Ford Kuga 2021 review - the best Ford yet?

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This is the all-new Ford Kuga!

Ford has completely redesigned their mid-size SUV, and they've got competitors like the Peugeot 3008 & Volkswagen Tiguan in their sights! The question is, does it offer enough to stand out from the crowd?

Starting with the exterior design, it clearly looks very similar to a pumped-up Ford Focus - but that's no bad thing! Not only that, but it comes with a slightly-sloped roofline and real exhaust pipes as well!

When it comes to engine choices, there are more than enough options available. The petrol range is topped with a 1.5-litre turbo petrol to deliver 150hp, while the diesel range is led with a 2-litre turbo which can put down 190hp! However, the hybrid model trumps them all... With a 2.5-litre petrol engine coupled with an electric motor, it can deliver 225hp and travel up to 35 miles on just electric power alone!

So it looks good, has got a great range of engines, and with a starting price of just over £24,000, it's affordable as well! So surely it's the must-have family SUV of 2021, right? You'll have to keep watching to find out!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:41 Price
01:07 Exterior Design
01:47 Interior
04:08 Back Seats
05:42 Boot
06:53 Engines
08:21 Five Annoying Features
09:40 Five Good Features
10:52 Town Driving
12:42 Motorway Driving
13:49 Twisty Road Driving
14:27 Trim Options
15:50 Verdict

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[HughRussell]

3 things that are certain:
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Mat saying “click the pop out banner in the top right hand corner of the screen” in a carwow video

[ejfmmusic]

Those door protectors are a game changer! Such a cool idea.

[alespogacnik]

I'm from Slovenia and in our language Kuga means "plague". I'm surprised how successful this model is in our country despite the name.

[albertzweistein]

Mom can we have Aston Martin DBX?
Mom: No we have Aston Martin DBX at home
Aston Martin DBX at home:

[UIracing]

They’re back to the old filming spot 😎

[iuliuantoniofilip]

The Ford Kuga (at least for my country's car market) is by far the best value for money choice you could get for a mid sized SUV. Within 35k Euros you can have the 2.0 Diesel with 190 HP, decent acceleration and almost perfect steering around corners with little to no rolling effect. Also it has every single specification you could get on a mid ranged, nonpremium car, while still paying this (relatively small) amount of money and receiving up to 7 years of warranty. A Skoda Karoq (which is the correct competitor of the Kuga) with the same specs would be around 42k Euros, while less fun to drive and with only 4 years of warranty. The same goes for Seat Ateca, albeit it is similar fun to drive. And last but not least, the VW Tiguan would cost you a small fortune of at least 50k Euros to reach the same level of specs, which ain't worth it. If you are able to spend 50 to 55k Euro on a Tiguan, you should just go for a mid specs Q5 which offers a completely different feeling than an overpriced VW. The asians are doing pretty fine as competitiors, but their cars are a little bit more expensive for the same specs and the in-built quality could be questionable, besides Mazda CX-5 which shares some common ground with the Kuga anyway, but has better interior quality even for the rear seats (at a higher price tag).

[justinfrancis]

I have an FHEV Kuga and the best thing about it is the way it drives.Its just amazing to handle.Looks stunning as well in Agate black and 19 inch alloy wheels.So glad i went for it.Its a perfect blend for an SUV.

[BeesonsCars]

These are literally everywhere here in the US as the Escape and I think they look wonderful in person. The interior is subpar, but the exterior looks very premium.

[chequeredflag]

I'm just glad old verdict animations are back.

[hloniphanintombela]

i bought 2014 kuga tdci awd titanium and i still love it. there is a lot to love in that car, i love the curve control function. the car came with lots of tech that only became popular now!

[bravorabbit]

Just wow Ford. I’m a big fan of American cars, I’ve owned Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Chevrolet and Ford and i can state with confidence that non of the brands mentioned can keep up with ford, engine wise and reliability and toughness with awesome features, now the other brands have their own good and bad features but after 4-5 years of daily drive in a really hot temperatures area i can state that Ford is such an awesome brand and it is reliable more than you can imagine.

[vx]

Easily one of the all-around best values in this price range ever. It's the one I'd get if I wear in the market for a small SUV.

[mlnd]

Thieves had no idea until now that the new Kuga's load cover has a gap. Now they do, thanks Mat!😂😂

[pierriebezuidenhout]

The Wobbly center console has been a standard feature since 2012, my 2014 has the premium wobbly center console which comes with free squeaks!

[ryannajames]

Honestly just love the front design of these new ford vehicles especially the escape.

[theoquarshie]

hahahaha. I must admit, Mat's car reviews are always the best. I just love this guy. His tips are always good, and always on point. I like the honesty as well.

[Derively]

This Kuga is beautiful. I've seen some on the streets, and I even sat in one, and it's great.

[peterenis]

I like what ford is doing with their cars latelly. New focus looks amazing too.

[husk]

my dad has one too, its super nice to drive. the brakes are indeed pretty grabby which felt pretty odd, they also feel pretty sensitive.

[nigelcarpenter]

have a 2011 2.0 tdci kuga, 120.000 miles & apart from a dpf atomizer replacement/servicing it's a brilliant car, thoroughly recommend & this would be an ideal replacement when mine dies