The Ford Kuga: A European Star Gets an American Facelift

It often happens that European or Asian-launched cars do not make it to the USA until the following year. But the Ford Kuga is a rare exception to that rule. On American soil, the crossover goes under the name Escape and went through a facelift at the end of 2022.

However, it took around two years for that "refresh" to arrive on the European market, which will be available this month. 

The rebranded bumper, headlights, grille, and hood offer the vehicle a boxier look, similar to the SUV design that dilutes the relative connection with Focus, thus receiving a modern appearance.

For instance, there is now a light bar running along the leading edge of the hood, which expands across the top part of the headlight and offers the vehicle newfound confidence.

Titanium, ST-Line, and Active trim grades all have their unique aspects, but perhaps the most successful one is the Active one, whose faux skid plates, black fender, and sill moldings offer Kuga an SUV-like attitude.

Moreover, the trim comes with an extra 0.4 inches of ride height to back that up, though you are doubtful to feel any benefit when driving. Buyers interested in performance-focus should take a look at the ST-Line trim; then again, it is mainly an appearance package, and Ford still doesn’t offer an authentic Kuga ST.

However, the big news hides inside, where a 13.2-inch touchscreen rocks the latest Ford Sync4 software and claims to hold power over double the processing power of the outgoing setup. It masters wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 5G connectivity, and a built-in Alexa for assuring top-tier functionality. Alongside is a new Trailer Tow Navigation feature that lets drivers pick a route that prevents awkward turns and low bridges.
The rest of the interior aspect remains untouched, but Ford decided to clean up the design by moving the climate controls to the touchscreen. 

Ford engineers were also very busy under the hood. The main engine is a 148 HP 1.5-liter EcoBoost, and the only options are hybrids. There are two 2.6-liter standard hybrid choices, one that fires 178 HP only to the front wheels, while the second shares 181 HP between all four, whereas the sole outgoing Kuga Hybrid was a 187 HP front driver.

A PHEV version of the 2.5-liter continues to crown the lineup, now firing 240 HP to the front wheels instead of 222 HP.

Kuga always seemed a little feeble to our minds but turned out to be a competent crossover, whose strong sales demonstrated that the crowd appreciated that. The improvements may not be groundbreaking, but they will surely catch punters' eyes.