Is the Ford Kuga/Escape the most underrated SUV? | ReDriven used car review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- Check out the Ford Kuga Cheat Sheet here: redriven.com/cheat_sheet/ford...
Looking for a used Ford Kuga? - carsforsale.com.au/ford/kuga
The big used drawcard is bang for your buck, particularly with the older, cheaper and ultimately more value-laden Kugas. The lusty powertrains and dynamically adept platform make for compelling left-field choice outside of the more popular and resale-savvy Toyota and Mazda competitors. And the range-topping Titanium stock make for a whole lot of goodness for not a lot of coin.
A well-kept and regularly maintained example of this Kuga/Escape generation makes for a real hidden used car gem.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe to stay up to date!
00:00 - Intro
01:40 - What is it?
03:34 - Does it look good?
04:12 - How's the interior?
06:07 - How's the tech?
07:49 - Is it practical?
09:59 - What goes wrong?
12:39 - Is it safe?
13:22 - What's it like to drive?
15:40 - How much does it cost?
16:23 - Running costs?
17:05 - Should you buy it?
#ford
#kuga
#suv
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At ReDriven, we’ll be taking you through the pros and cons of a huge range of used cars to see how well they’re going now that they’re a few years old, have thousands of kilometres on the clock, and are coming toward the end of their warranty, or maybe don’t have one at all.
Plus, thanks to our resident mechanic, Jim, you’ll find out what commonly goes wrong with them and what might need to be fixed.
Most importantly, we want to make ReDriven a voice for the most in-the-know used car experts there are...you guys.. See, you’re the ones that actually buy, live with, love and sometimes unfortunately hate the cars we’ll be reviewing.
So we want to hear your thoughts. Hit us up in the comments, or on Instagram and Facebook.
We’d love nothing more than for you to give us as much feedback as possible, so we can make this channel the best it can be.
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I own a two liter diesel Kuga Titaniun 2016 MY16.5 100,000 km, towed a caravan AGM 1700 kg. The car is as good as the day I bought it…Highly recommended.
I've just recently found your channel as I'm searching for a second hand car and I'm finding your info invaluable!
Thanks heaps for your work mate!
Adam, you may remember my Kuga that we drove down to Sydney for that Hybrid Camry shoot. It was the mid-spec Trend I bought new in 2015. I bloody loved it but unfortunately it now belongs to the ex so I'm looking for a good deal on both a new Kuga and a new cougar. 😉
Same! I'm currently trying to figure how to import a new ford kuga vignale because where I live in SA they decided to discontinue its unfortunately so I'm trying to get a decent price from Australia or England.
@@jeff1595 did you win?
Nice review. Helpful. Thanks guys.
I have a 2016 Turbo diesel titanium with a safety pack. My mate who has a similar year top of the line BMW X5 commented the Kuga was better equipped! The safety pack tech is great and I love the electrically heated windscreen. I haven't had any issues with the car and find the diesel sporty and powerful when overtaking. Great for freeway trips on cruise control but nice on windy roads in the hills.
Owned a 2014 Kuga 1600 now for 9 years. FAULTLESS 130,000 km. Best car ever. Going to buy a 2019/21 Auto model. I take it before ant new SUV you can through at me in price range. Absolute gem of a car. Quick, strong, reliable powerful, comfortable, beautiful design, fantastic road behavior. What a pleasure to drive. ❤
Purchased a 2016 2.0T petrol Titanium in 2021 for my wife, with 30k km on it, currently has 70k km and no major issues. We recently had a rear ABS sensor fail that gave us an ABS and traction control warning but other than that it’s been faultless. I would suggest swapping out the wheel lug nuts, the ones from factory have a metal sleeve and tend to round when removing them when changing a wheel, get solid lug nuts to save yourself the heartache of getting stranded on the side of the road. Performance is really good, it’s very punchy and quick off the line, while still return 9.6 lt/100km on a combined cycle. My wife had a B200 Turbo petrol Merc before this, and honestly the Kuga is by far a better SUV in all aspects.
