A Test Drive Review: The Ford Kuga

When I first started driving the Ford Kuga, I had high hopes that it would live up to my expectations as a family SUV. However, during my test drive, I couldn't help but feel that there were some areas where the car fell short. One of the main concerns I had was the suspension, which felt a bit firm for this type of car. This made it choppy over rough surfaces, and I ended up feeling like I was wobbling about in my seat, which wasn't exactly pleasant.

Fortunately, the Kuga performed well on the motorway, with minimal noise at speed. If you need to cover long distances, the 2-liter diesel engine is a good choice. However, I would advise against opting for the higher-powered 180 horsepower version, as it doesn't feel significantly faster than the 150 horsepower model, which is cheaper and more economical. The mid-power version with 1.5 liter turbo petrol is all you need, and it's also available in four-wheel drive.

The Kuga has a reputation for being fun to handle, but I wasn't entirely convinced by my experience behind the wheel. When turning on twisty roads, I felt that the steering was a bit laborious and ponderous, which made it less enjoyable than I had hoped. The stiffer suspension in the sportier line-up seemed to make it even more unforgiving over bumps, but this didn't seem to improve its handling at all.

One of the most frustrating aspects of driving the Kuga is that it can feel like someone else is trying to drive the car, especially on uneven surfaces. Additionally, the bigger wheels in certain versions can make the car tramline, which can be annoying. Other issues I encountered included the controls for the central air vents being far too high, making them difficult to reach, and the four-wheel drive badge looking a bit tacky.

Despite these drawbacks, there are still some redeeming qualities about the Kuga. The hands-free tailgate opening system is a nice touch, as it works on the first attempt most of the time. This feature is especially useful if you lend your car to someone who may not be familiar with it yet. Additionally, you can limit how loud the car's stereo gets and set a maximum top speed, which is ideal if you're concerned about lending the car to a young driver.

One final plus is that the Kuga has real exhaust pipes, rather than fake ones, which gives it a more sporty appearance. The panoramic glass roof is also worth mentioning, as it allows you to let in some fresh air and can be opened to provide ventilation on warm days. Finally, the rear windows go all the way down, making it easy for your dog to get in and out of the car.

Overall, while the Ford Kuga has its flaws, it's still a decent family SUV that's worth considering. However, there are plenty of other alternatives available that may offer more features and better performance at a similar price point. If you're in the market for a new family SUV, I would recommend taking a closer look at some of these alternatives before committing to the Kuga.

Verdict

As for whether or not you should avoid the Ford Kuga, it's ultimately up to you to decide based on your specific needs and preferences. However, if you're looking for a reliable and practical family SUV with plenty of features, there are certainly other options available that may be worth considering.

