Ford has released UK-specific pricing and trim level details for the new, third-generation Kuga SUV. It’s priced from £23,995, with priority deliveries of the high-spec First Edition models early next year. The base price gets you in a Zetec model powered by a 118bhp 1.5-litre Ecoboost petrol motor. Further trims include Titanium (from £27,245), ST-Line (from £29,345), ST-Line X (from £30,645) and flagship Vignale (from £31,945). All Kugas come as standard with the FordPass Connect embedded modem, wireless phone charging and “advanced driver assistance and safety features”, but First Edition variants of Titanium and ST-Line models bring a BO sound system and the driver’s assistance pack. Further engine options include a more powerful 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5 and 2.0-litre diesels, the latter of which is also available in 187bhp form or 148bhp form with a mild hybrid system.  A new plug-in hybrid option is also available from £33,095 in Titanium form – the same price as the higher-powered 2.0-litre diesel.  The new Kuga has been redesigned from the ground up in a bid to attract more buyers in the still-booming family SUV sector, and the new model will be offered with plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid powertrains, along with conventional petrol and diesel offerings.  As the firm ramps up its European business restructuring SUVs such as the Kuga will play a crucial role. “1 in 3 sales across Europe are SUVs, and for us it’s 1 in 5 – we want to change that.” Jorg Beyer, managing director of product development, told Autocar.  The hybrid line-up in particular is expected to be key to attracting new customers.  Ford has beaten many of its rivals to market with its plug-in option, which mates a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine with an electric motor and 10.3kWh battery pack to deliver 222bhp. The model can travel up to 34 miles on electric range alone, giving it an official economy figure of 201mpg on the WLTP cycle in PHEV operating mode  (or 43.5mpg WLTP with no charge in the battery), with CO2 emissions of 29g/km.  Buyers will also able to choose a self-charging hybrid set-up, akin to the Prius’s hybrid system, which links the 2.5-litre petrol engine to an electric motor and smaller battery to deliver 50.4mpg and 130g/km. A 48V mild-hybrid set-up is mated to a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel option to offer 56.5mpg and 132g/km. Conventional 1.5-litre petrol and 2.0-litre diesel variants are also available, mated to either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearbox. Two and all-wheel drive options feature.  Also striking is the new, more sophisticated and less boxy look of the third-generation Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson rival. The styling moves Ford’s design language another step on from the more contoured lines of the latest Fiesta and Focus. The interior also follows those cars, delivering an uncluttered, sweeping look despite the raft of technological functions that are offered, the majority of which are controlled through the central touchscreen.  The Kuga sits on the same C2 platform as the new Focus, being longer, wider and having a larger wheelbase – and therefore improved stability and dynamics – than the car it replaces. The platform is also said to be 10% torsionally stiffer than the outgoing car’s, as well as supporting the basis for a more aerodynamic design and allowing weight savings of up to 90kg over today’s model.  In particular, the new Kuga is said to deliver more interior room than before, including what Ford says is class-leading space for rear-seat passengers thnks to an 89mm length increase. In the front, occupants get 43mm more shoulder room and 57mm more hip room than in the current model, while in the rear there is a 20mm increase in shoulder room and 36mm more hip room, while the seats, split 70:30, slide fore and aft as standard. This increased rear accommodation has been achieved in part by setting the dashboard closer to the engine bay bulkhead and positioned more upright than before, allowing front seat passengers to be seated farther forward.  Despite sporting a dramatic, sloping roofline and an overall height that is lower by 20mm than that of the outgoing car, the new Kuga also offers 13mm more head room in the front and 35mm in the rear, thanks to clever interior packaging.  New technology for the Kuga includes FordPass Connect, which can provide wi-fi connectivity for up to 10 devices, a head-up display, wireless charging for a phone, a system that automatically brakes the car if it drives forwards or backwards into crossing traffic and a self-parking system that can parallel park or drive into a space perpendicular to the car at the push of a button. A hands-free boot-opening system, which is operated by waving your foot under the rear bumper, is also available.  A radar and camera-guided system that detects slower-moving and stationary vehicles, and which will automatically steer around them to avoid a
Origin: New 2020 Ford Kuga SUV: UK pricing and specs revealed