2024 Ford Kuga Review | Best Handling Family SUV

[@michaelgaughan4609]

Proper no nonsense review, well done.

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@michaelgaughan4609 thanks for watching!

[@DylansCarReviews]

That interior is so much nicer now! Finally looks updated. I used to love showing customers the Kuga when I worked for Ford. It's a great car

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@DylansCarReviews it’s a fantastic car to drive!

[@Dan-ln4fe]

It's literally the same interior with less buttons... What looks updated on that?

[@Sto79Be]

It’s ok, but it still looks incredibly dated. Especially around the centre air vents and air conditioning control area which just looks bulging and ugly!

[@brianbowers-x9q]

Is far cheaper and a much better car than a VW Tiguan

[@sheffield-weather-cam]

Just press and hold the lim buttron the steering wheel to turn off the annoying speed limit beeps, 1 button 👍🏻

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@sheffield-weather-cam I’m glad that more brands are going for a one button approach to this!

[@myothurazaw]

Navigation direction on HUD while using Apple car play is unheard of. If it is true, it will be nice.

[@joserubio947]

Hi, I have the 180 hybrid, no one can recommend what type of gasoline is best for this engine, 95 or 98 and in the previous one the screen could be turned off, in this one I can't find any option Could you help me, thanks

[@sbashir9460]

Thank you so much for this. Deciding between this and a Tucson. PHEV ST Line X v N line S Hybrid. I do think it will come down to the drive rather than how fancy the trim is and think the Ford edges it but will be having a longer test drive of the Ford just to be sure.

[@benny26]

Did you have the chance to drive an Active (X) trim? ST (X) seems a little stiff for the kids in the back on bad roads. I'm thinking that Active it's more comfortable, not just 2 cm higher.

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@benny26 I’ve been a passenger in an active, definitely less firm. The suspension in this didn’t bother me personally but some have commented it’s a bit stiff on certain roads.

[@lloydmillership9682]

314 miles per gallon dream on it would be breaking world records i drive a 1.5 ecoblue average 53mpg locally achieved 72mpg on a good run cant believe people think they will achieve that

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@lloydmillership9682 yeah exactly, the plug in hybrid figures for cars are based on ideal conditions and I don’t think are a fair representation. I was impressed to achieve the 53mpg rated for this full hybrid though

[@searchagent2801]

Well it is technically achievable by used ev now almost all the time. Over 180 miles I'm getting 298 mpg. However this is based on fuel mpg and not taking in to account the cost of electric. A little pop in to Tesco for some bread and chuck it on charge for the 15 mins free. All adds up.

[@rufdymond]

I have just yesterday had one of these cars for a 24 hour extended test drive - it was in ‘ST Line X’ trim. My impressions of the car was that it’s a decent car, with really good handling, and comfort, I also thought the stereo was pretty decent too. However, there were things I didn’t like. Although the screen is easy to use with regards to its layout, and I found it pretty responsive, I just hated the fact that things like the heating controls could only be accessed from the screen. Even though the controls are permanently visible, it’s impossible to change these without taking your eyes off the road. I took the car onto the motorway and trying to do this at 70mph is just down right dangerous. I didn’t think the build quality of the cabin was that great (apart from the seats), it’s certainly not as good as the cabins in some of its Korean, French, and German rivals which all come in at around the same price. Far too many scratchy cheap plastics, but even more concerning was that many of the surfaces had quite a bit of flex to them. I really don’t know how well the cabin would hold up with regard to its durability. However the thing that will probably be the deal breaker for me was the ride. Why Ford feels it is necessary to put sports suspension on a car like this is beyond me. Our roads here in the U.K. are not great, and every bump, pot hole, and bad road surface just sent shudders through the whole cabin, it drove me nuts. The Active trim which has softer suspension, or a model with smaller wheels might be better, but the ST Line X was just too harsh a ride for me. It’s a shame, because I really think this car has a lot going for it…..but that suspension, and the poor cabin quality make in a no for me. Will be test driving a Sportage next - which I know has a much better cabin, will be interesting to see how well it drives.

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@rufdymond your experience mirrors a lot of my thoughts. I have reviews of both the Tucson and the Sportage in the channel too. The hybrid system and steering feel of the Ford is definitely ahead, but the interior quality of the others is superior for sure!

