Could the 2020 Ford Kuga PHEV be the best Hybrid yet ? 

So here's the deal. If you are willing to plug it in every night, and if you usually drive less than 35 miles each day, then this is a great electric car for daily use. AND, it is a great petrol car for those weekend road trips where you can just pull into the petrol station and fill it up in 10 minutes or so and not be constrained by the availability of an EV charging station. I think that a PHEV with 35+ miles of EV range is a perfect bridge vehicle until the charging infrastructure matures and EV charging speeds improve.

Can’t believe that I watched a Ford Hybrid review all the way 😀

As mentioned by others, it's great to see a normal car being reviewed. Old Top Gear did this before the idiots took over and although it was great for a while reviews like this should be more common. Thanks for giving such a balanced thoughtful review on the PHEV idea, it's a pity the manufacturers like Lexus are not more like you.

I have had mine for 3 days, commute from Worthing to Petersfield, so a mix of dual carriage, B roads and ascents/descents over the downs. Full charge of 35miles on my 32 mile journey and I still get between 6 and 9 miles left. Filled the tank with £44 of fuel and only used 10 miles of it so far.

Just ordered this on a 3year lease, looking forward to it! Great honest review that covered everything I need to know. I agree it’s not a quick car (unfortunately) 🤨 but still ticks all the boxes for a young family of 4 pottering around in the week then days out at the weekend 👌🏻

Always really good reviews. Pre-pandemic I was looking at going full electric but have decided PHEV is the way forward. This has really helped. Cheers

Excellent review of the car, covered all the key areas of interest and even a sales pitch for a well laid out dealership

Good review - I pick up an identical spec this week and this solidifies my choice, although i would say the boot space is bigger that my current previous model Kuga, so you don’t lose out in that aspect. Thanks for putting in this review!

This is easily the best quality review of the Ford Kuga. Well done. I am convinced and will be ordering one this week with panorama roof.

Mine's arriving this week, thanks for the review

Hi Ped Good to see the Pups again, obviously on their best behaviour. Good honest review, having watched this I am beginning to understand where such a car would fit. Always willing to learn, even if not totally converted!😉

Great review. This caught my eye when launched. Don't need a family car - but interesting package, design etc.

Nice review. Like it when run of the mill cars are reviewed 👍🏻

Good explanation of the hybrid function. 👏

Great review, glad they completely changed the styling, the old Kuga was one of my least favourite looking vehicles on the road, this looks really really good.

You have just thrown the cat amongst the pigeons with my decision making process, doh!! Thank you for a consice and informative assessment.

Another great Ford review, I think you might have convinced my Dad to go and test drive one of these!

I ordered one during lockdown and can’t wait to get it! I had been considering the Outlander PHEV but from what I’ve seen, this beats it. Until we have a network of EV charging stations, PHEV must be the way to go. Great video! Thanks

Thanks very much for your review. About to take delivery of PHEV soon from a diesel ST. Very informative review have to agree about the interior. Concerns over the economy range put to bed after putting vehicle into the different driving modes

I like the way you give a good overall view of the vehicles you test! My focus active has basically the same dash layout as the new kuga and as you say its minimalist but I've had my car 10 months now and I feel now it's quite practical hopefully the kuga will have the same effect on its new owners, the hybrid at the moment is bit of a tough choice I feel right now,🤔

Great impartial advice Ped (as always) 👍 I saw a new Puma the other day, I had to look twice, it looked really nice and I'm not a Ford person.

Great review. Im a big fan of plug in hybrids and feel they have a big part to play going forward. This Kuga looks the part and really fits the bill.

Great Review as always chap, keep up the quality as always ☘️

Clearly not a car you would want long term but you highlighted the Kuga's strengths for the market at which it is targeted. A frank and honest review which is what I know you strive to deliver. I think I see hints of the Edge in the rear end. Cheers Ped.

Good morning young man. You really have been a very busy bunny since lockdown has eased. 👍👍👍

Had mine three years now, despite issues such as HV and 12v battery issues( dealt with under warranty) the car is great to drive- particularly in sports mode where it definitely gets quite lively 😊

Brilliant review thank you.

