Can the Kuga PHEV’s batch of recent revisions ensure its continued success in the popular family SUV sector. By Al Suttie.

Ford Kuga Active 2.5 Auto FWD

List price (BiK): £38,700 (30%)    CO2: 123g/km   Economy: 52.3mpg    Test efficiency: 41.6mpg

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Monday

I had to remind myself ‘do not adjust your specs’ this morning. The reason is that the updated Ford Kuga that arrived. It looks the same but different, so it took a few moments to recalibrate and see the changes. The obvious stuff is around the grille and a peek inside shows Ford’s latest infotainment screen. Bigger news for fleet drivers are the revisions to the hybrid drivetrains. This car is the PHEV version.

Tuesday

Last time I drove a Kuga PHEV, I was less than impressed. It seemed sluggish, had a minimal EV driving range, even with a full charge, and just felt dull to drive. This morning’s jaunt, approached with a suitably open mind, showed all of those issues have been sorted. Ford claims 42 miles of EV driving, although around 25 seems more realistic on today’s form, and the car is very refined when running on battery power.

Wednesday

Yesterday’s EV driving range could have been eked out further, but I was enjoying the thermonuclear warmth of the driver’s heated seat and steering wheel. Given the chilly conditions and iced-up windscreen – soon dealt with by Ford’s Quickclear set-up – these are very welcome and I’m happy to make the trade-off in EV range. Anyway, the 2.5 petrol engine comes in smoothly and quietly.

Thursday

Make the most of the combined petrol and electric power on offer and this Kuga is good for 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds, according to Ford. It certainly feels that lively and the car made short work of a set of traffic lights just before a slip road onto the motorway this afternoon. By the time I joined the fast flow of traffic, the Ford was at the national speed limit and blended in seamlessly.

Friday

Ford’s digital main dash is clear and simple – a welcome relief from a couple of cars I’ve tried recently, with displays that try to convey every figure under the sun except speed. Frankly, that’s all I need most of the time, especially in an SUV where sporty driving is low down the order. Saying that, the Kuga can be hustled along with verve, which then means keeping a weather eye on the EV battery charge if you intend to use this later on.

Saturday

A mix of familiarity and the simple, logical menu layout of Ford’s large infotainment screen makes using it very easy. That includes disabling those safety warnings the driver deems unnecessary, which in my case are the lane keep assist and speed alerts. Like many cars, the Kuga can throw a duff warning on speed limits around here and start binging, which is more distracting than helpful.

Sunday

Active trim gives the Kuga a mildly more off-roady look, which you would think was a given for an SUV. It looks smart though and quality is good throughout the car. My only negative here is that the boot feels a shade on the small side compared to other larger SUVs. However, I could overlook this for the 41.6mpg this car has returned during the week.