Plus size fits all
£35,195 FOR Handling, hybrid powertrains, space, easy-to-use tech AGAINST Bland looking outside, blander and dowdy inside
The third gen Ford Kuga is the first to be offered as a hybrid. Many hybrids, in fact. You can have a mild-hybrid petrol or diesel with a tiny bit of electric boost (that you don’t have to charge), or a petrol plug-in hybrid that can run for up to 31 miles on electric power alone (that you will have to charge). Or, you can have plain petrol or diesel power. So the Kuga should have a powertrain that fits your needs. It’ll fit quite a lot else besides, because it’s quite a lot bigger than the old Kuga, and Ford says that adds up to the most occupant space in the class. We’re inclined to agree – the Kuga feels half a size bigger inside than something like a Nissan Qashqai or Kia Sportage. Which is great, until you come to park it.
There again, Ford reckons the Kuga can tech its way out of a problem, with a fleet of sensors and driver aids, including self parking for parallel and end-on spaces. Nothing new for the class – or for Ford – but if you’re upgrading from the old Kuga, the MkIII’s going to seem a heck of a lot more advanced.
Beyond the fleet of bang-up-to-date engines and growth spurt, a new platform saves 90kg like-for-like with the old Kuga (though the hybrid’s battery will spoil that), in an effort to save fuel and maintain the Kuga’s uncanny reputation for being about 53 times more fun to drive than it actually needs to be. Just like the truly top-of-the-class modern Fords – the Fiesta and its Puma cousin – the Kuga handles with responses it really has no right to. You could almost call it fun. Even the lardy hybrid.
So far, we’ve only had the chance to test one flavour of Kuga, but it’s the most interesting one: the ST-Line plug-in hybrid, or Duratec PHEV as Ford calls it. Under the bonnet, a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine. Under the boot, a 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery. Combined power through the wholly front-drive hybrid drivetrain is 225bhp, which is more than you get from a Fiesta ST, but this is not a fast car, because it weighs 1,773kg. Still, 0–62mph in 9.2secs is adequately rapid, and the e-motor’s boost does a serviceable job of keeping engine revs in check without upsetting the CVT ‘automatic’ gearbox. It’s not as moo-ey as a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, by any stretch. We managed 27 miles of electric running – frightfully close to the claim of 31 miles, and Ford estimates a full recharge from a wall socket in four hours.
The hybrid should, by rights, be the lardy pudding of the family, and yet it still steers and rides and handles with agility to make a Qashqai or Sportage or Tiguan look about as appealing as a broken-down bus. The Ford feels, well, like a Ford. Like a bigger Puma, and that’s the benchmark in the crossover class. There’s more lean than in a businesslike German rival, but it’s a more connected
feeling, well-oiled machine than a Citroen Aircross or Peugeot 3008. The ST-Line, as supplied on 19-inch rims, even avoids the Puma pitfall of a jiggly ride.
It hasn’t sidestepped the usual Ford interior landmines, though. The steering wheel, with over 20 buttons on well-specced versions, along with the dashboard architecture and main console is all from the Focus, which in turn is barely changed from the Fiesta. This means we have the same plusses as of those cars – great ergonomics (chunky heater controls, touchscreen right in your eyeline) but a grey, dowdy ambience. Ford’s added a diamond motif to the doors, but it’s still uninspiring to sit in, and the hard plastics on the doorhandles are a constant reminder that this isn’t a premium-chasing machine, like a Peugeot 3008. However, it’s a lot easier to operate than a Vauxhall Grandland or even an Audi Q3, on account of being blessed with a simpler touchscreen.
So, the Kuga is rounded – notwithstanding its rather blobby styling. It’s well equipped, much more grown up inside, and on top of that, retains some verve to how it goes down the road. However, its engines have caught up with and, in many cases, overtaken the powertrains offered elsewhere in the class – it feels like a futureproof bit of kit. Ollie Kew
“THE KUGA HANDLES WITH RESPONSES IT REALLY HAS NO RIGHT TO. YOU COULD ALMOST CALL IT FUN”