Time to say goodbye to the missed motorway exit?

The summer holidays can be the most exciting time of year for many families. A chance to escape on a road trip, see new sights and spend quality time with loved ones.

However, even with sat-nav to help, we can still miss a turn or exit, especially when we are unfamiliar with the route – and research shows that driving past slip roads can be both time-consuming and expensive, sometimes entailing detours of more than 30 miles. ¹

According to one survey, close to 1 in 3 UK drivers say they have missed a turn due to signs being obscured, sometimes by other vehicles or overgrown bushes and trees – and almost all surveyed had seen vehicles making sudden or unsafe manoeuvres to exit a motorway. ²

Our new Kuga ³ SUV is one of several Ford models that offers Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control ⁴, which could help make such missed turnings a thing of the past. The smart cloud-connected navigation ⁵ works with the Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control to reduce vehicle speed when approaching the chosen highway exit – in addition to providing the regular visual and audible alerts.

The technology acts as a clear additional prompt to drivers. Should the driver wish to continue past the junction, they need simply depress the accelerator and follow the road ahead.

In addition to helping to make longer journeys more comfortable, new Kuga, on sale now, also offers up to 553 litres of boot space ⁶, a choice of full hybrid, plug-in hybrid and petrol powertrains and new Kuga Active with a more rugged design and a special Drive Mode to handle sand or mud.

¹ https://www.quotezone.co.uk/car-insurance/worst-places-take-wrong-turn

² Transport Focus, Transport User Panel 2019: 95 per cent say that they have witnessed others making unsafe manoeuvres to exit a junction. https://d3cez36w5wymxj.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/26165546/Transport-Focus-Junction-numbers-survey-Transport-User-Panel.pdf

³ Kuga PHEV homologated CO₂ emissions 20-28 g/km, homologated fuel efficiency 0.9-1.2 l/100 km and homologated pure electric driving range 60-69 km WLTP.

Kuga Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 121-146 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 5.3-6.4 l/100 km WLTP.

Kuga 1.5-litre EcoBoost Hybrid homologated CO₂ emissions 144-163 g/km and homologated fuel efficiency 6.3-7.2 l/100 km WLTP.

CO₂ emission and fuel efficiency ranges may vary according to vehicle variants offered by individual markets. The declared WLTP fuel/energy consumptions, CO₂-emissions and electric range are determined according to the technical requirements and specifications of the European Regulations (EC) 715/2007 and (EU) 2017/1151 as last amended. The applied standard test procedures enable comparison between different vehicle types and different manufacturers.

⁴ Driver-assist features are supplemental to and do not replace the driver’s attention, judgement and need to control the vehicle.

⁵ Connected Service and features depend on Vodafone or Vodafone partner mobile network availability. Evolving technology/mobile networks/vehicle capability may limit functionality and prevent operation of connected features. Connected Service excludes Wi-Fi hotspot.

⁶ Cargo and load capacity limited by weight and weight distribution.

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