Comfortable weekend cruising in the new Ford Kuga
24 Jul 2018
At the end of a week, you have to leave extra early to miss Cape Town's Friday frenzy on the roads - especially if you're heading out of town past the Hottentots Holland mountains for the weekend.
We managed to get the wheels of our packed-to-the-rafters 2.0-litre diesel Ford Kuga rolling at midday and decided to try our luck with the somewhat less-travelled R310 which stretches out alongside Muizenberg and Strandfontein’s consistent waves.
As always, Somerset-West’s unsynchronised robots had us stopping and going, stopping and going but luckily, with the Kuga’s luxurious and uber comfortable interior, we were happy.
The Kuga is a dream to drive to out-of-town weekend destinations - it comes with all the bells and whistles such as a five-star safety rating with a total of seven airbags, ABS with electronic stability programme, hill launch assist and rollover mitigation.
We slowly passed through the sleepy town and spotted our turn-off to Oewerzicht. A giant banner advertised the Saturday market which Greyton has become famous for. But with this weather, we’re not sure if the market was, in fact, still on the cards.
It seems it doesn’t matter when you go to Greyton, the old oak trees harmoniously bustle their leaves, every now and then a bicycle passes, and the owner of the Old Potter’s Inn stands on his stoep and gives you a friendly wave as you pass by.
The Old Potter's Inn, Greyton
We slipped right onto a gravel road. Yay, some gravel! The Kuga seems to love gravel.
The Kuga 2.0 TDCi Titanium auto is the range-topping model, and is available as an all-wheel drive model only. You could also opt for a six-speed manual gearbox, but the six-speed auto is probably the preferred choice.
Oewerzicht’s owners reminded me of those kind folks in that old Klipdrift ad. They are down to earth and just so very happy to share their piece of plaas paradise with anyone willing to make the drive out here...
Everything that can make for a fun, relaxing weekend is there: at daytime you can play tennis, you can run, you can hike, or you can even mountain bike, all the while soaking in the scenery of majestic mountains, dirt roads, the river, and farm animals grazing on the rolling hills.
Add to that a cosy, farm-style cottage, meat on the braai, a glass of wine in hand, and a wood-fired hot tub outside, and you have yourself a setting you don’t ever want to leave.
Wood-fired hot tub
Spot the dinosaur and his doggies...
Unfortunately, we had to return after a weekend of sheer relaxation and I was all too thankful for the new Kuga’s adaptive cruise control, blind spot information system (BLIS), lane departure warning and lane keeping aid.
I personally think Ford has done well with the new Kuga. I often wonder though if the brand shouldn’t have made changes to the car and come up with a completely new model and name to replace the Kuga after all the bad rep last year.
But here’s to hoping this quality car continues to excel in the market. It’s a very attractive and compelling choice in the SUV segment.
For more about Oewerzicht, go to www.oewerzicht.co.za.
About Ilse van den Berg
Ilse is a freelance journalist and editor with a passion for people & their stories (check out Passing Stories). She is also the editor of Go & Travel, a platform connecting all the stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry. You can check out her work here and here. Contact Ilse through her website here.
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