Extra just lately, the Kuga’s enchantment has been additional boosted by a spread of environment friendly hybrid powertrains, whereas the newest mannequin advantages from tech and design upgrades.
Probably the most eye-catching exterior change is on the entrance, the place a brand new gloss-black grille, redesigned adaptive headlights and an LED mild bar give the Kuga a recent look.
The experience peak has been raised, lending the automobile a extra imposing stance, whereas there are additionally quite a lot of new alloy wheel designs to select from.
The Ford Kuga pictured amid the splendour of the British countryside There are additionally some main enhancements to the inside relating to tech.
The present line-up consists of three engine choices – a plug-in hybrid, a full hybrid and an EcoBoost petrol engine.
The total hybrid, examined right here, gives a pleasant mix between energy and financial system, with a 0-62mph time of 9.1 seconds and mixed gas financial system of as much as 51.4mpg.
Our take a look at automobile mixed a 2.5-litre Duratec engine with a battery-powered electrical motor, with the system recapturing power that’s normally misplaced whereas decelerating.
The battery shops energy to enhance gas financial system and even drive brief distances on electrical energy alone.
Steering is sharp and the Kuga feels nimble for a automobile of this dimension, particularly when the added weight of the battery is added in. A four-wheel drive model is out there, however this front-wheel drive variant felt sufficiently grippy. The automobile’s poise when cornering makes it among the many finest household SUVs for dealing with.
The inside is a mixture of good textured surfaces and extra scratchy plastics, placing a steadiness between the premium and the sensible.
The mushy contact surfaces pop up within the areas the place you want them most – the steering wheel, armrest cowl and a part of the door inlays.
Pink stitching provides the cabin a way of uniformity, showing on the leather-based steering wheel, inside the doorways, armrest and seats, each back and front.
On a 400-mile spherical journey, we discovered the electronically-adjustable entrance seats to be supportive and cozy.
For these with longer legs, you’ll be able to press a button to increase the bottom of the entrance seats by pulling out an additional part, offering additional help when on longer journeys.
As much as three again seat passengers can have loads of area, with a tall grownup capable of sit behind a tall driver and nonetheless have sufficient legroom.
The cabin is sensibly laid-out, with the extensive infotainment display inside straightforward attain of the motive force and loads of stowage area conveniently positioned, plus two cup holders all the way down to the motive force’s left and a cellphone charging platform.
A design flourish comes courtesy of an eye catching textured strip operating throughout the sprint, with the same floor surrounding the window controls on the within of the doorways.
On a protracted motorway journey, the adaptive cruise management and lane hold help capabilities added to the enjoyable atmosphere.
After per week of driving in combined situations, my common gas consumption amounted to 40.5mpg, with the display informing me that 233 of my 771 miles had been electrical.
To assist the motive force extract the perfect financial system from the hybrid set-up, you’ll be able to toggle by the assorted data screens till you attain ‘EV Coach’ and ‘Eco Behaviour’, with the latter score your acceleration, deceleration and optimum velocity with a proportion rating. 4 drive modes can be found – regular, eco, sport and slippery.
Ford Kuga ST Line
ENGINE: 2.5-litre petrol, full hybrid
PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds
ECONOMY: 48.7 – 51.4mpg
EMISSIONS: 130-132g/km
TRANSMISSION: CVT auto with entrance wheel drive
PRICE: Vary begins from £33,395
