Ford Kuga: The All-New Model Comes With 3 Different Hybrid Units

FORD KUGA

COMPLETE MAKEOVER WITH 3 DIFFERENT HYBRID UNITS.

Words by Marco Rallo

Since its arrival in 2008, the Kuga has always represented the quintessential SUV for Ford. Then flanked by the smaller and cheaper EcoSport and the more refined Edge, it nevertheless maintained its slice of customers through three generations, punctually arriving every 4 years. With a slight advance compared to our hypothetical timeline, the new generation Kuga is completely renewed and anticipates several and substantial innovations that will undoubtedly contribute to pleading its own cause, keeping high the interest of an increasingly demanding and increasingly more educated clientele, especially with regard to topics such as technology and environment.

But before we go deeper into what are the technical details of the new SUV of the blue oval, we cannot help but dwell on the design, twisted if compared to the penultimate and more muscular series, but perfectly in line with another model recently updated by Ford: the Focus. The new Kuga does not become a hatchback though, but while maintaining important dimensions, it assumes in a clear and decisive manner the appearance of an XL-sized Focus. If you had become accustomed to that massive front end of the previous one – made even more aggressive by the ST line spec – you might need more time to assimilate the shapes of the model unveiled in Amsterdam last month, but once you have overcome the initial astonishment you will be able to find the typical stylistic features of the company, which will do nothing but give you the references you’ve been looking for so far.

In a nutshell, designers have gone for a more fluid line, an apparently more elongated shape thanks to the low front hood that manages to combine rounded cornered headlights, while at the rear they retain more squared profiles, in line with the tailgate and the same bumper, able to make the profile of the SUV even slimmer. Inside we have a strong update that does not necessarily imply a distortion of the forms but rather of the contents, with the 8-inch touch display in the middle of the dashboard, right above radio and climate controls. A 12.3-inch fully digital screen lies in front of the driver’s nose.

Finally, guaranteeing a weight saving up to 90 kg compared to the outgoing model and a better torsional rigidity, the Kuga range presents for the first time the possibility to choose between 3 different types of hybrid propulsion, namely Full-Hybrid, Mild-Hybrid with the 2-liter and 150 hp EcoBlue diesel engine that allows recovery and energy storage during deceleration of the car and a Plug-In Hybrid with a 2.5cc petrol engine combined with an electric motor and 14.4 kWh lithium-ion batteries, for a total power of 225 hp. It will only take 4 hours to fully charge the battery pack with the car next to a socket and it will be possible to take advantage of the energy recovery with the car running of course. The gearbox can be automatic or manual – always a 6-speed – and the other units include the 1.5 Ecoboost available with 120, 150 or 182 horsepower, or the 1.5 TDCI with 120 hp or the 2.0 TDCI with 150 or 180 horses, everyone with traction on front wheels or on all four wheels.