2015 Ford Kuga Zetec 2.0 turbo diesel from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Boring

Faults:

For clarity, this was a company car I had from new, so someone else took care of maintenance and repairs. To the best of my knowledge over the 2 years I had the car, there were no major problems, only an initial recall for something electronic to be fixed under warranty.

General Comments:

Was given this as a company car back in 2015, with a choice between this Kuga, or Nissan's Juke. Despite not liking this car much, I think I made the right choice.

OK where to start. For some background, I like cars, and have had many luxury saloons and coupes over the years, so that has heavily influenced my views on this car. If you are new to driving you'll probably find this car just fine, but for everyone else, this car is mediocrity on wheels.

First of all I have no idea why these silly crossover vehicles exist. It's one of those cars that does not know if it wants to be an MPV or a 4x4. I tried hard to see the appeal but just could not.

Zetec spec is mid range, so that means enough electrical equipment, a nice set of alloys, etc. But nothing can be done to sharpen this car up - it is (in my opinion) ugly. All cars like this are. Usually a nice colour and wheels do wonders for even the ugliest cars, but this car is one big chunk of modern plastic and steel built with no passion whatsoever.

On the plus side the interior is spacious, I like the fact it still has a lever for a handbrake and not those silly electronic buttons, visibility is excellent, drive is smooth and quiet, and the 2.0 is economical as expected. Fast enough as well.

When I was finished with it in 2017 I was glad to see the back of it. Moved on to a new job where I could buy my own car again, and certainly would not consider a Kuga. I suppose at the very least it wasn't all bad if all you want is modern transport that functions at the most basic level, but if you like cars, then you're in possession of a heartbeat/soul, so please choose just about anything else, and not a crossover type vehicle.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th June, 2022

2011 Ford Kuga 2.0 TDCI turbo diesel from Portugal

Summary:

Overpriced

Faults:

Got random warning lights, traction control etc; stop and restart and they would go away. Took it to Ford and their solution was "It's more than likely dirty sensors, just restart the car / ignore".

Got an engine malfunction warning light, and permanent going into limp home mode. Took it for a spin on the motorway to force a regen because the error was DPF related. Put chemicals in the tank for the DPF, used Forscan to force a DPF regen etc; no change. Every time I went into 4th gear or higher, I would get an engine malfunction and go into limp home mode.

Took it to the garage and left it there for 3 weeks; they replaced a sensor and said they "think" it was sensor but not 100% sure (£350).

3 days after I got it back from Ford I sold it for half the price I paid for it 3 years prior... in Portugal, that's unheard of... I just wanted to get that car as far away from me as possible and FAST!!

General Comments:

Very spacious, but not the best ride.

Was getting about 700Km on a tank (60 litre) on the motorway, but town driving I was getting about 500km to a tank.

South Africa has major issues with Ford Kuga's just bursting into flames... Do a bit of googling about it!!! Literally 100s of them!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th May, 2019

22nd Aug 2025, 21:08

The DPF is the biggest pain on modern diesels. And it's all based on unproven environmental nonsense. And don't get me started on Adblu systems. We pay through the nose for this stuff to be repaired when it breaks down and they tell us it's still not good enough and we need to go electric. Well I tell you if the electric thing does take off, they will find a way to put an annoying environment type device on them still somehow!