4x4 advice, ford kuga?

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katiehatie

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i have a ford focus which i have only had 2 years and initially i loved it but recently i have realised i need something with a little more oomph and space and the recent weather coupled with my daughters fantastic new pony has had me longing for a 4x4.....
i know that kind of snow fall doesnt happen every year but not being able to even get my car off the drive for over a week is just no good when you have horses and children to feed and care for.

problem is i havent finished paying off my focus, believe as long as im not in negative equity i can trade it back in and upgrade but it has to be with the same car dealership i bought it from (correct me if im wrong?)
which means as they only deal in fords thats my only choice. does anyone have any feedback on kugas? how they cope with snow/ off roading etc.

towing would be a plus but seen as i am still terrified of towing due to an accident we were involved in on the way to pony club camp when i was a kid i dont see myself towing anytime soon, may be able to persuade hubby to though....

ultimately i would love a discovery but it seems alot of running and buying expense for features i wouldnt need 99% of the time, so i guess im just researching kugas for now....

thanks in advance
 
Sorry can't help with the kuga but we have just bought a ford ranger. Plenty of towing power and weight. Its still under warranty so will be puting it through its paces!! So far so good!!
 
ford ranger's are fab! we have one and so do alot of my friends... ours is 04 reg so out of warrenty... it was also very good value when we bought it 18months ago costing less than nissans and L200's of the same age milage etc and ours does alot of towing (farm truck) and does it very well!!!
 
rangers look great but its just not a practical choice for me as they look huge and have no proper inside boot space (unless ive missed something?).
As hubby refuses to buy a car as he has to travel to work by train due to lack of parking it would have to be something that is practical as an everyday family car aswell as i have 2 girls and my youngest is only 18 months so along with that comes car seat, pushchair, inordinate amounts of shopping at the supermarket etc!
 
You need to read the purchase agreement for the Focus - there is sure to be a clause about paying off the agreement early. This would let you trade in the Focus at any dealership - you are not restricted to Fords.
 
How bizarre - i too have a Ford Focus and have wondered about getting a Kuga as well, at hubby's suggestion as he seems to think it is the best of the crossover 4x4s.

It looks very nice, is not too huge compared to some other 4x4s, and the new diesel engines are excellent. I recently had a hired Fiesta with one of the new Ford diesel engines in it and it was super, so I am very pro them at the moment. Fuel economy looks pretty good as well, it says approx 44 mpg on the Ford website which isnt bad at all and is actually better than my 06 Focus Zetec!

If you expand your search beyond Fords, the Honda CR-V is a really nice little 4x4, very easy to drive and park (important for me, as i am rubbish at parking), or the Toyota RAV-4 is good, although a bit bigger.
 
I don't think you need to have to pay it off to trade in in at all, you are not, as far as I'm aware tied to a Ford dealership either. I traded my car in when I'd not finished paying off the loan. Admittedly I did actually go to a part suzuki dealership and it was a suzuki but my mum exchanged her Rav 4 for a Hyundai Tucson.

If you want a 4x4 for 4x4 use as opposed to just a nice looking, but not really that good off road or in icy conditions etc the shop around, do your research (what car does a comparison search). There are plenty to choose from out there. I have no idea how the Kuga fairs, the ranger seems popular but I don't know how Ford fair against others for their 4x4 capability.

Maybe think about Kia or Hyundai - you get longer warranties (5 years) for a start and quite a lot for your money plus decent 4x4 cabability. Also my dad said recently there was a review in a paper (can't recall which one) reviewing maintenance costs/problems for 4x4s. The ones at the top (as in the best) were the japanese/korean makes for reliability. Go speak to a dealer (well various dealers) - what they generally do is clear your outstanding finance and factor that and the current sale value of your existing car in to a new finance deal.
 
Hiya Guys

Just be aware of the towing weight of the Kuga- its not even as much as a Mondeo.

From mmory the Kuga is around 1400KG where as a diesel Mondeo is about 1800KG
 
Um did you buy the focus new??? I would phone the finance co up and get a settement figure first
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then you can look at the price to swap and yes you can trade the car with anyone, they will value it as a px and settle the finance with ether some cash in or out to make up any difference be carefull about adding a shortfall to a new agreement, try to pay the old off fully and put a deposit down if you can, saves having negative equity in a year or so's time if you need to change again.. maybe you could get an old pajero etc with the sort of cash you would need for a deposit on a kuga and it would be beter and safer for your towing needs
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IMHO
 
work backwards - you have said all that you need your car to do but haven't worked out what weight it would need to tow...

also, if any doubt about your lease agreement - why not go to CAB and get them to look it over and advise on it?
 
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