I live in Canada and I own a 2016 Ford Escape Titanium 2.0 Eco Boost. We do not have the rear childs food tray attached to the rear of the first row seating. I always find it interesting what features vehicles have from different countries.
Loving the channel all the way from Ireland. And on a side note, Jim looks like jurgen Klopp the Liverpool manager. Keep up the good work both of you.
So, I bought one of these, one of the last ones. A 2019 (Delivered 2020) Escape Titanium AWD Diesel. Traded in a 2015 Tiguan with 128,000km on it and bought it Ex FoMoCo Demo, a year old with 6,000km on it. A bargain at under $38k. Purchased July 2021.
My colleagues and husband noted that I traded my white diesel AWD wagon for a white diesel AWD wagon.
I note your comments on the Diesel V Petrol argument, I’d concur IF half my week wasn’t spent on the Pacific or Bruce Highway commuting for, well, life in general. The diesel is great to wind up to 112km/hr with the cruise control on, it will sit there for hours on end if needed, and the fuel economy in this mode sits in the 6’s. A week of not a lot of highway and it creeps up to 8’s
We retuned in early January from a 4,800km trip to Victoria and back to the Sunshine Coast via Sydney. We managed to load 2 Grown Men, Their gear, and esky etc, and two Schnauzers, THEIR gear, and 2 x Segway nine-bot scooters. Car is Tardis-like when packed correctly. It sat well on the road for long stretches, and still got reasonable economy. Acceleration on passing was good, and dynamically it cornered well and handled the road ok. A sports car it is not, but it did the job well through the NSW Southern Highlands down to Kiama.
I do an average of 30,000km in this car annually. I suspect it will continue to do it well. Not spectacularly, but good enough to hold for the medium term.
Enjoying the reviews, came across them from a Facebook group I am in, and have shared this one to it! They are enjoying it AK, and your work!
Thanks for the great vid! Very informative and entertaining.
Cheers James! - AK
Love my Kuga in the UK. I would recommend them.
2018 titanium ecoboost with tech pack from new. Been a great car so far with no issues. Love the sporty smooth drive train, AWD and packed with features. Comfortable for long drives and servicing costs are reasonable.
Hi guys. Great videos. Hope you guys do get your hands on a RSQ3 to review in the future. Wouldn't mind finding out whether it is a bit of a performance SUV bargain in its category as i always love the big boy sound of a 5 cylinder. Maybe also a Focus XR5.
We have had a 15 Ambiante 1.6L Ecoboost awd for three years and it’s been a good car but we have had a couple minor issues. We had the air con issue that you mentioned. Other issues have been tears in the fabric on the edge of the bottom parts of both front seats, where they join the side bolster, both failed and tore about the same time (my wife and I are definitely not large people lol) and the front headlights have gone yellow from sun damage. The 1.6 ecoboost is not a bad engine, it just lacks some punch when I want to put my foot down for overtaking on the highway. The floor carpet is decent and easy to clean, not something that is seen in some of its rivals that have that nasty woven crap that is a nightmare to vacuum. Overall we have been happy with our Kuga, so much so that im looking to upgrade to a 17-18 Escape with the 2L Ecoboost engine rather than another brand. Really enjoying your videos Adam, keep up the great work mate!
My wife has a 2016 trend with the 2ltr turbo petrol. 2 years ago, we had the ecu re-mapped to a 1.5. The car flies and we have not had any reliability issues. My wife loves it, it is a bit like a wolf in sheep's clothing. its black with window tint and black alloys. Very underrated vehicle. Looking at the new model with more standard equipment without a huge increase in price, HMMM, maybe 1 day
I bought a 2008 Ford Escape new here in Qld and have had it for 15 years and apart from regular servicing, this car has only cost me 2 extra sets of tyres apart from the originals and 2 other batteries and a handbrake adjustment. It has been very reliable and the best car ever.
My wife has had the 2012 Titanium for 7 years now. It has the 2.5 litre 5 cylinder petrol motor that features in the RS Focus. It goes like stink and has never given a moment’s trouble. It even has a nice sporty exhaust note.
RS Focus has 5 cylinders? What about a welded diff?
