It's the new Ford Kuga!

Facelift time for the Ford Kuga – our version of the US Escape. Set to be revealed at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (us neither), Ford says the redesigned Kuga is one of five all-new or redesigned Ford SUVs it’s to launch in the next three years. It’s with one of the others, the Edge, with which the Kuga shares its new face. 

What else is new? A 1.5-litre, 118bhp four-cylinder diesel has been added to the existing range of petrol and diesel engines, and there’s a redesigned interior with the latest generation SYNC infotainment system, which Ford promises us is much improved. 

Controlled largely by the 8-inch touchscreen, SYNC 3 promises simplified voice control (bark “I want a coffee” at the dashboard, and it’ll supposedly route you to the nearest café) and a more smartphone-like interface. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are bundled in, and it’ll even update itself over wifi. 

The existing Active Park Assist can now autonomously slot the Kuga into end-on spaces, and the autonomous emergency braking tech is now effective up to 31mph, up from 19. 

Beyond all that, it’s the same old Kuga – which is just fine by us…