Ford Kuga Review

The third-generation Ford Kuga was already a much more convincing family SUV than the one it replaced, but the 2024 facelift has helped sharpen its appeal further. Ford has tidied up the styling, overhauled the infotainment and simplified the line-up around the engines buyers are most likely to want.

That means the range now focuses on petrol, full hybrid and plug-in hybrid power. Diesel has disappeared from the new-car line-up, which will disappoint some high-mileage drivers, but it makes sense in the wider market context. The upshot is that the Kuga now looks much more like a modern family SUV range rather than an old-fashioned engine buffet.

The regular petrol is the cheapest way in, but the hybrid feels like the better all-round answer for many buyers. It is more relaxed, more efficient and better suited to the Kuga’s size and family-car brief. The plug-in hybrid is also a strong option if you can charge it regularly and do enough short journeys to use the battery properly.

Practicality has always been one of the Kuga’s stronger areas. There is plenty of room for passengers, the sliding rear bench gives you more flexibility than many rivals, and the boot is a useful shape even if it is not the biggest in the class. What you do not get is a seven-seat version, which means buyers who need occasional extra seats will have to look elsewhere.

The Kuga is also easy to drive. It does not try too hard to feel sporty, but it is tidy enough through bends and easy to place around town. The downside is that ride comfort can be a little firm on bigger wheels or sportier trims, while some rivals feel a touch more settled and more expensive inside.

Even so, the Ford Kuga gets the big things right. It is roomy, well equipped and offered with a sensible mix of powertrains, which keeps it firmly in the heart of the family-SUV conversation.

For most buyers, the Ford Kuga 2.5 Hybrid ST-Line is the version to go for. The full hybrid powertrain suits the Kuga’s size much better than the entry petrol, and ST-Line gives you the sharper styling and stronger equipment mix most buyers will want without pushing the price as hard as ST-Line X.

The plug-in hybrid is tempting if you can charge at home or at work, because its electric-only range is enough to cover a lot of daily commuting and school-run use. But if you cannot plug in regularly, the hybrid is the easier recommendation.

Titanium is already well equipped, but ST-Line looks and feels like the Kuga most people will picture. Active is worth a look if you want the more rugged styling and extra driver-assistance kit.

The current Ford Kuga range starts at £35,045 for the 1.5 EcoBoost Titanium. The 2.5 Hybrid Titanium begins at £37,145, while ST-Line versions sit above that and the hybrid and plug-in hybrid models climb into the low- to mid-£40,000 bracket. At the top of the line-up, the Kuga ST-Line X PHEV reaches £44,845.

That means the Kuga is no bargain-basement family SUV, but it is also not obviously out of step with the rest of the class. A Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage or Honda CR-V can all end up in very similar territory once you match trim and powertrain.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is one of the clearest alternatives if you want a family SUV that feels more polished inside and more solidly built. The Skoda Kodiaq is worth considering if you want more space and the option of seven seats.

The Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson remain two of the strongest all-rounders in this class, especially for interior quality and warranty cover, while the Toyota RAV4 is still the obvious hybrid rival if efficiency matters most. The Honda ZR-V and Mazda CX-5 are also worth a look, though the Mazda is now beginning to feel older in some areas.

The Ford Kuga fights back with strong standard equipment, a wide powertrain spread and easy everyday usability.

The Ford Kuga is a good-size family SUV and it feels it inside. There is plenty of room in the front, the driving position is commanding and the rear bench offers enough headroom and legroom for adults to sit comfortably in most versions.

A useful detail is the sliding rear bench, which lets you trade rear-seat legroom for more boot capacity when needed. That flexibility helps the Kuga feel more family-friendly than many rivals, especially if your needs change from one week to the next.

Boot space depends on which version you choose. Ford quotes up to 536 litres in the standard petrol, while the hybrid and plug-in hybrid give away some of that to battery packaging and other hardware. In practice, the Kuga offers between 412 and 536 litres depending on powertrain and rear-seat position.

For context, the Ford Kuga’s best-case boot figure puts it ahead of a Mazda CX-5 and right in the mix with cars such as the Kia Sportage, but the lower figures mean it does not dominate this class in the way some buyers might expect from the exterior size. It is still a useful, easily accessed load bay, and the sliding rear seats do give it an extra layer of flexibility.