Easter Egg

I noticed an Easter egg in this video - a picture of the Mercury Cougar in the car's boot. This is because Ford owns Mercury, and it was a fun nod to their history.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the Ford cougar now in case you're wondering it's not actually named after the old Ford cougar from the nor it is it's not named after the cat either nor anyway so it's it's a family friendly s even it starts from twenty-two thousand pounds click it there you can get a car waco UK you can configure your ideal car and you get five great offers back from top dealers within twenty four hours so you can buy at a price you're confident in now on the inside the Cougar is a little bit of a mixed bag so the interior design it's it's different but it's also a bit strange so you've got all these protrusions and childish looking instruments and then there's this central area here so the design of it sort of reminds me of a character from a video game looks like his helmet just yeah terms of the quality so you've got soft touch materials here on the door tops and it's alright places but then other places like these dials and this area down here it's all a bit flimsy really and then there's infotainment system so this car has the new sync 3 and it's a lot better than the previous systems used to getting forward so you can navigate it reasonably easy it's alright the graphics are clear enough there's nothing special about it but what is annoying is this the design of the weights recess means that it's hard to hit these puns down it especially when you're driving what is all that about you want to see my full in-depth review of the infotainment system then just click up there the engine of a car doesn't actually have this larger screen it has a smaller screen which just looks awful then you get a multitude of buttons here it's not great in fact I would avoid the entry-level z-tech car because it just hasn't got enough kit you want to step up to the titanium because it's got all you need without the price getting too crazy so you have this larger screen you also have partly the seats you've got parking sensors you've got automatic climate control there's no plug going too far up the range because it all just starts to get a bit too expensive terms I've in car storage well actually it's very good so not huge door bins you've got some cupholders down here got the key in there key let's go for this one we've got some extra storage into here and some USB ports and an all right sized glovebox there as well now I'm moving into the back of the car the king cup it's it's a bit of an odd one really because it's okay but it's not quite as big as you think it would be based on the outside dimensions for instance knee room it's it's more than good enough but it's not quite as big as you might think from an SUV such as this and then there's the Headroom so if I sit up straight I've got about that much space but people have a six foot will struggle for Headroom especially if they've got the panoramic sunroof fitted because it does ease into Headroom then there's the floor so it's nice and flat so that means there's plenty of space for everyone's feet if you have three in the back and it is all right in the middle seat and the body's kind of wide enough so it's better than something like a Nissan Qashqai with through in the back but nowhere near as good as something like a Skoda Kodiak then there's the features that don't quite go the whole way for instance look I can recline the seats but what's the point in doing that you're never gonna have it in the upright position because then there is no Headroom so you're just gonna travel like that and because they do that you think they're gonna slide but they don't what a waste and then look I can fold this down I've got an armrest I've got some cup holders but you might expect there to be some through loading for skis or something and there's not you would get that on the Kodiak well let's move on to the boot now this theme of things not being quite as big as you expect it continues here you see come on open up it's got the electric tailgate the boot you see I mean the capacity is big enough it is big enough for most people it's a little bit smaller than a renault kadjar though and nowhere near as big as a bit like a box on them TIG ones and then there's the fact that looks it is huge like the Troodon bumper so I've already got a lip to lifts the fiber but you do have to then lift it over that otherwise you can end up scratching that really badly with luggage total features in here if you look under there there's space over spare way on but not really any other room besides that there's very few tethering points there is a 12 volt socket there but the annoying thing is this I want to fall down the seats there's no leavers here it's not even leaves on the top so now to bear with me I'm gonna have to go round and do it here come on there you go I'll do the other one as well well yeah if you're on this car you'll find a much easier way of doing it than this and then a problem is revealed - so the space once again locum it's it's a reasonable size but look at that huge Ridge and that is a pain if you want to slide heavy items to the front of the the cargo area because you're not going to be able to do that now for more detail on this cars practicality click it there touching more detailed video you'll be able to see just how much stuff you can cram into the boot how easy it is to fit a child's seat in the back and what it's like with three adults now you know what this car is like on the inside let's find out how it drives and a kegger is a bit of a mixed bag when you're driving it in tone so the good bits are the fun the steering is nice and light the gearshift is good in the manual and the automatic is really smooth if you have that the brake sir well they're not jerking it just about right then there's the visibility so you sit up high which gives you a good view out but you've got this really weird long dicey kind of having to pity with the front of the car is and then there's this blind spot I mean look at it it's absolutely huge you could hide an elephant behind there annoying at least there if you know the back window is pretty good now if you click up there you can see if yourself by joining me for a point of view test drive video and that brings me on to the convo so it's alright it's just that the suspension is a little bit on the firm side for this type of car so yeah it can't feel a bit choppy over rough surfaces and you end up feeling your fatty bits wobbling about which isn't particularly pleasant the Cougar is actually pretty good on the motorway so it's quiet enough at speed get the 2-liter diesel if you need lots of miles it's it's really good don't get the 180 horsepower one in this car because it doesn't feel much faster than the 150 horsepower version which is cheaper and slightly more economical as well so this 180 version is supposed to do over 50 miles per gallon but I'm getting only getting 38 which isn't really very good if you don't do many miles go from 1.5 liter