Kuga 2021 FHEV

[Clarky94]

I have just placed and order for a 2021 KUGA FHEV , I was only able to test drive the PHEV model but was assured that the performance is pretty much the same on that the PHEV version that is able  able to travel further that the FHEV version on electric power alone is this the case.

What sort of distance can the FHEV travel on electric power before the petrol engine kicks in?

 

[iantt]

I've not seen or tried a fhev version yet. But autocar magazine tested one, and by the sounds of it ,electric only distance is minimal and at very low speeds. 

Sounds very much like the Mondeo hybrid 

"As ever with a conventional hybrid, the Kuga starts silently on electric only, but it’s not long before the 2.5-litre petrol engine kicks in - anything above car park-pace starts it. To be fair, though, it’s a smooth transition and the powertrain is largely refined, with enough punch to make any sort of journey effortless.

The caveat above is down to the CVT: it's fine for pottering about, but as soon as you ask for more, it winds itself up, the engine note climbs to the top of the rev range and there it stays, wailing away. It settles down again once you ease off, but it lacks sophistication – and the Kuga PHEV with the same gearbox somehow manages to contain the whining better"

[Eric Bloodaxe]

10 minutes ago, iantt said:

Sounds very much like the Mondeo hybrid 

Autocar  have just started running a Mondeo hybrid as a long termer, so they usually put regular updates on their site.

Not getting anywhere near your diesel MPG though Ian - only 45.9 so far!

[iantt]

1 minute ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

Autocar  have just started running a Mondeo hybrid as a long termer, so they usually put regular updates on their site.

Not getting anywhere near your diesel MPG though Ian - only 45.9 so far!

Not likely when it's running on a petrol engine 99%of the time on a cvt and carrying a heavy battery. 

[Clarky94]

I am not the sort of person that races around the local rooms but i want a vehicle that will pull promptly onto a roundabout either from a standstill or rolling ups to hill and not have the engine either die or have a wait for it accelerator with nothing and then suddenly everything.

I am coming from a Diesel Qashqai that had a real flat spot at around 1500 rpm and then suddenly all the power after it had though about it.

Does the FHEV run on electric  on a motorway when  running at a constant speed?

Do you get a rev counter displayed or just the EV information 

[iantt]

Cant answer your questions unfortunately. Im not sure how long they have been out for. The battery is  small compared to the phev therefore it will only be able to help the engine rather than power the vehicle independently realistically. As the autocar test, it will power the car at very low speeds as in crawling through traffic in town etc. I have also found out the battery can keep the car coasting without the engine up to speeds of 62 mph for short periods as long as there is sufficient charge from regenerative braking. 

The phev will use battery power only up to 30 miles depending on journey types at most speeds . 

[MasterTechTip]

There are no flat spots on the FHEV and as the salesman said the performance is pretty much the same. I've found you can only get around 1-2 miles a time on battery only, the system is seemless and the battery part is assisting all of the time. It can run on electric only onna motorway but it won't be for very long. There isn't a rev counter either just a "power" indication to show how much load you're putting on the engine

[Eric Bloodaxe]

You can only get out of a battery what you put in. It does seem it you want an ability to run a reasonable distance (30 miles or so) on electric power alone, then you need a PHEV and the ability to charge it overnight so you always start with a fully charged battery. 

I found this on the Toyota site which is quite interesting, showing how far their FHEV cars ran on electric during customer test drives:

https://www.toyota.co.uk/hybrid/hybrid-test-drive

[Clarky94]

6 hours ago, MasterTechTip said:

There are no flat spots on the FHEV and as the salesman said the performance is pretty much the same. I've found you can only get around 1-2 miles a time on battery only, the system is seemless and the battery part is assisting all of the time. It can run on electric only onna motorway but it won't be for very long. There isn't a rev counter either just a "power" indication to show how much load you're putting on the engine

Thanks you for your feedback - i just want a vehicle that performs as it should do - my last vehicle a 1.5 diesel Qashqai was ok at roundabouts if you had a run up but if you were forced to slow down its was too much for second gear you would have to wait for it to wake up or that horrible jerk you get if you go to 1st gear - and this time i have gone for the CVT auto and a engine what a reasonable amount of power

[LFC1986]

22MY Kuga ST line X Edition FHEV 2.5 CVT Solar Silver / 20'' 5x2 spoke alloys / Technology pack / Drivers assistance pack

I have had my car since 1st November now and covered 1800 miles with a return of 500 being electric. The car has exceeded my expectations with its all round capability.

