BETTER late than never.

For so long, Ford has been without a viable contender in Australia’s massive (and still booming) compact SUV market, but no longer.

The old Kuga range was limited, but the new one runs the gamut – both on price and powertrain.

The good news is that after our first drive, we rate its dynamics as being almost on a par with the segment-leading Mazda CX-5.

It also has a few novel features such as a foot-sensing automatic tailgate, and (thanks to its standard Sync Emergency Assist system) it will even call the paramedics all by itself in a serious crash.

However, a few frustrating oversights in the cabin, and an at-times underpowered turbo-petrol engine put a damper on the experience.

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