Love your reviews. Earned my subscribe. Keep it coming

Good vid interesting petrol pups looking brill.

Hi Ped. Good review. As you say, Fords have quite basic interiors but I had 2 Focuses before my Mini and i must say they were both very reliable, comfortable and drove well. Not sure i would go full EV just yet but a PHEV does interest me to increase the range for such things as going on holiday in the UK. If i had the need for a family bus this would be worth considering :-)

Great videos mate and very nice explained ! Subscribed at a blink . Cheers from Greece

Thank you for a sensible review.

Another great video Pete.

Couple of things to note, the rear seats recline and move back and forward independently. The regen force can be adjusted by using the 'L' function on the gear shifter.

As a suv driver and having considered the Kuga back in Feb , ICE, this is good to know about. I had been in a CHR Phev and was very impressed with the seamless transition between power sources but disappointed with the CVT transmission . Having driven an older Golf GTE i felt the DSG was better. I believe this Kuga is CVT too. However as Seat are previewing the New Ateca Cupra but soley ICE as present perhaps they will come up with a performance PHEV later.

Hi pp 👍 brilliant review the car does look good. Perfect for 2 schnauzers!🐶🐶 keep up the good work!🥂

Impressed, very impressed

Thanks for the review, I like your channel.

Just ordered one of these (st-line) but have to wait around 2-3 month on delivery...really looking forward to it!

Obviously in the minority with plugging in every night (and also at the office)! I swapped from a 730d to 745le in Feb and I love it. Last tank was 116mpg. Most of my driving is to work and back, nearly all under electric. Long journeys it plummets but still usually north of 30mpg (not bad for a big old barge). What it does give is amazing refinement - suits the car. Understand it’s not for everyone but if it fits your needs, hybrids are great. Welcome to try it Pete :-)

I've had a 2010 CMax 1.8TDCI Titanium,2013 Vxl Astra 2.0CDTI SRI Sports Tourer &2016 CMax 2.0TDCI. All these car's were very reliable. The previous Kuga had the same layout as my CMax.

Great review Ped

Great video as always Pete! Never been a big Ford fan but in recent times have become a real convert. For family duties have ended up in a 2017 S Max Bi-Turbo TDCi Titanium Sport and genuinely have to say it's one of the best, if not the best car I have owned. Looks great, for a massive 7 seater goes like the clappers and drives better than many cars I have driven in recent years. Sure it wasnt a cheap car, it's also quite thirsty but its brilliant. Drove a new Focus 1.5 TDCi 120 ST Line X auto very recently too and was staggered by it, absolutely fantastic to drive and felt much much quicker than a 1.5 120hp car should have any right to.....only negative was the manual gear shifting was very very slow compared to the Powershift in the S Max but otherwise was very taken aback by it. I think they are really doing something right at the moment....never thought I'd say it but I'll probably be buying another Ford in future!

Agree 100% about the stickyuppy screens - just awful. I have the petrol Kuga ST and prefer the look of that but this will probably grow on me as the current focus did. Great review as always. Thank you.

Finally, a Ford C-Max replacement. I have a 2014 C-Max hybrid SEL with 100,000 miles on the odometer and it's the best car I've ever had with a very good ride and wonderful MPG. My car is not a plug-in and I drive on hybrid mode which lets the gas engine charge the battery. That gives the car drive-anywhere capability without having to look for a charging station and that flexibility removes mileage anxiety completely. The C-Max is a marvelous car and this Kuga is a C-max reborn with nice new refinements. I hope it comes to the US where I live very soon.

Great review, good to see a relatively normal car and a hybrid. I've had a Mercedes 350e for just over two years. The range is nowhere as good as the Kugs or newer EV cars but as a company car it was a no brainer. The Merc is good but a bit heavy because of the batteries in the boot. When the batteries are fully charged and I put it in Sport + mode I get the full 240pps!!!! I must be in a minority because I charge my car every day, or before I need it, a full charge takes 75 mins. Since new my rolling average is 58MPG. Hendy Ford are great, we bought my wifes' Fiesta there a couple of years ago, which is another superb car. Great customer service.

Love your reviews, I’ve seen a few of these on the road and am impressed with the looks. I’d never personally buy a ford though, I’ve had a number of friends who have had lots of issues on various models. I have a singer friend who had a Kuga ( pre-phev) and he had a central locking problem that didn’t get resolved in the 3 years that he owned it ! If ford couldn’t sort a central locking problem out, I wouldn’t part with my money and invest in a car that relied even more it’s electrical system. It’s such a pity because ford do make some really good looking vehicles

Based on this and other reviews (thank you!) purchased a Vignale model as I got a great price from a Ford dealer (demo car). Had the HV battery already replaced. So far...really enjoying the car. Charge nightly when needed, haven't used a drop of petrol in 4 weeks, but good it's there for our long trip coming up in a few weeks.

Please do more on these type of cars.

I have my Outlander phev for almost 2 years now, 30k miles driven, so quiet, spacious, no-nonsense dash, great to drive and to tow up to 1500kg and all wheel drive. Oh and plugged in every day at least once to get 44-50km/charge (3 hours ar 16A) a day which is enough for my needs most days.

Spot on and very clear... Thank you Pete....J

Good review that Pete

Great review Pedro. This will certainly be the benchmark for C SUV’s for a while.

I found that very interesting, thanks 👍

Your Best Review todate !👍🏻

Another great video, thanks Petrol Ped! Looks quite a lot like an Aston DBX also to me :D (in a good way). When using the car in the 'engine charging the battery' mode, realistically do you think that could keep the charge up? Or does it still need to be topped up on a wall charger as often as possible to feel the full PHEV benefit? Cheers!

That's a very interesting car and bearing in mind nobody pays list for a Ford, I bet it'll be flying out of showrooms. Very good review Pete.

Just ordered an ST Line X from Hendy Ford at Portsmouth. 2.0d 190 not hybrid but as you say, excellent service.

good review i like yourself hate those screens sitting on the dash

Like you, I value more performance but enjoyed this video right to the end- nice practical demonstration of the car.

Nice review . The price for the additional tech is still pretty steep but the execution looks really good

Nice review, if you hit L in the middle of gear selector you get increased regen.

To do the performance justice, you must try the acceleration in full hybrid mode where the combined torque from the electric motor plus the torque from the gasoline (petrol) engine are available. The car is actually quite quick in this mode. I drive a Ford C-Max Energi which has essentially the same engine/transmission/electric motor configuration and is is essentially a "sleeper" as far as acceleration is concerned.

Hi Pete, great review on the Kuga, not my cup of tea but still interesting. I finally ventured out today no more self shielding 🥳 and what did I see, a lovely new alpine A110 so a very good day for me. Take care mate 👍👍👍👍🏁

The Editor of Diesel and Eco Car, who I greatly respect, tests a very wide range of cars including many performance models and yet he favours Fords and even owns a Mondeo, as I recall.

Hi Ped. I did notice that even in ev mode, the engine temperature gauge was showing half-way - a bit strange. Defiantly agree with you about the interior being a bit plastic and cheap, but even VW are getting like that these days. Should be ordering one this week as Ford are doing really good deals at the moment. Thanks for a great review :-)

This car goes by 3 names kuga puma and escape. Lol neat to see what there named in other places of the world. Great review. Here in the USA a green car just ain’t in my future cars anytime soon. Love me a big v8. But I do enjoy these reviews for all the information! Sir Pete is like to see u review a full size truck like we have here in the states just to see your reaction

Very nice review, thanks! would you recommend the PHEV with a 40 mile each way daily commute or go for the diesel ST-Line? (we have PodPoint at work)

Great informative video Pete , any chance they can let you test a new Puma ??

Really enjoyed that, more so than the loud stuff to be honest (must be getting old!). Looks like a very useful car that would suit Mrs HMFs especially if the slippery mode would get it around the farm. Didn’t get if it’s petrol or diesel though?

Great video and review as always! Nice to hear the truth on it...especially when I’ve just ordered one....😂

On a granny charger, you wake up in the morning..... to find the replacement cable has also been stolen. Enjoyed your review

Another great Video not my type of car for my circumstances and not a big fan of hybrids, but must saying this new Kuga is a lot nicer in my eyes to the last generation and by what you say a cracking family hybrid cheap to run.

Poor lighting on the external shots. BUT, very nice review. Helped us make our mind up on one - the prices don't make sense. We got an ST Lines X 1st Edition for under £33k.

Crazy to me that people with PHEVs don't plug them in regularly. I had a Ford Fusion Energi, which only got 20ish miles per charge but plugged it in daily and regularly got 5,000-10,000 miles per tank, literally had an entire year pass where I never visited a gas station.With cars like this and the PHEV 4Runner, which are coming in with 30-50 mile ranges, plugging it in becomes even more useful.

Great review as always Ped. QQ - which Oakley's are those?

Excellent review and what got me subscribed to the channel and watching your other vids! Your video helped we with purchasing an st line kuga phev, looking forward to it and was pleasantly suprised with how it drove. Acceleration not as sluggish as the statistics although may be due to fact Ford do not publish the Torque statistics anywhere!??? Waiting couple months for delivery now, makes a change from my Golf R Estate 🤦‍♂️🤣 But have a plan to lease for a couple of years as a nice fully kitted family car till we start seeing a lot more affordable PHEV performance cars in the near future 👍 Thoughts on upcoming Octavia VRS PHEV?

Have been watching some of your videos. Really interesting and useful. Approximately how many kilometers the car need to be driven on internal combustion to restore the battery and start using it again? Also after you driven the Kuga Phev , if you have the choice you go for it or other brand or even the Kuga vignale ?

Hi, Great video, I am waiting for a new facelift to be launched soon Ford dealer from the Netherlands said a facelift is expected in 2022 Anyways, regarding your comment on the infotainment system At the first glance, many people have mixed feeling about the floating infotainment systems However, if you notice it blocks the sunshine on the screen and therefore increasing the screen visibility In old BMWs and new VAG cars with infotainment integrated into the dashboard, I sometimes find it difficult to read the details while driving in sunny conditions because of the reflection on the screen

Great review, as said well explained on how the Hybrid works, love the Colour of this, as you say it's a lazy design with the stick on tablet, all cars designers seem to do this. We currently have the Hyundai I30 SE NAV T-GDI estate, and previously the Ford Focus Zetec S Estate, I prefer the little 3 cylinder engines with Turbo, Estate for us as we have 2 Boxers to travel around with😃 We may be looking at the Toyota Corolla estate Hybrid in the future, love the spec of the sport. Cheers Russ..

I drive the Mitsubishi Phev and have averaged 44 mpg over the 104000 miles, I’m looking to replace it and the Kuga is on the short list

Very interesting video I actually love Ford currently drive a Mondeo ok not the best interiors but for the price cannot be beaten. I worry with Hybrids as you have more complexity from a servicing point of view. As most people drive less then 50 miles a day could be ideal especially if you can charge at work. I live in apartment so plugging in is not an option. Being a Ford I imagine there will be good discounts to be had but the list price of a Tesla model 3 is 42k and has more then enough range for daily driving plus the supercharger infrastructure. Keep up the great content. Thanks Ben

Good T-shirt!