The Ford Kuga measures 4,615mm long, 1,882mm wide and 1,678mm high. That makes it a proper mid-size family SUV rather than a slightly puffed-up hatchback.

It feels usefully substantial inside, but still easy enough to place on the road. Visibility is decent, although the thick rear pillars and relatively small rear window make the standard reversing camera particularly welcome.

The biggest improvement from the 2024 facelift is the move to Ford’s 13.2-inch SYNC 4 touchscreen. It looks much more modern than the old 8.0-inch SYNC 3 set-up and feels far more in keeping with the rest of the class.

It is quicker, sharper and easier on the eye, and it includes navigation, DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Facelifted cars also get a 12.3-inch digital driver display as standard, which helps lift the cabin.

The catch is that the move to the bigger screen has also pulled more functions into the touchscreen. The old Kuga’s physical controls were one of its strengths, and while the new system looks cleaner, it is not always easier to use on the move.

The Kuga’s interior materials are acceptable rather than outstanding. The main surfaces look neat enough, but some plastics lower down still feel cheaper than you would find in a Tucson, Sportage or Peugeot 3008.

Higher trims improve the impression with better seat trim and more interesting detailing, but the Ford Kuga is not a car you buy for a genuinely premium cabin feel.

The current Ford Kuga line-up uses three main powertrains.

The 1.5-litre petrol is serviceable, but it feels like the weak link in the line-up. It does the job, but in a family SUV this size it never feels especially effortless.

The full hybrid is the more convincing all-rounder. It suits the Kuga’s relaxed family character, gives you a bit more shove and should prove easier to live with if you want decent efficiency without having to think about charging.

The plug-in hybrid is the technical flagship of the core range. It is the quickest version, and if you can charge it regularly its electric-only range is enough to cover a lot of everyday mileage without touching petrol.

The Kuga feels more responsive than many family SUVs, with tidy body control and predictable handling. It does not try to feel overtly sporty, but there is still some of that familiar Ford neatness in the way it turns into corners and settles into a bend.

Ride comfort is generally good, but there is a slightly firm edge, especially on bigger wheels and ST-Line models with their sportier suspension tune. It is not uncomfortable, but it is not as soft or cushy as something like a Citroen C5 Aircross.

The plug-in hybrid also feels a little different to the rest of the range because of the extra battery weight. It is still perfectly competent, but not quite as agile as the lighter petrol and hybrid versions.

The Ford Kuga holds a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating from 2019. It scored strongly for adult and child occupant protection, and the standard safety package remains competitive.

All Kugas get lane-keeping assistance, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors, and a reversing camera on current cars. Higher trims add more sophisticated driver-assistance features, including adaptive cruise control and blind-spot monitoring.

The 1.5-litre petrol returns up to 42.2mpg, which is acceptable rather than impressive. The full hybrid improves that to up to 51.4mpg in front-wheel-drive form, while the all-wheel-drive hybrid is a little thirstier.

The plug-in hybrid is the interesting one. Officially it can cover up to 43 miles on electric power, which is enough to make a meaningful difference to running costs if you charge it often. As ever with a PHEV, the spectacular mpg figures only make sense if you keep the battery topped up.

Ford covers the Kuga with a three-year or 60,000-mile warranty, along with 12 months of Ford Assistance breakdown cover. That is adequate, but not especially generous by current family-car standards.

Service intervals depend on engine and use, with Ford directing owners to the handbook, app or online account for the exact schedule.

Insurance groups span roughly 14 to 26 depending on engine and trim. The 1.5 petrol is usually the cheapest version to insure, while the plug-in hybrid tends to sit at the expensive end of the range.

That keeps the Kuga broadly in line with the rest of the class rather than making it stand out as either especially cheap or especially pricey to cover.

The standard VED rate from the second year onwards is £200 a year for petrol, diesel, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars registered on or after 1 April 2017. The more important point is that many Kuga versions now sit above the £40,000 list-price threshold, which means the £440 Expensive Car Supplement can apply for five years from the second year of taxation.

In practice, some Kugas will cost £640 a year in VED from years two to six, while cheaper versions stay on the standard £200 rate.