In contrast to many competitors, Ford does not want to completely abandon its combustion engine models – especially not its successful bestseller Kuga, the best-selling plug-in hybrid in Europe in recent years. Visually, the Cologne model, produced in Valencia, Spain, has been noticeably revised at the front and rear, while a new 13.2-inch touchscreen dominates the interior. “Since its premiere in 2008, the Ford Kuga has become a bestseller,” says Jon Williams, Managing Director of Ford Blue Europe. “With the new Kuga, we are now bringing the best version of this SUV model to date onto the road. It reaches a new level in terms of performance, connectivity and comfort.”
With the model update in summer 2024, the Ford Kuga not only gets a sharper exterior with new LED lighting units including optional matrix function, but in the future it will focus on electrified drives and rely on new driver assistance systems. The PHEV version 179 kW / 243 hp Kuga 2.5 PHEV achieves a purely electric range of almost 70 kilometers with a fully charged battery pack. The all-wheel drive Kuga Hybrid 2.5 AWD Hybrid (135 kW / 183 hp) can cover up to 64 percent of its journeys in city traffic emission-free and can cover around 900 kilometers and a maximum speed of 196 km/h on one tank of fuel. Both model versions can tow braked caravans, boat or horse trailers with a total weight of 2.1 tonnes. While the standard consumption of the Kuga 1.5 Ecoboost Hybrid is 6.3 liters, the plug-in hybrid is satisfied with 0.9 to 1.2 liters per 100 kilometers.
The outgoing Ford Kuga is currently not only offered as a 190 and 225 hp hybrid version, but also with a 1.5 liter turbo gasoline engine (110 kW / 150 hp) and as a 120 hp diesel. The diesel will be canceled in the future, while the 150 hp petrol engine with a manual transmission will remain in the range even after the facelift.