[@searchagent2801]

St x with the 19s have been absolutely fine for me. Was worried about firmness coming from a galaxy with 17s but it's a perfect blend of comfort and handling in my opinion. Agree about the heating controls but has been easy enough to say alexa adjust temp, speed, etc. So no hands off steering needed.

[@rufdymond]

@@searchagent2801- Just to add to this….the car I had for the test drive was the PHEV version. Someone has since mentioned that the suspension on that version is extra stiff to account for the extra weight of the larger battery. I done know how true that is but it may have something to do with the extra harsh ride. I would have been looking to buy the FHEV version but they didn’t have one for the test drive.

[@rufdymond]

I’ve now finished my test drive of the Sportage HEV - had it for just over 1 hour. Have to say that I think the Kuga is much better to drive in every way, handles better, is more refined at lower speeds, and is quieter on the motorway too…..The Sportage seemed to have quite a bit of wind noise as I approached 70mph, it also seemed to rev quite a bit when accelerating from lower speeds, even with gentle acceleration……have some thinking to do.

[@searchagent2801]

​@rufdymond mine is the PHEV too. Ran out of electric last week and averaged over 50 mpg. Very happy.

[@davidpickard9393]

340 mpg does not include electric used to charge the battery so is a FIBB

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@davidpickard9393 I’m not a big fan of the huge mpg figures they use for plug in hybrids, real world testing its usually much lower especially if the battery is left to run out. Was impressed to achieve the rated MPG in this FHEV though.

[@searchagent2801]

I got the new Kuga phev and over 180 miles have done 298 mpg

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@searchagent2801 goes to show it is achievable if you keep it regularly charged at home. Its just not an easy figure for the average person to understand

[@searchagent2801]

​@ItsDanLatham yeah 💯 it's misleading as is calculated around charging often

[@andreiarama8745]

​@@ItsDanLathamfrom my knowledge the life of a battery is measured by the number of charging cycles. To achieve that fuel consumption figure you have to fully charge the battery all the time, maybe even daily. I know that most of the buyers don't care about this because they lease the car and it's on to the next buyer

[@JeremyGeduldt-m2h]

Dan Latham test drive Ford Kuga 2023 facelift in Britain .

[@JeremyGeduldt-m2h]

Ford have black badge & a matt blue oval Ford in white that is new original gloss badge have Ford in silver .

[@brianbowers-x9q]

Any stated MPG figures are not accurate at all on any new car it all depends on how heavy your right foot is. But to be perfectly honest it all depends on what badge you want to drive. These days vw ar building ford connect for ford and ford are going to build transit size van for vw so really there all much of a much

[@jaymo2970]

Climate control is easier than most Dan, just touch the button on steering wheel ask to change Climate? No need for fiddling with touch screen.

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@jaymo2970 true! The voice system is better than some others I’ve tried, but a lot of people still prefer at least a couple of buttons for it. As I mentioned, its definitely better than the most recent VW system

[@orbitspec9199]

Mate, when you get to 40 you dont want to feel the gradient of the road. You stop giving a toss about handling and steering wheel responsiveness. Why do you want any of that unless you wanna pretend you're playing grand tourism 😂

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@orbitspec9199 depends on the person. I know plenty of people beyond that age that are driving enthusiasts - but like you say also plenty that just want something practical to run the family from A to B!

[@dragosaxinte4929]

46 here and I like to know the gradient :)

[@martyk2020]

Still years behind the competition.. interior is dated with its basic slap on infotainment ipad.. awful looking

[@brendysss-wg6io]

Bet my st line smokes what you are driving 😂

[@chris.hinsley]

I have one. Simple terrible :(

[@lloydmillership9682]

Why tell people you'll get 314 miles per gallon utter rubbish totally unachievable best likely is between 55to 60 mpg the car is too highly price the reviewer. Doesn't alert people to the added higher rate of VED if the price is 40k or above. Adding ANOTHER 3K TO YOUR BILL for up to 6 years 😅😅😅😅

[@ItsDanLatham]

@@lloydmillership9682 I specifically stated that those figures can be highly unrealistic. Also it’s very common knowledge in the UK now that all cars over £40k have this increase - it’s been this way for a while and I’d waste lots of time in many of my reviews saying this