New Ford Kuga Arrives

Parents with a penchant for crossovers, rejoice, as the new Ford Kuga is here. We’ve probably just described 70 per cent of the UK’s car-buying market there, so expect to see this updated version of the crossover flooding supermarkets near you soon. So, what’s new about it?

Well, if you’re in the US, you may be thinking not a lot and questioning our sense of time as really, this car is more than a year old. That’s kind of true, with the Kuga sold over there as the Escape which itself was refreshed a while back, but now the European version has been brought in line.

There’s a new hybrid engine and slight improvements to the existing ones

The most interesting change for the new Kuga comes inside, with the crossover getting Ford’s Sync4 infotainment software. Within that, a new mode for the sat nav has been introduced to make towing trailers or caravans a little less daunting, allowing you the ability to enter the dimensions of whatever is hitched to the back and calculate a route which won’t get you stuck. Holidaying to Skegness has never been easier.

Other tech changes include an improved adaptive cruise control system which is now able to brake for curves and junctions, and an aerial view for the optional 360-degree parking camera.

Visual changes at the front are pretty dramatic. A whole new, slightly more aggressive fascia comes with new headlights, a higher-set grille and a full-width LED daytime running light. By comparison, the rear remains the same as before.

Sync4 arrives with this refresh

You’ll be able to opt for a new all-wheel-drive self-charging hybrid, with an electric motor linked to a 2.5-litre four-pot which is good for a total of 181bhp. The rest of the engine line-up remains the same as before, albeit with some minute efficiency improvements.

No word yet on how much the updated Ford Kuga will cost but, if you’re interested, expect it to fetch about the same as the current £33,380 entry price.