owners about their plug-in hybrids

Dutch importer Ford also saw the Ford Kuga PHEV as interesting. It removed the 1.5-liter EcoBoost from its price lists at the end of last year, so the SUV is now only available with a plug-in. The 2.5 with electric boost delivers 225 horsepower to the front wheels, and a CVT-style automatic transmission provides the gears. Although … more on that later.

Provide space and seating comfort

The Kuga is, of course, an SUV-like car in the Focus segment, and therefore should be able to fulfill the role of both a business and family car. whether this works? “spacious!” As an added bonus, this driver writes, “Even I, at 1.92m, have plenty of headroom behind the wheel. That was part of the reason I bought the car.” Others praise the space, too. “I have room left in the back seat when I sit behind me (6 feet). Trunk space is also good,” wrote the driver of the 2020 Kuga PHEV Titanium.

So people are very excited about the space available, but that doesn’t automatically guarantee a comfortable seat. Many owners complain about the seats that Ford equipped. “Unfortunately, the seat of the electrically adjustable chair is too short (and I’m not particularly tall) and it’s also too flat. Despite the situation, I haven’t yet found a good position and it won’t be easy given the shortness of the seat,” one such experience. The optional multi-adjustment seats chosen by another driver also turned out to be less than ideal. “The seats are on the short side and the lateral support could be better too. I took the most expensive 10-way adjustable seats, but they still fall a little short compared to the perfect seats in the Volvo V60.”

Not everyone thinks furniture is cool in the back either. “Obviously the least good point is the position of the rear seats. After two hours of driving, I heard our sons complain of pain in their buttocks,” writes the Kuga ST-Line driver who describes the front seats as “very good.” In any case, there is no shortage of luxury: “The space on the boat is very pleasant for the tall ones in the back. They were also very pleased with the heated seats in the back,” writes this enthusiastic user.

Kuga driving characteristics according to the owners

For many people, the Ford brand is synonymous with driving dynamics. Whether the Kuga’s heavy weight of more than 1,700 kg also offers it? This driver has a clear opinion on this matter. Autoweek articles often talk about Ford’s excellent handling, but I can’t say it beats any of the cars I’ve driven in previous years. So this is a bit of a setback. On roundabouts in particular, I find the car somewhat lean and roll on its longitudinal axis. It is also difficult on speed bumps due to the high weight, the car really falls through with its hooves.

Also at higher speeds, the weight seems to play tricks on the Kuga. “The car is quite heavy and the focus of the whole car is economy. I noticed that when evading at high speeds (+ 160 km / h in Germany) and with a dead battery, the car is also less smooth at high speeds, ”the ST Line driver writes. Then he qualifies: “But that’s part of choosing this type of car, it’s not a real sports car, of course.”

Drivers of the 2023 Kuga PHEV are paying extra attention to the powertrain. “Now for the PHEV thing, that works very well. The technology is ‘copied’ really well in Toyota, of course, big block Atkinsons with electronically variable transmission, and that whole thing works really well,” he says. “I’m so glad Ford made synthetic gears in it, so that you still have the feeling that the box is shifting.”

Ford Kuga pre-facelift.

Electric driving with Kuga

We note from the tone in the reviews that Ford appeals to a wider audience with this car. Where we sometimes read in other models of the brand how well they hold the road in fast corners, most Kuga PHEV drivers seem to take it a little easier. This is also evident when we look at the electric driving range. Many drivers achieve values ​​higher than the 56 km set by Ford. One of these drivers wrote: “The maximum that I drove this summer on a single battery charge is 84 km.” “Under favorable conditions and a top speed of 95 km / h. You really have to try your best, accelerate slowly too, but it is possible!” In addition, this constantly connected driver has an average fuel consumption of 1 in 80.

Another driver writes: “The car also performs great as a mobile tractor.” “Then I select the ‘Eco’ driving mode along with ‘EV later’. I leave with a full battery. The selected driving mode drains the battery to 80 percent. Every electric kilometer regenerated is used instantly. Among the 1,300 kilometers on the way to France , which means that more than 300 km can be driven electrically. This combination (even without a caravan) is the most economical. With a caravan, the fuel consumption is 1 to 13.9: I haven’t succeeded with any other car. “

Information, entertainment and communication

Ford has long supplied cars with its Sync system, which Kuga drivers are looking for in version 3. Kuga PHEV driver Vignale says: “The Sync 3 system is not always very complex or intuitive, you can clearly see that car manufacturers are not software developers.” There have been occasional issues with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.”

Another contestant submits a contribution. “The media system is equipped with Sync 3 and works fine. However, the speech recognition is pathetic, what an inconvenience! Now I manually set the destination in the navigation. Apple CarPlay (with Siri) could solve this problem, but unfortunately it only works wired, not wireless.

disturbances and irritability;

As mentioned earlier, the Ford Kuga PHEV was recalled due to possible battery pack defects. Every model manufactured prior to June 26, 2020 received a replacement battery. People had to wait a relatively long time to implement this recall campaign, it took a while before Ford had enough new battery packs at its disposal. In the meantime, they compensate riders with a fuel credit for lost electric miles. Says one affected owner: “As a Kuga PHEV driver, we’ve all had battery issues, but that was resolved in March 2021. Ford has carefully paid the fuel balance. That takes the pain away.” Another driver corroborates the experience: “In an introductory letter I received upon picking up the Kuga, Ford offers an additional fuel voucher for €300 inconvenience, on top of the other fuel voucher, and an extended warranty. I’m glad we can finish this way.” This driver is also reporting a steering system issue, which was also reported by another owner.

This is not to say that the Kuga is now a completely trouble-free car. For example, many owners think the hat rack is worn out. “My luggage cover is very sensitive to winds. In a strong wind, it could blow off its place and completely damage it like that. Mademoiselle,” this driver concludes. And like many electric and plug-in cars, the Kuga can also be stranded with a dead 12-volt battery. One contestant experienced this twice.

Thus, the experiences with the Kuga Plug-in Hybrid are, after some start-up issues, mainly positive. This Kuga reportedly doesn’t drive as sharp as one would expect from a Ford, but the smooth and economical powertrain makes up for a lot. The electric range also doesn’t feel like a wash, the Ford regularly performs better than promised. There’s certainly no shortage of space, but according to many owners, the seats and infotainment system could be improved. Good news: It looks like the updated Ford Kuga will feature a new infotainment system.