Ford Kuga PHEV on long-term test: a plug-in hybrid that really grows on you

On paper, plug-in hybrids appear to be the best all-rounder for a greater number of drivers – offering the low costs and lack of emissions of an electric car in town, with the range and long-distance cruising ability of an internal combustion engine. How does Ford's latest family SUV suit the hybrid treatment? 

• Our car: Ford Kuga Vignale PHEV

• List price when new: £37,795 OTR

• Price as tested: £38,635

• Official fuel economy: 201.8mpg (WLTP Combined)

• Fuel economy on test: 51mpg

The big steel shutters of Ford’s press garage rattled down behind me when I took delivery of this vehicle. The facility was itemised as a production site and, as with all Ford’s such facilities, it was closing during lockdown. Gary Cuthbert, Ford’s renowned press garage boss, locked the gate and walked down the road to his waiting car.

“Don’t know when we’ll see each other again,” he said. “So look after it.”

Three weeks later I interviewed Andy Barratt, Ford of Britain MD, on the company’s preparations to start production of ventilator units at its Dagenham factory.

“You got a Kuga Pea-Hev out of the press garage?” he said. “That’s like the last chopper out of Saigon, even I can’t get one.”

In fact, Ford’s press garage was over-run with the things. In preparation for the UK launch of its new plug-in hybrid family SUV, Cuthbert’s team had to prepare up to 25 new Kuga PHEVs for evaluation. That launch never took place.

Kuga – a complicated history

It’s strange that as an American company, Ford has launched such a shocking series of SUVs in the UK. The Kuga has ended up carrying the flag for the blue oval’s SUV credibility for many years. Its gestation was chaotic, however; rushed into production in 2008 to meet a growing demand for family-sized (or C-segment) SUV sales, the result was  shapely if rather crude.

Then someone at Ford recalled that it sold the similar-sized Escape SUV in America, so the second Kuga in 2012 was designed in Europe and was also sold as the third-generation Escape in the US. It was a bit boxy and dull, but it drove well. The previous Escape hybrid  was dropped as Ford claimed its 1.6-litre Ecoboost petrol was more economical, though that engine was subject to a massive recall after a series of engine bay fires.

Now we have the third-generation, Spanish-made Kuga, which is also built in America as the fourth-generation Escape – keep up at the back. The lines are curvaceous and bold (like the original Kuga), and it’s 44mm wider, 89mm longer and a bit lower than its predecessor, but also up to 80kg lighter thanks to special steels in the body and lighter mechanicals.

Those body curves work hard to relieve the bulk and the front end is classy like a premium competitor, though I’m not completely convinced by the side views.

The line-up 

The Kuga range has a choice of two conventional turbo petrol units; a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder Ecoboost turbo, with 118 and 148bhp, and there are a couple of four-cylinder turbodiesels; a 118bhp 1.5-litre and a 187bhp 2.0-litre unit. The petrol engines have exclusively manual transmissions, the 1.5 diesel gets a choice of manual or auto, and the 2.0-litre is exclusively automatic, with four-wheel drive.

Joining this choice however, are three hybrid options: mild hybrid, self-charging hybrid and this, the Plug-in hybrid or PHEV.

The PHEV has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine using the efficient Atkinson combustion cycle, a motor generator and a 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery with the engine and motor linked to the front wheels via a planetary gear set. It's very similar to Toyota's hybrid system and though Ford claims it came to the same design independently, royalties were paid.

Peak power is 222bhp, with up to 35 miles of electric-only driving, a pretty academic fuel consumption figure of 201.8mpg and equally unrealistic CO2 emissions of 32g/km. Top speed is 124mph (though it will drive up to 85mph on electric power), with 0-62mph in 9.2sec.

Over five months (and not charging it too much), the fuel consumption on a calibrated odometer has never wavered much from 51mpg.

Charging up

The front wing contains an external charging port, which will charge in 6hrs on a 13A, 3kW household supply, and 3.5hrs on a 7kW wall box for which Ford will charge you £650, so shop around before you pay for this. There's no high-current DC charging option.

You can chose to use the battery charge in a number of ways, selected on the facia: EV auto; EV now; EV later; and EV charge all do what they say on the switch - EV charge uses the petrol engine to charge the battery, which is highly inefficient, but essential if you need to cross an electric vehicle-only zone.

When the battery reaches its lowest charge state, the settings revert to EV auto, which most efficiently blends petrol and battery power. As well as providing zero emissions, electric-only propulsion, the motor generator regenerates braking energy and stores it in the battery.