@@jaykazama9132 yes back then the RS came in 5 cylinders, sub 6 sec 0-100
Ah, I was thinking the most recent release.
I like the green 2 door body shape on them.
@@jaykazama9132 that must be from the time when Ford owned Volvo. Volvo had a number of 5 cylinder engines in the 90's and 2000's.
@@damilolaakanni yep, it was the Volvo sourced 5cylinder. When looked after well, those things went forever. I’ve driven that turbo 5 in some cars with 400k+ km and they still ran like clockwork
Just been looking at one of these. Wow you dialogue and content amazing keep it up.
Cheers so much Nick. - AK
My mom has a 2015 1.5 litre fwd ford kuga ambiente model she's had it for 6 years so far and its a really great car it has decent fuel mileage and we've only had one major problem with it and that was the transmission which warranty didn't cover also practically has never been really a problem for us it's big enough but honestly in my opinion it's good at everything it's fun to drive its practical reliable and cheap to run.
So how much was the cost to fix / replace the transmission?
@Redriven #Redriven You can have a flat load lip in the back. If you pause the video at 8:10 you'll see the little lip for you to raise the floor. ;) We have a 2019 Escape Ambiente 1.5T and it comes with everything you need and nothing you don't. Low speed AEB, 8 inch touch screen, Sat nav as standard, push button start, rear parking sensors, wide angle mirrors, Android Auto etc. The 1.5T has sufficient power and we can two our 1978 Millard Pop top with it at 110kmph fine. Door bins are a little on the narrow side. The little screen in-between the speedo and the tacho also displays directions for the sat nav. I think they are the most underrated medium size SUVs of this era.
Another quality episode Adam!
Thanks so much mate. - AK
Had a really interesting issue with my 2014 titanium. Sorry for the long post. 😊. Basically, purchased from a car dealership in Australia. They need to provide a RWC with the sale. Along with 3 month warranty. Drove it home and had a “knock” from under the car when it changed from 3rd to 4th. I presumed it was the transmission. Wasn’t happy at all. Took it back and it was caused by the tires being slightly different age from front to back. The front were brand new and the rears will a little older. The dealership changed the rears to be brand new and the knocking went. Happy now.
Hi..i have a 2018 kuga titanium 180bhp awd...great car for towing my caravan...lots of ford kugas here in the uk used by caravan owners..
My latest Kuga Tdci ST version is a fabulous car in all aspects! Highly recommended! My Kuga no 4! Unbeatable value for money!
Having the same 2.0 diesel DCT on Mondeo I can tell you they are happily running 270k plus km if you service the gearbox religiously （every 60k）
In my 7th year owning a Kuga, still faultless! Easy to work on as well. Parts are fairly reasonable.
We have a 2015 Kuga 2 litre AWD. It is a really good car except the transmission failed at 70k km. It was out of warranty but Ford replaced it free of charge. After 7 years the engine and suspension perform better than new and the paint quality is top notch.
at or mt?
Really expensive to fix how your car doung now and have u had the cambelt done or had ant dpf??
Mate, I hope watching you will teach me how to throw those kind of jokes and not come off as cringe. I think it's the wrapping and presentation. Well done regardless, always a treat to watch these reviews even when I am not actually looking to buy a car and even for cars that don't particularly interest me. Good entertainment value!
Mate thanks so much. I'll be honest, I'm amazed my warped sense of humour is being received so well, the love we get on here genuinely blows our minds. - AK
My wife has one of these and it’s a really good car. I’d recommend it to anyone. Wish hers was this clean tho.
I visited Australia some 7 years ago and I miss it. Watching your videos and listening your Dawn Under accent is my way to cope with how much I miss Sydney and Cairnes. As about the reviews, are as top notch as your accent.
Ah thanks so so much. - AK
I have a 2013, escape 1.6 turbo awd. Radio don’t work but it’s going strong at 217000 miles. Love my heated seats n leather seats. But d fold down back seats make it a great car camping machine. Gonna run mine till d wheels fall off if possible. No leaks no oil usage between changes. Transmission still going strong Just that darn radio. But screen works great. If u can find a good one, highly recommend these little suvs. Great on snow n ice. Not d greatest gas mileage 21 mpg for me. But I love d interior space n AWD!
