Ford Kuga New generation of Ford’s family SUV comes with plug-in hybrid power
Ford’s new family SUV offers a wide range of power sources, including a plug-in hybrid for the rst time On sale Now Price from £24,615
FIRST DRIVE
SOME THINGS – LIKE women’s skin creams – are made for a niche purpose and appeal to a very specific customer base. And some things – like men’s shower gel – are made to cover as many bases as possible and sell to as large an audience as they can.
Ford has taken the latter approach with the all-new Kuga, which is now available with a choice of two petrol engines, two diesels, a mild hybrid and a full plug-in hybrid (PHEV). In this ever-changing automotive market, that’s a surefire way to guarantee longevity. Besides, new tax rules suddenly mean it’s far more attractive to run a PHEV if you’re a company car driver.
Here, we’re testing the Kuga PHEV, which combines a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined power output of 222bhp. You can run in full electric mode or full petrol mode (using the engine to charge the battery) or a combination of the two as the car sees fit.
Electric mode gives instant punch, with sharper response than when just the engine is running, and has enough power to get you up to motorway pace, although acceleration tails off noticeably at speeds of more than 30mph. The Kuga has an official electric range of 34.8 miles – one of the best available on a sub£40,000 plug-in hybrid SUV. We managed 26.4 miles on a mixed test route, enough for many people’s daily commute.
In the hybrid setting, the change between petrol and electric is almost seamless and you’ll only really notice the engine has kicked in when you hear it start to murmur away. Outright performance is adequate and acceleration smooth, although the engine does sound strained when you push it hard. It certainly doesn’t have the pace so many rivals have. Although the Kuga is usefully quicker than the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, it can’t get close to the brisk Volvo XC40 Recharge T5 or downright rapid Vauxhall Grandland X Hybrid4.
The suspension soaks up potholes and expansion joints well, although you do feel
24 May 2020