Ford has announced a new ST-Line version of its Kuga SUV on sale later this year, joining what the company says is the most comprehensive Kuga line-up ever, alongside the Kuga Vignale.

“With our sporty Kuga ST-Line joining the new Kuga and our upscale Ford Kuga Vignale, Ford will offer a Kuga for every lifestyle,” said Roelant de Waard, vice president, Marketing, Sales and Service, Ford of Europe. “We predict sales of 200,000 Ford Kuga, EcoSport and Edge SUVs in Europe this year – up by 200 per cent from 2013.”

Kuga ST-Line has Ford Performance-inspired styling that includes:

• Upper grille finished in high-gloss Ebony Black; honeycomb design for the lower front grille in high-gloss Ebony Black with unique, matching sports mesh finish on the fog lamp bezels
• Front skid plate, side-skirts, mirror caps, door handles, door cladding, rear roof spoiler and wheel arches in body colour; high-gloss Ebony Black rear skid plate; black roof rails; tinted front and rear lights; and privacy glass
• A black beltline beneath the windows and ST-Line exterior badging on the front fenders
  A choice of unique new 18in high-gloss black alloys wheels with a bright machined surface or 19in alloy wheels in Ebony Black
• Unique sport seat design in partial leather; contrasting stitching for the seats, gear lever gaiter and steering wheel; special two-layer metallic-effect Deep Space paint on the centre console; and black headliner
• Chassis enhancements including thicker anti-roll bars and a 10mm lower ride height for reduced body roll and sharper responses.

Ford says stiffer suspension bushes help to reduce unwanted movement in the suspension system, while spring and damper rates are fine-tuned to deliver comfort and performance and the Electronic Power Assisted Steering system also features a revised calibration to deliver a tighter, more responsive and sporty feel.

“Ford ST-Line models are designed to deliver a fun to drive experience, and we placed a strong focus on ensuring that Ford’s first performance-orientated SUV in Europe offered the same driving characteristics as the Fiesta ST-Line, Focus ST-Line and Mondeo ST-Line models”, said Frederick Vrancken, Kuga ST-Line vehicle dynamics engineer, Ford of Europe.

The full range of Kuga powertrains will be offered, including Ford’s 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engine that replaces the outgoing 2.0-litre TDCi diesel (both 118 bhp) – expected to enhance fuel efficiency to 64.2mpg and deliver up to 115g/km CO2.

Also available will be a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine with 148 bhp and either front-wheel drive or Ford Intelligent AWD, offering from 60.1 mpg and 122g/km CO2; and 176 bhp with Intelligent AWD homologated to 54.3mpg and 134g/km CO2.

A new upscale Ford Kuga Vignale also will be offered for the first time. The production version recently was revealed in pearlescent-metallic Vignale Milano Grigio exterior colour with Cashmere leather interior trim as part of an exclusive specification.