Local journeys for example school runs 2-3 mile with speeds of around 30mph are all electric, I have been travelling down the east lancs road the last couple of weeks covering roughly 20 mile and had a return of about 16 miles electric at speeds of around 50mph.

The spec is spot on with only the all wheel drive option missing.

10/10.

[NoColeman]

On 1/13/2022 at 1:49 PM, LFC1986 said:

22MY Kuga ST line X Edition FHEV 2.5 CVT Solar Silver / 20'' 5x2 spoke alloys / Technology pack / Drivers assistance pack

I have had my car since 1st November now and covered 1800 miles with a return of 500 being electric. The car has exceeded my expectations with its all round capability.

Local journeys for example school runs 2-3 mile with speeds of around 30mph are all electric, I have been travelling down the east lancs road the last couple of weeks covering roughly 20 mile and had a return of about 16 miles electric at speeds of around 50mph.

The spec is spot on with only the all wheel drive option missing.

10/10.

Hi Michael, 

 

I'm looking to upgrade my current Kuga (2014) manual 1.6 eco boost, to the FHEV, purely for the automatic transmission and I wanted to get your view on acceleration and power. Obviously its not a race car, but i would like something that is quicker than what i have so you can get up to speed for overtaking on motorway etc. 

 

Many thanks, 

 

Nick

[LFC1986]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for your message.

Previous to the FHEV, I had a 20MY 1.5tdi and before that a 1st gen and 2 x 2nd gen Kuga 2.0tdi so have had good experience of multiple engines over the past 10 years.

The 2.5 FHEV is on another level, instant power / silent start from the off, so from the lights most cars are in your rear view mirror. No problem overtaking the power is there when needed. Also had electric usage on the motorway doing 68mph yesterday for a few miles, first time I’d noticed.

My updated mileage to date;

2500 total miles / 750 electric 

Averaging 1 in 3.3 miles ⚡️👏 

(Mostly motorway driving in the total aswell, mostly all short distance low speed journeys all electric).

I’m debating ordering another considering the value of them new/used and the continued semi conductor shortage and brexit issues.

Hope this helps.

Michael

 

[LFC1986]

Hi can anyone help? I've had my Kuga FHEV since November 2021 I've done 5,000 miles, I've had a notification for oil life 39% estimated 3,300 miles remaining est service due Aug 2022.

Says on the maintenance schedule service 2 year / 18,000 miles.

Is this a separate service as it's something I've never had to do before with any of my previous Ford vehicles.

Thanks 

[unofix]

Like many new Ford's ( and probably other makes ) your car is equipped with an quality of oil sensor (gets lots of different names). The fact you are doing lots of short journeys greatly reduces the life of the oil. The 2 year / 18000 mile service interval is a sales gimmick or you can view it the other way round and the sensor is a gimmick.

For a great many years I had Jaguar's that had these oil/service sensors which to be fair worked well, but the cars had no mileage or age given for service intervals they purely relied on the car saying when it need to be serviced.

I think you will find that the car will probably make until September before it says the oil needs changed, but at that point it would be advisable to change the oil and filter. 

[alexp999]

The service schedule really should be advertised as:

2 years / 18,000 miles / 0% oil life remaining, whichever comes first.

[LFC1986]

Thanks for your replies, I mostly do long journeys average 40 mile return motorway driving per day.  Other driving consists of short 1-2 miles journeys using all electric.

Updated mileage -

5000 total miles / 1390 electric.

Aside from this the car has been spot on.