Although we’ve never pushed gender specific toys on the twins — always offering them a choice — like an inherent magnet, they’re inexplicably drawn to cars and trains.
Ever since they were very tiny, they’d choose diggers over dolls; or spend hours playing with their little cars or wooden train-set.
My little apples certainly haven’t fallen too far from the family tree though; their dad is equally mad about cars and trains.
Lucky then that, last weekend, we were able to kill two birds with one stone and give all tři of my boys a bit of a treat.
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Big Boys and Their Toys
We were asked by the lovely folk at Bristol Street Motors Ford if we’d like to test drive a Ford Kuga for the week.
We’ve reviewed a few cars in the past — a Nissan Leaf, an electric BMW i3, and more recently a Land Rover Discovery Sport — but I’ve never driven a Ford before, so I was very excited to put the Kuga through it’s paces.
And so, it seemed, was my big man-shaped boy.
But wouldn’t you be tempted; with a face like this?
Our Ford Kuga Review
The Kuga is a velký family car.
It’s not quite as large our Discovery Sport but it’s still a really good size and we had no problem fitting all our weekend clobber in the boot.
Plus it’s good looks certainly turn heads; it absolutely lives up to it’s title of ‘Sophisticated Utility Vehicle’ — SUV for short
It was a really comfortable ride — plenty of room for a growing family.
We road-tested a 2L manual diesel which — as well as being a lovely car to drive — is perfektní for adventuring families like ours; as the diesel engine gives better fuel economy than it’s petrol counterpart.
The state of the art Ford engine has much lower emissions than old fashioned diesel engines too so, as well as being kinder to your monthly out-goings, it’s much more gentle on the environment too.
The Kuga had a fantastic in-car computer, offering a brilantní sat-nav (which I felt was much better than the one in our own car to be honest) plus Bluetooth compatibility, which meant we could hook our phones up to the audio, and listen to Spotify through the surround-sound speakers.
We’d decided to take the Kuga up to my parents’ home for the weekend; it’s just far enough to really test the car out and get a feel for it.
We drove up on the Friday night; with the Kuga making light work of the journey.
The miles don’t seem quite so long when you’re travelling in comfort.
Letadla, vlaky a automobily
Saturday morning dawned, frosty and bright.
Dickie, the twins and my dad all went on a boys’ outing in the Kuga —as there was a model railway exhibition on at the nearby County Showground.
I’ve always been a bit of a petrol-head but I’ve never really seen the fascination with trains; so my mum and I bid them a fond farewell and stayed cosy indoors.
Kluci Miloval the model railway exhibition.
(Albeit, I think the two velký boys loved slightly more than the two little ones!)
The little houses and people were even smaller than the ones we saw at Bekonscot.
Cosmo looks vaguely unimpressed in some of the photos — although his daddy assured me that he was having a brilliant time; he was just cold.
Needless to say, the four of them came back bursting with enthusiasm about the model railway; regaling my mum and me with tales of the tiny people, in their the minute landscapes; and the little steam train they’d ridden on.
Dickie and my dad also came back with plans of how they’re going to create a model railway at home; how they’re going to build a miniature town, complete with a track that’s going to fill an celý pokoj.
I just smiled and nodded at this point.
Boys and their toys eh?
It just goes to show that — big or small — boys láska playing with cars and trains.
Thanks you to Vertu Motors for letting us to test drive the Ford Kuga.
This is a paid post but all thoughts, words and images — as ever — are entirely my own.
The Ford Kuga is one of the best family SUVs around at the moment because it’s practical, good to drive, comfortable and well equipped. It’s affordable too, and since there are lots of different models to choose from, there’s bound to be a model that suits you.
This new version of the Ford Kuga came out in 2019 and is available with normal petrol and diesel engines plus as a self-charging hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. You can read more about the differences between the models below, but it’s safe to say that there’s enough choice in the range to suit almost anyone.
The petrol and diesel versions are alternatives to cars such as the Peugeot 3008, Skoda Karoq and Nissan Qashqai, while the hybrid rivals the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. The plug-in hybrid model goes up against models such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and Vauxhall Grandland Hybrid.