The interior

There’s a lot of room in this Kuga, and with just five seats and a sliding rear bench the load space can be expanded up to 654 litres. You can split-fold the rear seats 60/40 per cent and with all of them folded there’s a 933-litre load bed.

The most popular trim level is the £35,185 ST Line, but my car was the top model £37,785 Vignale. It has a lot of kit: 19-inch wheels and tyres, red brake calipers, roof rails, heated and power-folding mirrors, automatic headlamps, heated screen and sports suspension, and inside a 12.3-inch screen instrument cluster, with a head-up display, heated and leather trimmed seats, a B&O sound system with noise cancellation, all-round parking sensors, a powered tailgate and cruise control.

In addition our test car had an £850 Driver's Assistance pack comprising adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, blind-spot information, front and rear view cameras and door-edge guards. It's expensive, yes, but you'd pay handsomely in the options list of most of the Kuga's rivals.

And the interior feels very grand indeed, with lovely comfortable seats and well-tailored and fitted upholstery; very premium and nicer than some of them, too. The facia is unremittingly dark, but feels nice to touch, with high quality plastics linking good-looking screens. It doesn't quite have the panache of rivals such as Peugeot's 3008, but it's practical and easy to use.

The steering wheel controls for the digital instrument binnacle display aren't quite as intuitive as those for the central touchscreen but familiarity helps. I also like the rotary gear selector, which used to be a feature of Jaguar cars.

The rear seats are comfy and even on the most forward setting are big enough for three six-footers abreast; on the rearmost setting the Kuga is a limousine. The PHEV version takes 64-litre luggage space hit over its conventionally powered siblings to accommodate the battery.

On the road

Weighing 1,844kg, the PHEV is 280kg more than the equivalent Kuga 1.5 petrol. That’s the equivalent of three extra passengers and luggage, although the vehicle pulls away quite smartly as the system will always try to use the electric motor to start because of its maximum-torque-at-zero-revs characteristics.

The PHEV driving experience is designed to combine the advantages and drawbacks of electric and petrol motoring and there's no doubting the smoothness and swiftness of the electric driving modes. It's also satisfying to feel that all that forward motion in being turned into electrical energy when you slow down. When you ask for full throttle or the electrical charge is running low, however, the shock of the growling engine interrupting your peaceful electric-only progress feels almost impertinent.

What's also less than well worked is the continuously variable transmission, which gives a rubber-band effect when you floor the throttle and the growling engine noise which cuts in when you least expect it.

The extra weight gives the damping a lot to do to control the body and you can feel the strain at times, as the body heaves over undulating surfaces and the heavy rear-mounted battery bounces the rear end. The 19-inch Continental tyres resound off sharp-edged bumps and the quiet cabin means that tyre noise is more noticeable. The ST Line trim rolls on 18-inch rims which should be more accommodating of poor UK roads.

As you’d expect with a Ford, the handling is positive and secure, with good turn-in to corners and supple body control through them. The steering is well weighted and has a lovely feel just off the dead centre. The brake pedal has good grab and the anchors are powerful and linear stoppers, but right at the end when you come to a stop the nose dips as the retardation braking comes to an end.

There’s not a great deal of torque steer tugging at the wheels of this front-drive vehicle, if you are over enthusiastic with the throttle while manoeuvring there's a lurching sensation as the electric motor throws all its torque into the drivetrain, which needs a care to avoid. Similarly if you start on a hill, the Ford fair leaps away from the standstill, which needs a care.

EV auto is certainly the easiest of the selectable modes, where the car is left to sort things out and it’s largely what I’ve done over the last few months. Driving gently in that mode and starting with a full battery sees an average of 51mpg with an indicated 3.7 miles/kWh efficiency and a projected 38 miles of EV driving from the next full recharge.

Charging costs and tax status

With just 10 per cent benefit-in-kind tax banding rising by a single percentage point in each of the next three years, the Kuga PHEV should make financial sense for the business user even though the Government grants for these vehicles have now been stopped.

If you charge the PHEV Kuga using the Ford Pass app on off-peak electricity at around 10p per kWh, then your first 30 miles or so each day will cost just £1.44. Plug in at work and your commute will cost no more than £15 a week. What the PHEV Kuga can't effectively do, however, is travel long distances on electric power alone, the charging rate is too slow unless you really love motorway coffee.

Conclusion

All in all, however, it’s been a grower. Like all PHEVs the Kuga is a bit heavy and a bit compromised, but once you’ve figured out what it does best, it’s rather charming.

It also offers affordable independence and practicality which simply isn't available from pure battery-electric rivals at present, as well as a chance to do your bit for the environment on the most common short-run journeys.

The fact that it’s also rather good to drive comes as a rather unexpected bonus.

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