Ford has revealed its facelift for the Kuga SUV which features more gadgetry and other premium touches than ever before. Making its public debut appearance at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, the updated Kuga will go on sale towards the end of this year.
Exterior and interior updates
The most noticeable change to the exterior design of the Kuga is the new trapezoidal, two-bar grille which is reminiscent of the upcoming Ford Edge SUV and the compact Ecosport crossover.
Other exterior updates include the self-adjusting bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, new fog lamps, plus restyled rear taillights. A new selection of alloy wheels, in 17-, 18- and 19-inch sizes, are also included.
The interior of the facelifted Ford Kuga is more streamlined with fewer buttons cluttered around. A new electronic parking brake is also found inside.
Also inside is Ford’s new Sync 3 infotainment system with an eight-inch touchscreen and the ability to support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto apps.
New engines and driving tech
The engine line-up for the facelifted Kuga features a brand new 1.5-litre TDCi diesel unit producing 120bhp and hooked up to a front-wheel drive powertrain. With this engine, the Kuga officially averages 64.2mpg and emits 115g/km of CO2, making it the most frugal in the Ford Kuga’s line-up.
Other engines for the Kuga include a 2.0-litre diesel with 150bhp or 180bhp. With the former output, both front and four-wheel drive are available while four-wheel drive is exclusive with the latter output. There’s also a 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with outputs of 120bhp and 150bhp.
Updated Kuga models with four-wheel drive come with a semi-autonomous, hands-free perpendicular parking assist. Other driving gadgets available include Cross Traffic Alert which aids drivers reversing out of a parking space. Also, there’s an updated version of Ford’s collision avoidance system called Active City Stop, which now works at speeds of up to 31mph – that’s 12mph higher than before.