There’s a 1.5-litre petrol, a 1.5-litre diesel plus a 2.0-litre diesel and the hybrid and plug-in hybrid both use a 2.5-litre petrol engine as well as an electric motor. There are manual and automatic gearboxes too, plus a wide range of trim levels with all the equipment you could need.
The Kuga is related to the popular Ford Focus, so it shares many of that car’s positive traits, such as the enjoyable handling around corners and comfortable ride. It’s one of the best family SUVs to drive, yet it doesn’t sacrifice practicality or comfort in pursuit of that.
It’s good value too, as there’s plenty of standard equipment. The Kuga isn’t the roomiest SUV of its type, but it’s practical enough to work as a family car for most people. Read on to find out more about the Ford Kuga and all the different versions, to help you discover if it’s right for you.
Should I get a Ford Kuga?
✔ Great to drive and comfortable
✔ Well equipped and affordable
✔ Excellent hybrids offer low running costs
✘ Could be more spacious inside
✘ Only one non-hybrid petrol option
✘ Relatively high CO2 figures for non-hybrids
The Ford Kuga is an excellent family car and there are lots of versions to choose from, so it will be well worth considering for many people. The petrol and diesel options are great for longer trips, while the hybrid and plug-in hybrid models are superb for commuting daily or taking the kids to school. All versions are comfortable, good to drive, well equipped and well priced, too.
If you’re looking for the most practical SUV around, the Kuga isn’t it, but there’s still plenty of room inside and it has so many other strengths that you might consider one anyway. It’s also not ideal for off-roading, as only the most powerful diesel version is four-wheel-drive, but most drivers will never leave the tarmac anyway. Company car drivers should consider the very low running costs of the plug-in hybrid model, which is very cheap to tax.
Ford Kuga (2019-present): models explained
Ceny BuyaCar od 8,300 XNUMX GBP
Měsíční finance od 153.80 GBP*
Ford Kuga Hybrid (FHEV)
Ceny BuyaCar od 8,300 XNUMX GBP
Měsíční finance od 153.80 GBP*
Ceny BuyaCar od 8,300 XNUMX GBP
Měsíční finance od 153.80 GBP*
Ford kuga
There are several versions of the Ford Kuga, which is a mid-sized family SUV that’s similar in size and price to a Nissan Qashqai or Peugeot 3008. The normal petrol and diesel models are available with either a manual or automatic gearbox.
There’s a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 150hp, but the rest of the range is diesel-only. The 1.5-litre diesel produces 120hp, and then there are two versions of the 2.0-litre diesel: one with 150hp and another with 190hp.
It’s worth mentioning that the 150hp diesel is advertised by Ford as being a mild hybrid or MHEV. This is a marketing term and refers to it featuring a small electric motor that boosts efficiency by a small amount. You won’t notice the difference when driving — it cannot run on electric power alone — and should not be confused with the true hybrid models detailed below.
Ford Kuga Hybrid (FHEV)
Ford calls its Kuga hybrid ‘FHEV’ which stands for full hybrid electric vehicle. This means it’s able to drive on electric power alone for a very short distance, but as there’s no plug to charge up the battery with, it’s the 2.5-litre petrol engine that keeps it topped up.
This version is great for those who want to benefit from electric power on short urban trips, for example in traffic or near a school, but don’t have a place at home where they can charge up overnight. The petrol engine runs automatically when needed, so you can just drive normally and let the system choose when to use electric power — or you can press a button to switch to electric driving when you need it — provided there’s any charge in the batteries at the time.
Ford Kuga Phev
The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version also uses a 2.5-litre petrol engine and an electric motor, but it has a larger battery pack than the FHEV model and a plug to charge up. You can plug it in overnight and head to work with a full battery in the morning, allowing around 35 miles of driving without the petrol engine at all.
This model is great for short commutes each day without using any fuel at all, as long as you’re able to charge up at home overnight. The petrol engine means you can drive normally when you run out of electric charge, so long trips are no trouble, though you’ll burn lots of fuel when driving like this, as you’re lugging around the weight of the large battery pack and motor with little electric assistance.
