Ready To Pounce Once More

With the second-generation Kuga being on the market for three years now and that nasty pyrotechnics business last year, the revamped Ford Kuga couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Kyle Kock takes it for a spin.

Jokes and inappropriate comments aside, Ford had a public relations nightmare when almost 50 previous-generation Kugas caught fire on local soil. But some time and three phases of recall actions seems to have doused the flames of most of the public outcry.

On the outside

Those who were fans of the previous model’s looks needn’t fret too much, because this mid-lifecycle facelift has only incrementally altered the Kuga’s exterior. The trapezoidal grille that’s become a signature trait across the Blue Oval model range has been slightly enlarged at the upper end, while the lower section has been downsized. The headlamps have also been elongated, while the tail lamps have been redesigned. The profile differs notably from its predecessors in that there are new choices of alloy wheel design, varying in size from 17” to 19”, depending on which model you want.

In the cabin