turbo petrol the mid power version it's all you need and one you can get the Cougar with four-wheel drive I wouldn't bother because it does reduce the economy slightly and really do you need four-wheel drive it drive with mountains and if you worried about snow just get yourself some winter tires and the whole do the job in the winter now forward have a bit of a reputation for being fun handling cars and the old cougar was and this one when he first driving you turn the steering wheel on a twisty road it turns in short lists I think yes it's going to be fun it's almost like the steering rights checks that the rest of the body can't actually cash because when you're in a corner it just feels a bit laborious erm and a bit ponderous and it's not fun to drive it's just ok this particular car is st line version and it has stiffened suspension for a supposedly more sporty drive and it feels more sporty in the way that the rides a lot firmer says jiggly over bumps but it doesn't actually seem to handle any better so it's just not worth it at all also the bigger wheel seem to tramline so when he rutting the road he can feel at times like it's someone else it's trying to drive the car get off actually there's more annoying things about this car it's 5 if you were to take your con and driving hard dated croatia no one would want to get near you because cougar in Croatian means plague the controls for the central air vents are all the way up here so you would have to reach for them I don't have to be such a big silly rotary knob four-wheel drive versions of the key yet it's rather tacky looking all-wheel-drive badge on the doors and looks a bit wonky to me even though the Cougars door extends quite low down when you open it you do notice that nook still gets in on the sill and then in the air when you drag your legs over it they get all mucky while the Cougar has a rather solid feeling low cover there's nowhere really to store it in the car other than here which music takes up space also I've just noticed that because of this protruding bumper you end up getting muck and water all over your legs it's not all negative though here's 5 good things about this car the Cougar is available with hands-free tailgate opening and unlike with many other cars around the system it works on this at first attempt look now you didn't think it was going to open to do hair well done forward with for Tamaki you can limit how loud the car stereo will go and the maximum top speed which is ideal if you lend your car to a young driver you don't quite trust one of the good things about this cost panoramic glass roof is that you can actually open it and then you can let some air in which is good because I've just farted and like many other modern SUVs the Cougar actually has real not fake exhaust pipes makes it look sporty the rear windows go all the way down which is perfect if you've got a dog that likes to lean out now if you click up there on the pop-out by now all on the link below the video you can go to carvaka UK and compare offers on the four Kouga so then what's more verdict on this car should you avoid it should you consider it should you shortlist it also do you just go right ahead and buy it well I reckon you should consider the Ford Kuga it's a fairly decent family SUV it's just there's plenty of alternatives that do it slightly better enjoy this video please like it share it and subscribe to our Channel and click on the window to watch our detailed practicality and entertainment video reviews for the Ford Kuga now do you spot the Easter Egg in this video it was the picture of the Mercury Cougar in the cars boot because of course Ford owns Mercurythis is the Ford cougar now in case you're wondering it's not actually named after the old Ford cougar from the nor it is it's not named after the cat either nor anyway so it's it's a family friendly s even it starts from twenty-two thousand pounds click it there you can get a car waco UK you can configure your ideal car and you get five great offers back from top dealers within twenty four hours so you can buy at a price you're confident in now on the inside the Cougar is a little bit of a mixed bag so the interior design it's it's different but it's also a bit strange so you've got all these protrusions and childish looking instruments and then there's this central area here so the design of it sort of reminds me of a character from a video game looks like his helmet just yeah terms of the quality so you've got soft touch materials here on the door tops and it's alright places but then other places like these dials and this area down here it's all a bit flimsy really and then there's infotainment system so this car has the new sync 3 and it's a lot better than the previous systems used to getting forward so you can navigate it reasonably easy it's alright the graphics are clear enough there's nothing special about it but what is annoying is this the design of the weights recess means that it's hard to hit these puns down it especially when you're driving what is all that about you want to see my full in-depth review of the infotainment system then just click up there the engine of a car doesn't actually have this larger screen it has a smaller screen which just looks awful then you get a multitude of buttons here it's not great in fact I would avoid the entry-level z-tech car because it just hasn't got enough kit you want to step up to the titanium because it's got all you need without the price getting too crazy so you have this larger screen you also have partly the seats you've got parking sensors you've got automatic climate control there's no plug going too far up the range because it all just starts to get a bit too expensive terms I've in car storage well actually it's very good so not huge door bins you've got some cupholders down here got the key in there key let's go for this one we've got some extra storage into here and some USB ports and an all right sized glovebox there as well now I'm moving into the back of the car the king cup it's it's a bit of an odd one really because it's okay but it's not quite as big as you think it would be based on the outside dimensions for instance knee room it's it's more than good enough but it's not quite as big as you might think from an SUV such as this and then there's the Headroom so if I sit up straight I've got about that much space but people have a six foot will struggle for Headroom especially if they've got the panoramic sunroof fitted because it does ease into Headroom then there's the floor so it's nice and flat so that means there's plenty of space for everyone's feet if you have three in the back and it is all right in the middle seat and the body's kind of wide enough so it's better than something like a Nissan Qashqai with through in the back but nowhere near as good as something like a Skoda Kodiak then there's the features that don't quite go the whole way for instance look I can recline the seats but what's the point in doing that you're never gonna have it in the upright position because then there is no Headroom so you're just gonna travel