Used Ford Kuga review: 2012 to 2019 (Mk2) - Practicality and boot space
The Ford Kuga isn’t the most spacious car in its class but it has plenty of room nevertheless
There’s plenty of space inside the Ford Kuga for five occupants and their luggage, but there's no seven-seat option; a Ford S-MAX MPV will be a better choice for carrying lots of passengers. The Kuga is still a decently practical car overall, though.
Plus, even if you go for one of the more basic models, the Ford Kuga is a good tow car: the entry-level petrol model can pull 1,500kg. The top-of-the-range diesels can pull up to 2,100kg, but the 1.5-litre diesel is rated at just 1,200kg.
How big is the Ford Kuga?
The Ford Kuga is around 4.5m long, 2m wide and 1.7m tall, so it’s about the same as a Kia Sportage, which is 4.5m long, 1.85m wide and 1.6m tall. It’s slightly taller than average for a family SUV, so headroom is good. Like many of its rivals, though, it’s quite wide and will only just fit into a typical single garage - although most buyers won’t bother storing it inside anyway.
How much space is there for passengers?
Although the Kuga has just the five seats, there's plenty of room front and rear, especially in the back where there's lots of legroom and space for three adults to fit comfortably. It's not the most spacious car in the class – both the Honda CR-V and Kia Sorento offer more rear legroom, but the CR-V can't match the Ford's rear headroom.
The Kuga has plenty of storage space around the interior, including a big centre cubby, large door bins and a vast glovebox. There are also two drinks holders between the two front seats.
How big is the boot?
The Ford Kuga has a 456-litre boot, which grows to 1,653 litres if you fold the rear seats. Those seats fold flat, too, making loading large items very straightforward indeed. The boot has a wide opening, there's no lip to lift luggage over and there's minimal intrusion from the wheelarches. The floor is low, too, which makes things even easier.
The boot space easily matches that of its rivals – for example, while that of the Renault Kadjar is very slightly bigger with its rear seats in use, its total volume is slightly lower with them folded down.
Look out for models with a hands-free tailgate, which was an optional extra. This opens itself at the touch of a button or when you wave your foot under the rear bumper. This is helpful if you've got armfuls of shopping and can't reach your keys.
