Car Review: Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCi Powershift AWD

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If you can live with the odd name and the dumpy looks, the Kuga has plenty going for it. It’s obviously aimed at the family market, and it has the space and flexibility to be competitive in that particular segment. The boot in particular seems more generous than most of its competitors, with little storage space lost to the passenger compartment in this configuration.

There’s a commendably low loading lip, too, which is not always a given in these slightly high-up SUV/MPV crossovers. I like the tech in the car as well, and I am still amazed at the ability of any car to “park itself” once it/you have found a suitable space.

It’s sharper at spotting parallel parking possibilities than perpendicular parking possibilities, but once it’s set to work, the Kuga tucks itself in with alacrity, I found.

It boasts the usual sophisticated system of climate control, in-built sat nav, rear parking camera (for when you fancy having a go yourself), warnings about surrounding vehicles getting too close and a flexible all-wheel drive system that promises the right delivery of drive to the front and/or rear wheels whatever the conditions.

Again I can confirm that this system works remarkably well, the Kuga’s cornering belying its bulky appearance. It’s quite sinuous really, forgiving, and turns an erratic driver into one that much smoother. All good. My only niggle is that the cruise control is easy to accidentally turn off when you want the thing to go faster, because the buttons are too close together and laid out flat at the side of the steering wheel. I’m not sure you’d get used to that minor but alarming flaw.

I have to say that it didn’t do much for me as a looker, this Ford. The designers seem to have been at a bit of a loss over what to do with their compact crossover. Their modern Focus and Mondeo models, for example, are handsome and have a sense of their given purpose in life about them. They look the part.

The Kuga doesn’t, and looks ungainly next to, say, a Nissan Qashqai, still a class leader, or a Renault Kadjar or Kia Sportage. I’m tempted to say it won’t matter to many of the prospective buyers, but why should a utilitarian vehicle have unattractive looks?

As the late lamented Land Rover Defender demonstrated, form following function can be aesthetically pleasing.

Around the rear flanks the Kuga has quite a lot of Audi Q3 about it, but that’s not a good thing. The “ST-line model I tried had an extra body kit attached, but that didn’t make much difference, and if anything made it look a bit less lithe and sporty. Still it’s not as hideously weird as what Mercedes-Benz are serving up in the sector, so that’s something I suppose.

The Kuga, then, goes much better than it looks. I wouldn’t want to exaggerate, because the diesel engine takes a little too long to pick up its pace with the auto gearbox, even in “Sport” mode, but it is a very competent drive indeed. But you’ll never get used to the looks or the name. A shame.