like that and because they do that you think they're gonna slide but they don't what a waste and then look I can fold this down I've got an armrest I've got some cup holders but you might expect there to be some through loading for skis or something and there's not you would get that on the Kodiak well let's move on to the boot now this theme of things not being quite as big as you expect it continues here you see come on open up it's got the electric tailgate the boot you see I mean the capacity is big enough it is big enough for most people it's a little bit smaller than a renault kadjar though and nowhere near as big as a bit like a box on them TIG ones and then there's the fact that looks it is huge like the Troodon bumper so I've already got a lip to lifts the fiber but you do have to then lift it over that otherwise you can end up scratching that really badly with luggage total features in here if you look under there there's space over spare way on but not really any other room besides that there's very few tethering points there is a 12 volt socket there but the annoying thing is this I want to fall down the seats there's no leavers here it's not even leaves on the top so now to bear with me I'm gonna have to go round and do it here come on there you go I'll do the other one as well well yeah if you're on this car you'll find a much easier way of doing it than this and then a problem is revealed - so the space once again locum it's it's a reasonable size but look at that huge Ridge and that is a pain if you want to slide heavy items to the front of the the cargo area because you're not going to be able to do that now for more detail on this cars practicality click it there touching more detailed video you'll be able to see just how much stuff you can cram into the boot how easy it is to fit a child's seat in the back and what it's like with three adults now you know what this car is like on the inside let's find out how it drives and a kegger is a bit of a mixed bag when you're driving it in tone so the good bits are the fun the steering is nice and light the gearshift is good in the manual and the automatic is really smooth if you have that the brake sir well they're not jerking it just about right then there's the visibility so you sit up high which gives you a good view out but you've got this really weird long dicey kind of having to pity with the front of the car is and then there's this blind spot I mean look at it it's absolutely huge you could hide an elephant behind there annoying at least there if you know the back window is pretty good now if you click up there you can see if yourself by joining me for a point of view test drive video and that brings me on to the convo so it's alright it's just that the suspension is a little bit on the firm side for this type of car so yeah it can't feel a bit choppy over rough surfaces and you end up feeling your fatty bits wobbling about which isn't particularly pleasant the Cougar is actually pretty good on the motorway so it's quiet enough at speed get the 2-liter diesel if you need lots of miles it's it's really good don't get the 180 horsepower one in this car because it doesn't feel much faster than the 150 horsepower version which is cheaper and slightly more economical as well so this 180 version is supposed to do over 50 miles per gallon but I'm getting only getting 38 which isn't really very good if you don't do many miles go from 1.5 liter turbo petrol the mid power version it's all you need and one you can get the Cougar with four-wheel drive I wouldn't bother because it does reduce the economy slightly and really do you need four-wheel drive it drive with mountains and if you worried about snow just get yourself some winter tires and the whole do the job in the winter now forward have a bit of a reputation for being fun handling cars and the old cougar was and this one when he first driving you turn the steering wheel on a twisty road it turns in short lists I think yes it's going to be fun it's almost like the steering rights checks that the rest of the body can't actually cash because when you're in a corner it just feels a bit laborious erm and a bit ponderous and it's not fun to drive it's just ok this particular car is st line version and it has stiffened suspension for a supposedly more sporty drive and it feels more sporty in the way that the rides a lot firmer says jiggly over bumps but it doesn't actually seem to handle any better so it's just not worth it at all also the bigger wheel seem to tramline so when he rutting the road he can feel at times like it's someone else it's trying to drive the car get off actually there's more annoying things about this car it's 5 if you were to take your con and driving hard dated croatia no one would want to get near you because cougar in Croatian means plague the controls for the central air vents are all the way up here so you would have to reach for them I don't have to be such a big silly rotary knob four-wheel drive versions of the key yet it's rather tacky looking all-wheel-drive badge on the doors and looks a bit wonky to me even though the Cougars door extends quite low down when you open it you do notice that nook still gets in on the sill and then in the air when you drag your legs over it they get all mucky while the Cougar has a rather solid feeling low cover there's nowhere really to store it in the car other than here which music takes up space also I've just noticed that because of this protruding bumper you end up getting muck and water all over your legs it's not all negative though here's 5 good things about this car the Cougar is available with hands-free tailgate opening and unlike with many other cars around the system it works on this at first attempt look now you didn't think it was going to open to do hair well done forward with for Tamaki you can limit how loud the car stereo will go and the maximum top speed which is ideal if you lend your car to a young driver you don't quite trust one of the good things about this cost panoramic glass roof is that you can actually open it and then you can let some air in which is good because I've just farted and like many other modern SUVs the Cougar actually has real not fake exhaust pipes makes it look sporty the rear windows go all the way down which is perfect if you've got a dog that likes to lean out now if you click up there on the pop-out by now all on the link below the video you can go to carvaka UK and compare offers on the four Kouga so then what's more verdict on this car should you avoid it should you consider it should you shortlist it also do you just go right ahead and buy it well I reckon you should consider the Ford Kuga it's a fairly decent family SUV it's just there's plenty of alternatives that do it slightly better enjoy this video please like it share it and subscribe to our Channel and click on the window to watch our detailed practicality and entertainment video reviews for the Ford Kuga now do you spot the Easter Egg in this video it was the picture of the Mercury Cougar in the cars boot because of course Ford owns Mercury\n"