Extensively updated
The Ford Kuga is getting a fairly major facelift. After a relatively intensive treatment on the cutting table, the SUV returns home with a new front, a subtly refreshed rear and a revised interior.
Do you remember when we in Europe had to wait a very long time for the arrival of the last European generation of the Ford Mondeo? It was already presented as Mondeo in 2012, while the Americans could already smell their almost identical Fusion. Ultimately, the Mondeo only came to the Netherlands at the end of 2014. We don’t have to wait that long for the updated Kuga, but this model also came to the United States earlier. In 2022 we could already show you the facelifted Escape, the American variant of the Kuga. Now the updated Kuga has finally also been presented for Europe.
Ford Kuga (2019-2024).
The Ford Kuga came on the market in Europe in 2019 and now gets a completely new face. The SUV gets a completely different look with the arrival of new headlights. The light units are not as high in the front and are also much flatter than the more pulled back versions of the original. This time the headlights are pressed completely against the edge of the hood and have been given a stubborn nod. The grille is also completely new. It is not as high and connects to the hood just like the new binoculars. The Ford logo can now be found in the center of the grille and no longer between the grille and the hood. At the very top of the grille you will find an LED strip that suggests that the headlights are connected. The strip appears to continue into the light units.
The changes to the rear are less drastic. The rear lights remain almost completely intact, although the layout of the light units has been adjusted. Lower on the buttocks there is revised bumper work. More interesting news is between the taillights and that bumper. The tailgate handle, which was previously located at the bottom center of the tailgate, is now hidden under the awning above the license plate.
Interior renewed Ford Kuga
The interior has also been overhauled. Ford is installing, among other things, a new, significantly larger infotainment screen. The new display has a diameter of 13.2 instead of 12.3 inches. The system runs on SYNC4. The button island lower on the center tunnel has also been renewed. It looks simpler and it is. More functions have now been incorporated into the infotainment system. Furthermore, the 12.3-inch digital instruments are new.
Ford Kuga (facelift).
Always plug-in hybrid
In the Netherlands, the updated Ford Kuga is, as before, only available as a plug-in hybrid. The ‘original’ had a system power of 225 hp, but the 2.5 four-cylinder petrol engine and the electric motor now together produce 243 hp. The battery pack remains unchanged with a capacity of 14.4 kWh. The electric range is 69 kilometers. Don’t care about that electric range? Then you pedal it to a speed of 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds. This means that the updated Kuga reaches 100 km/h from a standstill no less than 2 seconds earlier than before. Furthermore, the maximum towing capacity has increased by 30 percent to 2,100 kilos.
The Ford Kuga was available in the Netherlands as Titanium, ST-Line, ST-Line This version has a grille with black vertical bars and skid plate-like parts at the front and rear. This version also has a black roof and ditto side mirror caps. This rougher variant is 10 mm higher on its legs at the front and 5 mm at the back. Moreover, it has a Trail Drive mode.
The new Ford Kuga can be ordered immediately and has a starting price of €43,350.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl