2025 Ford Kuga Active review: comfort and balance with an adventurous look

At a time when traditionally established brands in Europe are increasingly under scrutiny and Chinese manufacturers are rapidly making inroads in the West, it's worth pausing and taking a look at what products the "traditional" brands continue to offer to see if they're still competitive compared to the new vehicles that are arriving. And the truth is that one of the manufacturers that has best maintained the balance in its range has been Ford, although the price has been quite high.

Indeed, the oval brand retains cars like the Puma, Kuga, Focus, and the indefatigable Mustang in its catalog, but all this has been possible at the expense of such legendary models as the Fiesta and the Mondeo. Be that as it may, the SUV trend is in force, and one of the cars that offers the best value for money for the American brand is the Kuga. For this reason, we decided to get behind the wheel of the most recent version, paired with the 2.5-liter, 183-hp micro-hybrid engine, to see if it's worth the €31,612 Ford is asking for the entry-level model.

An unmistakable design with an adventurous touch

The image of the Ford Kuga has always been linked to that of the Focus, since it could be considered the SUV version of the compact model. But in this latest release, the oval brand has wanted to differentiate its all-terrain vehicle by giving it a more robust and imposing appearance, especially if we associate it with the Active X finish like the one illustrated in the article. A finish that, as is often the case with the brand, focuses more on aesthetics than functionality, introducing elements such as moldings that imitate aluminum, black plastics on the lower part of the bumpers and identifying badges.

At the front, Ford has joined the trend of connecting the optics together, but this time it does so through an LED strip that runs along the upper part of the front grille. All this accompanied by a bumper that integrates the fog lights and the new brand logo present in the center.

As for the side view, this is where you can best see that, although the Kuga has always belonged to the compact SUV segment (the C segment), at 4.64 meters long it's actually closer to the D-segment SUVs. Be that as it may, the most distinctive elements in profile are the wheels, which are black.

The rear end is the one that most resembles the Focus, especially thanks to the conventionally designed taillights. The whole look is completed by the spoiler located at the top of the trunk lid and the dual exhaust pipes, an element that is increasingly rare in the segment.

A firm commitment to technology and connectivity, with good interior space

I don't want to say that the interior of the 2025 Kuga is worse than the previous model's, because that's not exactly the case. But I do want to say that I liked the layout of the previous model better than the current one, at least as far as the presence of physical buttons is concerned. Although the general appearance of the current model's interior is very similar, Ford has incorporated the latest developments in technology and connectivity... so the screens are now larger and the number of actual buttons has been reduced. And that, as I've said many times, doesn't quite cut it for me.

The main reason for this is the increase in size of the central screen, which goes from 8 to 13.2 inches. And since it now takes up more space, it has integrated the climate control controls at the bottom. This has also caused the multimedia system to lose some buttons, and the ones it keeps are now located lower down. Regardless, the new layout is easy to get used to, and the new SYNC 4 connectivity system is quite intuitive, allowing you to connect up to two phones wirelessly at once.

All of this is complemented by another 12.3-inch screen for the digital instrumentation and the additional information we receive through the Head-Up Display, as well as through the Alexa Built-in connected services, voice control, and 5G connectivity. At the bottom of the dashboard, we find shortcuts to the parking assistant or the driving modes, while the gear selector is located at the bottom of the center console in the form of a wheel.

One aspect that stands out positively about the Ford Kuga's interior is the quality of the materials and the comfort of the seats, which have AGR certification, electronic adjustment, and even heating. Furthermore, the space in the rear seats is much more than sufficient in all dimensions, something to be expected considering the exterior dimensions of the vehicle, but which is equally appreciated when taking long trips. In any case, the most notable feature of these seats is that they slide, and can be moved 15 centimeters to increase occupant space or increase trunk capacity, which can be 395 liters in the least favorable position and 536 liters in the maximum space.

183 HP engine with all-wheel drive and low fuel consumption

As is typical with almost all updates that European brands make to their models, the Kuga is no longer available with diesel engines, but it can be chosen with several types of electrification. The entry-level version is a 1.5-liter EcoBoost combustion engine with 150 hp linked to a six-speed manual gearbox, but everything else beyond that is electrified in one way or another.

The micro-hybrid version (also called PHEV) can be chosen with front-wheel drive and 180 hp or all-wheel drive and 183 hp. And just above it is the plug-in hybrid engine, which delivers 243 hp and claims an electric range of up to 69 kilometers. But for this test, we chose the most powerful FHEV engine, the only one in the range that can be equipped with four-wheel drive.

The combustion engine in this version is a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder naturally aspirated block that generates 129 hp and 200 Nm of torque. To accompany its strength, it receives help from another 125 hp and 230 Nm of torque electric motor, powered by a 1.1 kWh battery that makes a combined power output of 183 hp. With these figures, the Kuga is not a particularly fast car, but it defends itself with decent performance and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds.

But perhaps the most relevant aspect of this car is its consumption, something remarkable if we take into account that the gearbox is CVT type. And it is that, contrary to what one might think because of the change, the weight (1,765 kilos) and the naturally aspirated petrol engine, the 183 hp Kuga FHEV with all-wheel drive has an approved consumption of only 5.8 liters, which, although under normal conditions is only achieved when the truth is what is not possible when reality is only what is what is what is in reality what is being only what is possible what is what is what it is what it does only what is possible does only what is possible what it does only what is possible what it does only what is possible what it does only what is possible driving around the city using what we drive around the city using.

During the test, we found that driving on the highway is possible to get below six liters without any problems, and it's only on the motorway that consumption rises above 6.5 liters. In any case, combined consumption can be just over six liters, a really good figure for a car of this size and weight.

Behind the wheel, the car is comfortable and very well balanced.

The Ford Kuga lacks sporty pretensions, and although the electric drive helps improve throttle response, it's a car designed to tackle long journeys in the most comfortable way possible. In fact, even in this mild hybrid version, it's best to place the gear selector in the "L" position to increase the regenerative braking level, thereby charging the battery and saving as much fuel as possible.

In any case, the driving mode selector allows us to choose between ECO, Normal, Sport, and Sliding modes, with the Active version adding Track mode. This is a program optimized for off-road driving, an interesting detail in a version like this, with all-wheel drive and not designed for off-road driving, but which performs much better than other SUVs with a more off-road look but fewer functional elements geared toward 4x4 driving.

Conclusion of the 2025 Ford Kuga FHEV test

Ford is undoubtedly one of the Western brands that has done its homework best, so its products remain highly competitive and are prepared to withstand the new Asian competition. However, they still have a major stumbling block: price. The entry-level version of the Kuga costs over €31,000, but the all-wheel-drive micro-hybrid model with Active trim that we tested has a discounted price of €36,949, a figure that isn't outrageous compared to many of its rivals, but is high compared to its Chinese competitors. Be that as it may, almost two decades after the appearance of the first generation, the Ford Kuga remains a versatile, practical, and, now more than ever, efficient and technological SUV.