Though a little bit out dated, yet the Ford Kuga is fuel efficient

The Ford Kuga is a good, practical and comfortable compact SUV

Now the Ford Kuga is in its second generation with pre-facelift and facelift models. It is in the assembly line of the British automaker since 2008. It shares the platform of Ford Focus and Ford C-Max. In the market of UK, the Ford Kuga is considered as far better choice than an average family hatchback. Its practicality, comfort and low running cost appeal the audience.

Though it is a competent SUV available in the market, but its rivals are dominating in some extents with good, handy and latest interior along with good design and storage capacity. There are good and mature rivals available in SUV range to compete the Ford Kuga such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, SEAT Ateca, Skoda Kodiac, Audi Q3, BMW X3, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Lexus NX and above all the Range Rover Evoque. The Kuga seems to be faded in front of some exceptional brands available in this class due to its aged equipment.

The interior is up to standard but some rivals are with good ones

The Kuga has good interior with performance, but not as new and stylish as we find in Range Rover Evoque or Peugeot 3008. The new steering-wheel with heated arrangements is borrowed from the Ford Focus. Overall arrangement of equipment and features is not bad but isn’t impressive one, if we compare it with latest models of other manufacturers in the same class, then we feel the difference.

The kit list is full of equipment and features but couldn’t impress the critics. The electric heated seats are good with good and standard leather upholstery, but light weight and scratchy plastic has its own impact. The switchgear is also looking aged. The new infotainment system is impressive in use with lot of functions but once again it is not the best one to use if we compare it with SEAT Ateca and the Mazda CX-5 with rotary dial controller.

The Ford Kuga Titanium is available with optional features such as 18-inch alloys, automatic headlights, dual-zone climate control, LED tail-lights, bi-Xenon adaptive headlamps and a panoramic sunroof. Anyhow the larger front grille of Ford Edge makes its appearance interesting with new set of headlights and taillights. The Kuga ST-Line is with some extra features such as keyless entry, the foot operated boot opening, rear parking sensors and heated front seats. These features are optional and with heavy price.

The Kuga has reasonable space with good storage capacity

This is the key feature of the popularity of this vehicle. It has five seats arrangement, so there is plenty of space in front and at rear. The leg room is more than enough in front and three adults are easily accommodated at back with plenty of spare room. The driver and front seats are with lot of adjusting arrangement.

The rear seats are also with relaxing arrangements and can be reclined for greater comfort. The boot space is good and big up to 456-litres when the rear seats are up. With rear seats fold down the 1603-litres can be achieved. The boot space is far better than the VW Tiguan but the Honda Cr-V and Mazda CX-5 are with some extra space due to the good design frame of their wheel arches. The Ford Kuga is with low and flat floor level means easy ins and outs of heavy items. The wide boot opening gives an easy access and handling of odd items.

With plenty of engines, there is something for everyone

The ford Kuga gives a good driving experience with comfort and practicality. The performance of its engines is reasonable and acceptable. There are various petrol and diesel engines available in the Ford Kuga engine lineup but the diesels are more efficient than the petrol ones.

The Ford Kuga Diesel Engine lineup

The entry-level 1.5litre TDCi diesel engine is of 118bhp and 221lb/ft torque. It takes 12.0 seconds to get from0-62m/h with top speed of just 106m/h. Though this version is slow in performance but gives 58m/g of fuel average under the weight of the Ford Kuga SUV with 124g/km of emissions. It is fitted with six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive assembly.

The 2.0litre TDCi with different outputs is an efficient diesel engine

The 2.0-Litre TDCi diesel 138bhp is capable of 251lb/ft torque. It is better than the entry-level version in speed and takes 10.4 seconds to get from 0-62m/h with top speed of 123m/h. It gives 47m/g of fuel average with 154g/km of emissions. It is fitted with six-speed manual gearbox and four-wheel drive option.

The 2.0litre TDCi 147bhp is impressive one with 9.8 seconds to get from 0-62m/h with top speed of 123m/h. Its fuel economy with 60m/g is impressive one. It emits 122g/km of Co2. It is available with six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive unit.

The 2.0litre TDCi with 160bhp and 251lb/ft torque is fitted with six-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive unit. This version takes 10.0 seconds to reach from 0-62m/h with top speed of 122m/h. Its fuel average is 46m/g with 159g/km of emissions.

The 2.0litre TDCi with 177bhp is the most powerful engine in the diesel engine lineup. It is of 295lb/ft torque and takes 9.6 seconds to get from 0-62m/h with top speed of 125m/h. Its fuel average is 52m/g with 140g/km of emissions. It is fitted with six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive unit.

The Ford Kuga petrol engine lineup

The 1.5litre EcoBoost petrol engine is of 118bhp and 177lb/ft torque. It takes 12.1 seconds to reach from 0-62m/h with top speed of 112 m/h. The fuel average of this petrol engine is 45m/g with 143g/km of Co2 emissions. This version is available with automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive system.

The 1.5litre EcoBoost is also available in 179bhp and 177lb/ft torque version. It takes 9.8 seconds to get from 0-62m/h with top speed of 124m/h. Its fuel average is 37m/g with 173g/km of Co2 emissions. It is equipped with six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive unit.

The 1.6litre T-EcoBoost is of 147bhp and 177lb/ft torque takes 9.4 seconds to get from 0-62m/h with top speed of 121m/h. Its fuel average is 44m/g with 145g/km of emissions. It is fitted with six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive unit.

Reliability and safety

The Ford Kuga is available with all necessary safety measures and secures five-star from Euro NCAP rating of reliability and safety.