Great review. Are you guys reviewing a regular Grand Cherokee (not SRT) soon? Thanks!
Love your videos. Your commentary is just hilarious. Waiting for you to do a review on the X5. Great videos all together.
Thanks so so much mate. X5 is coming. - AK
@@ReDriven I'm waiting for a review on that Blackhawk
@@MiguelGouveiaFreitas oh mate I wish!! You’ll see me acting like a giddy school girl the whole time! - AK
I think these are fairly reliable cars. I have a 2016 with the 1.6 turbo that I bought in 2017 and it's been solid.
Hi. Just purchased a 2013 ford kuga titanium 1.6 turbo petrol. 67000km. Can’t wait to collect it. Really happy with the purchase. Totally based on your review video. You made me feel really comfortable in the purchase.
Heyyy im going tu purchase the same kuga 2014 1.6 turbo petrol with 73000km. How was ur kuga experience til day?
Tough on petrol. 9.1L per 100km. Got hit by a truck and got written off
@@AMM9449 uhg... are u ok? Thats sad.. so u dont like the car?
@@hesonga1739loved the car. Just used a lot of petrol. It’s a heavy car
Had a 2l petrol 2016 Kuga Trend for the last 4 years. Never missed beat. Paint is a little thin on mine so chips easily, and I really wish there was some spot on the front to put keys/wallet/phone but that’s not a deal breaker imo.
I highly recommend getting an Escape with the Sync 3 infotainment system, that was introduced around MY16 or MY17. It is far better then the Sync 2 system and the even earlier Sync 1 system. You can retrofit it almost plug and play to any Kuga/Escape and you'll gain Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
You can easy retrofit sync3 from sync2, but from sync1 it's possible with bloody lots of work
Ford is taking care of big guys like me. It's comfortable and easy to enter and exit. Thus front seats in Kuga are bit smaller then I use to have in C-Max, it is still good enough to drive it for 10-12 hours without any fatigue. It is easy to drive and funny as well. With Diesel 2.0 engine Front wheels drive only, 6.4 liters combined is nothing. I simply love it.
My son bought a 13 m Trend 6 sp m in 14 .Sold it now with 237,000 km on the clock! Still original Clutch pack, gbo x and engine! Excellent car allover average feul cons 8 l p 100 kms 9:08 heavy traffic driving!no oil consumption inbrtween serv intervals of 15000 km right up to 237000 kms
I am driving a 2017 Kuga 1.5 ecoboost petrol AWD.It is the best,never had problems.I have it for more then 2 years,sow,yes,You schould buy it.👍
I bought a new ST Escape in 2019 -- 2 liter turbo AWD for 36k drive away -- fantastic value for money, handles great for a SUV has enough power for all road situations...and not overboard with useless tech. In Australia FORD is a one trick pony they only care about the ranger sales ... their marketing of their other vehicles is non existent (eg Puma and Endura)
Just a heads up on the diseasel models. I currently run a 2010 Mondeo wagon. 378,000+km. Same apparently evil Dual Clutch and Same motor. No issues, has been over run on service a few times but still drives well and returns 6.5l/100 consistently.
I have the 16 wagon and a 08 hatch going on 350k km.... that motor seems indestructible aye!!
I purchased a 2022 Escape Vignalle. It is a turbo AWD 2ltr absolute beautiful car inside and out. It was fully equipped with 20 in wheels and Pearl White paint. The leather interior is well made and the car itself is an excellent build quality. Fuel economy is good but if you give it a bash it dances like it was born to race. It's not yet 12 months old as I purchased new in 2023 as they are no longer available after 2022 in Australia. Long term I hope it will last me out. Oh and I test drove a few EV's before buying this and they were twice the price and nowhere near the build quality or equipment level.
I have a 2016 Kuga 2.0 Turbo Petrol AWD.
But I had an accident and have totalled it. :’( best car I’ve ever had, and am in the market looking to buy the exact same one.
