Ford’s plan to unify its models around the world. Ford has had a lot of success with the world versions of the latest Fiesta and Focus, and the Escape / Kuga looks set to follow that pattern.

The Escape comes with lots of toys – like the kick-to-open-tailgate we reported recently, Internet access, active grill and improved dynamics. That all adds up to a bigger, better-equipped and more powerful Kuga that transpires to be more economical too.

The Americans will get a a pair of Ecoboost lumps – 1.6 litre and 2.0 litre – and a 2.5 litre petrol. In Europe, you can expect to see the 2012 Kuga getting the same Ecoboost options but augmented by the same diesel options the Focus – which uses the same platform – offers.

That means a  1.6 TDCi and 2.0 TDCi in a variety of power outputs from 95bhp to 163bhp, with stop-start, Econetic equipped versions to a range-topping, well-equipped, nippy but still economical Titanium X 2.0 TDCi.

We’ve said it before, but the Kuga is Ford’s modern-day version of the iconic family cars from Ford like the Anglia and Cortina. It would be easy to think that the Mondeo or Focus fills that role, but the compact SUV is becoming a bigger segment every year, and the new Kuga looks to offer a lot that’s new for the segment.

The new Ford Kuga – or new Ford Escape, if you must – looks a very convincing offering.

(81 photos – click any thumbnail for full gallery)

By Cars UK