Ford Kuga Review

Last week I was given the opportunity of test driving a Ford Kuga, and I thought I would share my Ford Kuga Review with you. We are currently on the hunt for a new family car, so this was a perfect exercise! The Ford Kuga is a family car, with a roomy interior and ample boot space. My overall perceptions were good with a few minor issues that Ford need to iron out long-term.

What I loved:

One of our main criteria was our new car should have an automatic gearbox, and the Kuga is a 5-Tronic automatic transmission with manual mode, so that was a big plus. I do a great deal of driving, and I find an automatic a more comfortable drive for day-to-day school runs and sitting in traffic.
I loved the power that the Kuga has, which is ideal for overtaking and overall I found it to be a smooth, comfortable ride.
I also really loved the height of the vehicle, which gives you great visibility when driving (especially for a shorty like me). I much prefer driving it to a sedan.
Both the interior and exterior are ergonomically designed and pleasing to the eye. The interior leather trim is sleek and stylish. I liked the racing style steering wheel. (deep down I am a bit of a petrol head!)

The Kuga has backseat mounted tray tables, perfect for all your kiddies goodies.
The interior is spacious, with more than enough leg room in the back and the front.
The Kuga has a great SONY Radio/CD/MP3 with eight speakers, which are somewhat powerful(I like my music loud!) and steering wheel audio controls. It also has Bluetooth and Voice Control.
You can easily and comfortably fit three passengers in the back, and each person has a seatbelt, perfect for lifting children home from school.
There is also a pull-down panel in the middle of the two back seats that has drink holders, great for holding juice bottles so that they are not rolling around the back of your car leaking juice everywhere.
There are additional drink holders in the front between the driver and passenger seats, as well as a storage area with a cover.
The seat warmers in the driver and front passenger seats are perfect for those cold winter days.

The boot has sufficient storage space for a full grocery shop, but I do think if you are considering long distance family travel a trailer would be necessary – well that is if you pack as we do!
Another impressive feature is the rear parking sensors with an audio signal, ideal for reverse parking into small spaces.

What I disliked:

One of the main negatives about the Kuga is that there is no automatic central locking feature and as a mom living in Cape Town I feel safer knowing that the doors lock automatically after a few seconds because let’s face it I do sometimes forget to lock the doors when I get into the car!
The other feature which although very attractive, being the panoramic glass roof(available with Titanium model), I feel will make the car very hot in summer. It does have a visor, but I still think it could still be an issue in our blazing hot summer sun.
There is currently no diesel option available in South Africa, which with the current petrol price would be a more economical choice.

One of the more important considerations for me, especially with our recent fuel price increase and more impending, was how fuel-efficient the Kuga is? According to the specks and our current fuel price, a tank will cost you in the vicinity of R750. With the average consumption stats you should get around 600-640kms per tank, but according to my calculations, after driving it for a week, I think it will be closer to 550km per tank.

The other factor you may want to take into account if you are considering buying a Kuga is that between the two models in the range, the Trend and the Titanium, the Trend is better value for money. The specs on the Titanium model, offer more luxury but in my mind, they are not worth the price difference.

Well, that concludes my Ford Kuga Review! I enjoyed driving the Kuga and would be a real consideration for us if we could buy a diesel model.

Disclosure

Ford SA has supplied me with the Ford Kuga for test driving and review purposes. No compensation was received for writing this post. We have no material connection to the brands, products, or services mentioned in this post. All information provided, including prices, are deemed correct at time of publishing. These are, however, subject to change at the establishment’s discretion. Please note that all opinions, content, and images are the property of Inspired Living or Fiona Rossiter unless otherwise stated. To see more, read the full PR & Disclosure Policy below.