This just in: Ford says that Ford vehicles are the best in the world and have a 100% reliability rate, but if one were to break down, which would never happen, it would definitely be YOUR fault and you'd have to pay.
2013 SEL ,AWD ,2.0l Turbo
213000 km.Still going strong.The 2.0 248 HP is quick and smooth Faster and quicker than most New vehicles.🇨🇦 Cheers
I have a 2016 Trend spec Kuga, 2.0t petrol with AWD. Great little platform to modify into a sporty daily.
- Modded air box with KN filter
- HR lowering springs
- Custom cat back exhaust
- NKG iridium plugs
- Turbo smart kompact BOV
- DBA slotted rotors
- Custom tune
Makes about 280fwhp and 400fwnm of torque. Plenty of odd looks from hot hatch/XR6T/SS owners.
Imagine the look on their faces getting beaten at the lights by a soccer mum!
@@MiguelGouveiaFreitas 2.0 petrol ?
280whp with just these mods !? Damnnnn
Did these models get plagued with the nasty powershift DSG issues? I owned a 2014 focus manual for 5 years which was great but sprinted away from the DSG because of all the issues FPRS was having with them at the time. Maybe that’s also why they didn’t sell all that well? Ford did have a lot of PR issues due to their gearbox failures.
Been looking at the 2018 ST-Lines and the Newer model ST-Lines, pretty dam good value on the 2nd hand/dealer demo market.
Whats the real world fuel consumption like on the 2L Turbo?
I have a 2017 Escape Trend AWD with the 2.0L EcoBoost turbo engine, with Technology and Convenience Packs fitted.
Your reliability comments by Jim missed the significant and common problem with this engine that affects the 2015 to 2019 models. They are prone to headgasket failures.
Ford upgraded the engine for 2015 to give significantly more torque and power and modified the deck of the block to allow some more coolant crossflow. It was such a disaster that they revised it again in 2019. There are many TH-cam videos that describe and show the problem and the fix and I suggest that you search for them. The head gasket issue is actually very common in Australia and elsewhere and is seriously unreported.
My own car had the head gasket go at 23,000km and was fixed under warranty. It failed again in late 2022 at 78,000km, by which time the 5 year extened warranty I was given after the first failure had expired. The car had only ever been serviced and repaired at the local Ford Dealer.
For those overseas, in Australia there is a law called the Trade Practices Act. One of the consumer protection features in it is called Statutory Warranty, which states that you are entitled to expect a fair and reasonable use of any product you buy regardless of the cost and purpose. The statutory warranty overrules the manufacture's warranty and cannot be contracted out of any sale. A catastrophic engine failure at less than 80,000km cannot be said to be reasonable use.
After much argument and stonewalling Ford finally agreed to supply and fit, at no charge, a new long engine of the new 2019 design. 5,000km later all seems well.
Everything else in the review is correct. The car rides, steers and handles beautifully, the tech and features are extensive and the Sync 3 is fantastic to use, the car is roomy and comfortable but it certainly isn't the prettiest car around.
But the Escape will be the last Ford I will ever buy. Next time it will be Japanese.
I very nearly bought a Kuga for the family . It was only because of the sight issues for short drivers that we got a Renault Koleos 2010 instead. I wonder how you think the two would compare
I had one of these (a 1.5 FWD Ambiente auto) as a company car about 5 years ago. Everyone else in my department had one too. I did 15,000km in it in 3 months. It was very good for what is was and for the price but mine had occasional random warning lights (engine and transmission) which code scans couldn’t find and the Bluetooth would occasionally quit, needing the battery to be disconnected/reconnected to work again. A colleague’s had major issues with the start/stop system and keyless start. The local dealership was also kind of hopeless and not great to deal with. I wanted to like it, but I didn’t trust it from a reliability POV
I guess there's Alot of different experiences, my mom has a 2015 1.5l ambiente manual and it's pretty much been bulletproof except it had to have a new transmission 2 years into ownership.
@@jeff1595 automatic or manual transmission?
@@egredzijasandro9133 manual, also adding on to problems, the clutch went at around 130k km
Can you guys review the Subaru Exiga? been seeing alot on the market here in NZ and they seem like a nice budget family mover alternative with style..
In the US people talking about Cougar not someone or animal or big cat but, people talking about the Mercury Cougar. Also, the Ford Escape turning into fleets like parking tickets cop, rental, parking lot security, College campus security, etc. In the US spelling of is Cougar not the Kuga. The Ford Escape in the US are boxy looking. The US versions of the Ford Escape shares w \ Lincoln MKC \ Corsair \ Ford Bronco Sport.
Here in America, Escapes are best sellers! My family has 2 of them!
The current escape is also criminally undervalued I reckon. The new shape looks nice, much better ‘tech’ etc. But they come standard with the 2lt turbo even from the base model, plus you get all the safety stuff from the base model as well. In other brands you have to dump a lot of extra coin to get a top spec to get the up rates drivetrain. Tired of gutless SUVs with woefully underpowered entry packaging and then having to pay for all the fruit just to get the better engine.
Our 2013 diesel kuga has only one problem. The tailgate goes up and promptly comes down. It doesn’t stay up. Any ideas
I just bought the ford kuga titanium X 2018 ,such a nice car to drive, very comfortable,got everything what you need,the mpg could be better but hey ,I can't get everything 😂 moving from the Volvo V40 cross country 1.6 which was very economical but I needed something bigger,so bigger car more diesel yeah 😂👌
Hi YT threw up your channel I did watch you previously good video and information. I've just traded my 2006 Focus 2.0 auto hatch to a 1.6 Titanium. Jury still out as only had it a week. However in comparison to my Focus economy seems about the same. Not having a camera for reversing makes it hard work. Reversing lamps which are 2 are not white but yellow tint are useless. Took it out at night found lights HID were on but no illumination. Ford globe prices R4000 each. Otherwise I'm happy with the car
Ford Kuga has terrible reflection of dash on inside of windscreen. ALL Manufacturers could resolve this by having dash around driving position with a MATT black or alcantara surface. I use a plain black cotton T shirt to stop dash reflection, it works well. 👍
Every test drive I see, the driver sits in the drivers seat, but never moves the seat backwards and forwards. They get in the back and move the rear seats and tilt where available. So why not do the same for the front drivers seat. Me being 6ft 1" it would be nice to see the available movement. Perhaps someone could do that. Thanks
In South Africa these were catching fire a lot
how to avoid the overheating problems? Anyone know? *for 1.6 ecoboost
I had a 2012 model with the 2.5L 5 Cylinder, I didn’t mind it, was a bit thirsty and it had a single clutch auto which was much inferior to the DSG in my VW. They had the torque in 1st gear limited due to the gearbox being weak, and in Australia they were only sold as auto, the UK got them with a 6 speed manual as an option, which would be much better due to them also having a haldex awd system 😢 I enjoyed driving it when I owned it, but stock it was too quiet and just didn’t have the oomph you’d like for a car that requires 95octane yet makes 149kw.
That's the 2nd generation.The Video is the 3rd generation
Enjoy your reviews. Have you done one for the jeep grand cherokee wk2? It would be in similar class
The Grand Cherokee has always been bigger than the Escape. Sure it has two rows, but it's a mid sized crossover. That aside, it will be nice to see a WK2 review (if it hasn't been done), now that the WL is already out.
We've done the SRT if that helps? More Jeep content coming but. - AK
I love the car .. but I still prefer the CX-5 for my taste,
Anyways, I just need to know the name of that watch you have on 🙆🏾♂️🙆🏾♂️😍🙏🏾
I enjoy the luxury version(Lincoln MKC) here in the States.
You should also do a review on a HSV or even an AU Falcon ;)
I second an AU review
I third AU Falcon.
Now playing Icehouse!!!!!!
Have the AC issues.They are more common than you described.😮
we own a 2018 escape titanium 2.0 litre petrol, been a completely brilliant vehicle and we are getting 9.0/100kms which I consider good for its power out put, very close in economy and power to our G6E falcon
That economy more shows how impressive the Falcon G6E economy is to be as fuel efficient as a smaller 4 cylinder SUV!
Can you guys do a mitsubishi airtek?!
@18:39 I see what you did there 😂
The rprevious 5 cylinder turbo model, which was only available for a short time in Aust, is also worth a look.
I bought a 2nd hand 2019 ST trim with low milage. Personally, I think it is the best looking mid size SUV on the market compare with the usual European brand and Japanese brand. I did not realise it comes with 19 inch wheel - looks great but not really practical. I would be happy with 17. I do like the car very much but has one big issue with it. Kuga is meant to be a family car, at least that is what i think. The rear seat iso-fix point is tucked away between the seat and the seat back. One has to push away the seat foam to get to it. The action makes indent mark on the seat. I think if i have to install and un-install the child seat frequently, the seat material will wear and torn quickly. Our old VW Golf MK5 has much better iso-fix design. It is an exposed point with no seat foam/material disturbed with installation of a child seat. Also, the seat belt buckle position is too tight to the toddler's booster seat to be operational. I have to use the centre buckle for it. Again the old VW did not have this problem, I assume it is because of the width of the side back seats.
Apparently, the Kuga's boot floor can be raised to create a flat cargo space - in lieu of the seats folding down flat. Can someone confirm this? I found this funny as the Focus of the same vintage has the dual fold rear seat for a flat load area.
That’s correct
Yip correct indeed.
My wife has a 2.0 diesel Kuga and in the 7 years she has had it is has proven to be faultless and unbelievably out preformed he previous two cars (Honda Jazz & Toyota Corolla) which were both purchased new and pretty good until the Kuga came along and outperformed them both at every level, reliability, comfort and underbody rust. Its only fault is the stop start system but thankfully Ford have placed a turn off button next to the driver.
I have one so does my wife we love ours we would have two more in a heart beat 👍
In the United States these vehicles are literally EVERYWHERE!
My mom had one for 6 years. A nightmare of a car..The car had overheating issues which resulted in some of the Kugas going up in flames. We also had issues with the turbo, engine mountings and the left driveshaft and transmission... replaced it with a Toyota RAV4 and she only visits the dealership for annual an an service only
A lot of problems with the diff on the 4x4
No. Bought a use 2014 kuga AWD Powershift 140 hp. TPU /transfer case) fell off damaging the propsahft. Happends often as only locktite on thin 10mm bolts. Not a check item at Ford. Had to replace both, very expensive. New secondhand TPU failed, as oil turned to tar. Also a very commen fault, countless vids on YT. Had to replace again. All wheel bearing went one after the other. Fuel filter electrics burn out, had to get a new unit. Exhaust backets and rear shock brackets are of aluminium, will corrode and crack. Expensive gearbox oil change. Paint is thin and rear plastic rubs through paint on tailgate and then rusts.
Drive pretty good, not too bad on fuel but would not recomend.
2016 kuga .2.0 tdci titanium
20.000 to almost 100.000 . Had . Injectors. Vapourizer ..loads of dpf faults . Alternator . Pump in the tank . Terrible to work on . Fuel filter is tiny and will collapse if it blocks so change that regularly. Flags it's due a service every 5.000 miles and judging by the oil it's not wrong . Our old Mondeo was the same for sludging oil but that done 250.000 miles so you could forgive it for that . Key fob constantly alarms for low battery even if you put a brand new battery in it . .It's ok but certainly no reliable mile muncher . By all means get one but be prepared to do a lot of maintenance.
I wouldn't recommend one but there's definitely worse cars out there .
Also have an 06 v8 monaro and I wouldn't recommend that for the same reliability problems .. engines been spot on but the suspension and drive line falls to bits and it's now only done 75.000 miles .
Fuck I love this channel. I have zero interest in this car but the reviews are awesome.
Thanks so so much mate. - AK
I had a first generation 2013 Kuga, Titanium all wheel drive diesel. Fully optioned. The good points, it was good to drive. The down side, driving position slightly cramped. Back seats terrible. Dash layout a bit mad plus really tiny instrument screen. Tyres are really expensive and most of the option like auto high beam dimmer is a joke. Most of the accessories I either turned off or never used. I got worried about the gear box as these were a real problem with this car. I personally didn’t have an issue but if it broke I would have been looking at a bill in excess of $8000. Thought I would bail before an issue occurred. Diesel fuel sensor broke. This on its own is a $50 part but because it’s attached to the common rail the whole lot had to be replaced. Result $2000.
I bought 2020 Toyota Camry sport hybrid. Never looked back.
What kms was it when you sold? I have diesel titanium 2014 sitting on 95K kms
@@tommyzylinski Hi Tommy, car had about 140k on it. The other big issue with these cars to watch out for is the DPF. About $5k for a new one. Mine had to be replaced under warranty as it was faulty like so many of the first gen ones were.
Cheers mate, all the best.
Thanks RD - despite the fact I dislike anything Ford or GM given their low quality reputation in the UK, US and Straya the designers have taken some time to think about those smart inclusions in the storage area, the ability to turn off the alerts with one button, the use of buttons for the infotainment so a tick from me there - 14 l/100km is no surprise for a turbo if enthusiastically driven - you didn’t mention the annoying fact the light stalks/windscreen wiper are in reverse - I advised a friend not to buy one of the early models but since then she has replaced it with a more reliable Toyota RAV4 - John in SA
Hot Kuga 🤣🤣 Also the smaller ecoboost is a 1.5 not 1.6 as the mechanic was saying👍👍
With regards to the 1.5 litre engine vs the 1.6, the older petrol versions in the earlier releases from about 2013 - 2015 I believe had the 1.6. The TFII model which came out around the end of 2015 I think then came out with the 1.5 litre which replaced the 1.6 petrol in the entry level model. The Trend and Titanium petrol both got the 2.0 litre engine or the 2.0 litre turbo diesel with the dual clutch gearbox
Older kugas 1 6, more recent 1.5
Sounds like Ford designed this car to be washed in your dishwasher 🤣
Good work again guys and surprised Adam did start calling the Kuga/Escape a black hawk after seeing the chopper.
Also would be cool too see what you guys think are the most practical and affordable sleeper family cars for the average family.
To be honest, that's what I love about the kuga when kids are in it making a mess of the cup holders you can just take it out and wash it so it's not such a problem
Hahahaha mate I lost my shit with that Blackhawk! - AK
@@ReDriven thought for a minute you were going to start following it or reviewing it lol 🤣
8:12
I reckon you should add 5 shit features, 5 cool features like Matt Watson in his videos.
(Yes, I know you do 3 and 3 in other videos, but I prefer to see them when I watch these videos)
Or you can watch the whole unbiased and well written/researched review here and watch Matt Watson when you feel like a small insight.
@@mechtechau Oh you! - AK
Might be cool to add the 3 Point Shootout into these longer reviews, I'll ask Sam and see what he says. - AK
Your comment on a non flat floor when seats are folded is wrong. The boot floor goes on those three slight protrusions and it becomes flat..such an easy fix and most reviewers miss this…so there’s no step mate…
Can you pls do a mk6 golf r ??
100% mate, it's very high on the "to do" list. - AK
@@ReDriven also rc350 f sport 😓 really got high hopes for that car
Why did Ford Australia decide to rename the Kuga the Escape?
so no inbuilt navigation? deal breaker for me..
Wouldn’t waste my money on a ford anyday!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Everything I read about fords advises to give them a miss coz theyve got dodgy gearboxes...
8:18
I’ve got a 2016 Trend Diesel model, and to be honest, probably one of the better cars I’ve owned.
I previously had a VW golf diesel which was a lemon of a car and ended up with lots of issues.
Even though the Kuga isn’t quite as refined as the golf, it’s already outlived the golf in many areas
Hang on a minute, you had a Lemon VW, so decided a Ford was the answer? Eh?
@@MrWilliam.Stewart that’s right. I totally understand the “back up a minute!” thought process lol
These sell like hotcakes in Canada and the states