I charge my BMW 225XE (company car) up at our work chargers, but not at home. Any right foot and the battery charge appears to drop rapidly, so you have to be really gentle if you want to make best use of it. It really has changed the way that I drive though, the braking regen means i am on the brakes gently early rather than last minute, but it also surprises many people when in sport mode at the lights ;) MPG is virtually meaningless, because it depends upon the length of the journey. if it has an electric range of 30 miles, but you only ever do 5 too and from work, then you will never use the petrol engine, 30 miles each way and it's a totally different story. Will be looking for another PHEV (for BIK reasons) within the next 12 months, so this was one that was on my list, but the 0-60 speed is fairly slow considering. I would be interested if you were to have a look at a Merc A250e Ped (HINT HINT) if you get the opportunity. enjoyed the review, keep up the good work

Could you do a review of the new Ford puma. I'm thinking of getting one next year. Great vid as always

Love 💓 the car 🚙 from Australia 🇦🇺.

Had one for 6 weeks now, 50 miles a day on one charge and 64 mpg motorway driving. Well chuffed.😊

probably my next ford if I get the right deal

Always a soft spot for Ford, Focus a great car had one for work while on a works trip. Which ford ATB with this new Hybrid. Great review Pete.

Great review as always Pete! I like this, the prospect of EV driving locally (and the saving this would produce) is definitely a draw but can't help but think a 190hp 4x4 diesel auto would probably make a better car, certainly probably drive better..... if I bought a Kuga I'd be somewhat torn between these two. Do think Ford have missed an opportunity here to make something sportier......one of their higher powered 1.5 Ecoboost engines with the electric motor and a wet clutch DSG would have been better IMHO.....though this powertrain seems to be an evolution of what Ford have been using in the US and EU Mondeo Hybrids so guess it must be pretty well proven and a safe bet.

Hi Pedro, interesting review as it has a 2.5 engine. My friend has just got the new RAV 4 (very nice) which also has a 2.5 engine, a comparison between them both would be good ?

Love this car, it looks beautiful, it’s eco friendly too, I like the shade of deep red, and definitely like it’s shade of green!!!.

Any thoughts about the CVT gearbox? I’m considering to buy a Kuga, did a testdrive and it makes some noise when the pedal is to the metal, but otherwise it seemed to be quite silent….but that was just an hour testdriving :). Any thought when compared the Kuga with a Grandland x phev?

Excellent review Pete and it comes across as a good all rounder. The one thing I have about HEVs is, take my diesel Mini for instance. The road tax on my Mini R56 Cooper D is zero, yep I pay nothing. Now most HEVs road tax is £150, this to me makes no sense. I kinda thought 💭 that it would be better if not equal. Any ideas 💡 Pete? Any hu, please stay healthy and drive safely 💋

We have a test drive booked for Saturday 8th August with Cardiff Ford Evans Halshaw!! 😁👍

Thinking of buy it, what whould be the best mode to drive and save fuel at same time not charge every day?

Thanks for the review. I am waiting for mine to be delivered (still a week or two away). Did you try moving the rear seats? They move backwards and forwards on a rail so you can have more legroom or more boot room! Just to give an idea though, what height are you? You look about 6ft 2in, but hard to tell on the video. Also, apparently, if you really do floor it in EV only mode, the petrol engine will cut in as a safety feature (overtaking etc.) - I like that idea. I also notice you were using your sunglasses with the head-up display. Did it still look alright?. I have heard you can't do that with some makes.

Hmm...it sounds a useful car..I grew up surrounded by Fords as my Dad had a string of them as Company cars and my first gear changing training was on PHT 13 a 1953 Ford 8 5cwt van..one of the very last of them before the 100E style version took over. A semi Electric Ford seems a good idea and I quite fancy the idea of going to a small local garage to buy one much in the way we did 50 years ago. Maybe Winford Ford or Flora Motors in Helston. Something to think about! Keep testing...maybe more new cars in the segment...the Citroen e-C4 due in September is on my list as well. Stay safe...any chance of a GTR Pro yet?.😄😄Richard.

I think one of the main reasons for buying a plug in hybrid apart from economy is to not pollute in built up areas and to avoid congestion charges, I believe there’s also tax incentives.

You must compare this with the RAV4 PHEV when it arrives in the UK. Same set up but combined power is 302 hp and 0 to 60 in 6 seconds. 40 miles on a full charge and combined mpg of 90. Interesting to know your thoughts.