Ford Kuga - pictures

"When the Kuga evolved into its second generation, it lost some of the original's excitement on the road. It feels planted and fast, but it still can't beat the Mazda when it comes to family usability and driving enjoyment." 

Ford has introduced the 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with the latest Kuga.

Like the exterior, Ford has gone with a sporty theme inside, too. The leather seats are supportive and the steering wheel is heavily sculpted, plus the material quality is good. However, it makes do with Ford's old-style small sat-nav

For an SUV, the Kuga's styling is quite in-your-face. At the front sits a deep, body-coloured bumper featuring a silver insert, and foglights mounted low down. 

From the back, twin exhausts, a boot spoiler and slim rear lights contribute to the Kuga's sporty appearance. 

Here, we test the Kuga in Titanium X Sport trim, powered by a 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine producing 178bhp. It costs £33,870 with all the options on this test car. 

The Kuga is a great performer, combining impressive agility for such a big car with all the refinement you'd expect from a family crossover. 

This is Ford's compact SUV, the Kuga.

Ford offers customers a 2.0 litre TDCi diesel engine that perfectly combines power and efficiency.

The Ford is the only manual model here, but like the others, it's also available with an automatic gearbox. Unlike those cars, though, the PowerShift gearbox is a dual-clutch set-up which gives fairly snappy upshifts. 

The Ford Kuga comes with the option of a front-wheel drive or a 4x4 transmission.

The Kuga’s top of the range model Titanium X Sport is packed with equipment.

The interiors in the Ford Kuga are good quality but cluttered with too many buttons.

Except for the entry-level Zetec model, The Ford Kuga is well equipped.

The Ford Kuga is packed with safety features including multiple airbags, ABS, ESP and lots more.

Thanks to the Kuga's square shape, there's plenty of room in the rear seats. 

The rear seats offer plenty of head and legroom, and can also be reclined for extra comfort.

The Ford Kuga features an automatic tailgate option and has a boot capacity of over 400 litres.