Ford Kuga review

Way back in the mists of time when God was a boy and I was a fresh-faced cub reporter, Titanium trim was about as fancy as Fords got.

Along with the famous Ghia badge, Titanium sat at the top of the tree - a sign that here was a Ford packed with the latest technology and luxury features. In those days that meant parking sensors, CD multichangers, auto air con and cruise control.

Fast forward a “few” years and things have changed. I’m not so fresh-faced, CDs aren’t a thing any more and even city cars have air con and cruise control.

Furthermore, Titanium is no longer the top tier for Fords, in fact, when it comes to the tested Kuga SUV, it’s one step up from the bottom-rung Zetec.

That’s not to say that it feels low spec even by today’s lofty standards. In fact, it’s still a massively well equipped car with leather seats, an eight-inch smartphone-connected media screen and a solid suite of driver aids. The LED headlights are auto-dimming, there’s dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, ambient cabin lighting and “premium” B&O sound system.

I admit I noticed the omission of heated seats from that list during an icy week with the Kuga but Ford’s marvellous Quickclear heated windscreen came into its own, speeding up the defrosting process and saving my fingers from the icy pain of scraping the glass.

Our test car was relatively low on options but the £1,000 Driver’s Assistance Pack added front and rear cameras, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning and active park assist to the standard lane keep assist, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking and post-collision braking.

So mid-range it may be but there’s not much you’d miss in day-to-day driving.

This Kuga is the third generation of Ford’s popular family SUV, built on a new platform to offer improved safety, reduced weight and improved performance through better aerodynamics and hybrid drivetrains - more on them later.

It’s hard to claim that the new looks are an improvement. The latest Kuga has carried on Ford’s apparent love for aping Aston Martin design. If you squint you’ll see hints of the DBX on the longer, more sloping front end but it’s not an improvement over the old one, even if it is better for aerodynamics and pedestrian safety. The rest of the body is a subtler, slightly sleeker advance on the old model - longer than before and on a stiffer chassis for improved crash safety and handling.