CLEVERER KUGA (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 98

Ford's Kuga sharpened up its act in this third generation CX482 guise, evolving into a much more credible upper mid-sized SUV contender. From launch in 2020, there was sharper styling, a much nicer cabin and extra technology that segment buyers liked, plus this Blue Oval brand crossover still offered class-leading drive dynamics. And across the range, more frugal conventional engines shared showroom space with a range of electrified ones - there was a choice of mild Hybrid, self-charging Hybrid and PHEV plug-in Hybrid options. Here, we check out the pre-facelifted version of this model as a used buy.

Modelsword count: 17

5 door SUV [petrol] 1.5 EcoBoost, 2.5 FHEV Hybrid, 2.5 PHEV / [diesel] 1.5 EcoBlue, 2.0 EcoBlue

Historyword count: 319

For a best-selling volume brand, it took Ford a remarkably long time to come up with a really class-competitive range of SUVs. For an awful long period, the only credible crossover nameplate the company offered was this one, the mid-sized Kuga model. Here, we're going to tell you everything you need to know about the early pre-facelift version of this third generation CX482-series model. The original Kuga, the first C394-series model, dates back to 2008 and was one of the first affordable family SUVs to properly prioritise a decent driving experience. Rivals were beginning to copy that approach by the time the second generation C520-series version was launched, then significantly updated in 2017 prior to the launch of this MK3 model in late 2019. Throughout that period, the Kuga sustained Ford's SUV sales as other less well developed crossovers from the Blue Oval brand faltered, mainly because they were primarily developed for markets outside Europe. The rather half-baked smaller EcoSport for instance. Or the larger, clunkier Ford Edge. By 2019 though, a Ford showroom had become a much more inviting place for crossover customers. This Kuga sat just above another recently-launched Blue Oval brand SUV we've strongly praised, the Puma. And it was a huge step forward from its MK2 predecessor in terms of engine technology, media connectivity and overall sophistication. Both mild Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid powertrains were available, plus this car was significantly bigger than the design it replaced, recognising its new role as Ford's flagship SUV. But one thing though, didn't change. Ford promised us that this Kuga would be better to drive than ever, a lot of this thanks to an all-new C2 platform that was shared with the Focus hatch. The Kuga sold in this form until early 2024 when it was significantly facelifted. The diesel variant lasted only until 2021. It's the pre-facelift 2019-2023-era versions of this CX482-series model we look at here.

What You Getword count: 413

By 2019, Kuga buyers were ready for a change - for “more emotional design” as Ford styling Chief Amko Leenarts put it. He characterised this MK3 Kuga's shape as being “visually sleeker, lower and wider”: and reckoned that it would “make you feel excited just by looking at it”. We're not sure we'd go that far but there was certainly a switch in visual emphasis here, away from the more rugged appearance of the previous Kuga to something a touch more elegant - and bigger. This third generation car is 89mm longer and 44mm wider than its predecessor but despite that, is around 80kgs lighter. Inside, as with the Puma, there's a TFT instrument cluster screen ahead of the driver that changes in theme according to the driving mode you select. And quite a lot of tinsel was added to upper-spec variants to try and justify more exalted price positioning, though ultimately, some hard and scratchy lower order plastics betray this cabin's relatively humble origins. Still, in compensation, you sit satisfyingly high behind the wheel, there's plenty of storage provision and it feels considerably more spacious up-front than the previous generation model; Ford said there was 43mm more shoulder room. And, despite the lower exterior roof height, there was 13mm more headroom too. The brand claimed instrument panel positioning was optimised to increase this perception of space - perhaps most notably with the so-called 'floating' design of the SYNC3 centre-dash touchscreen. As for rear passenger space, well the more generous exterior dimensions meant that there was 36mm more hip room and 35mm more headroom than the old MK2 design, but compared to previous Kugas, the big news here was Ford's addition of a sliding bench, incorporated as a result of customer feedback. It slides over a range of 150mm, is 60:40-split and with both sections fully back, rear occupants can enjoy a best-in-class legroom figure of 1,035mm. The side squab-mounted levers allow the seatbacks to recline as well, for greater comfort on longer journeys. Once the tailgate's raised, a very decently-sized boot with a low loading lip is revealed, square in shape with little wheel arch intrusion. It's 475-litres in size with conventional variants, though that figure falls to 411-litres with the PHEV model. You retract the seatbacks using rather flimsy cargo sidewall catches and when the seats eventually spring forward, they don't fold completely flat. Total capacity to the window line is rated at 1,534-litres - or 1,481-litres in the PHEV model.

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