The Ford Kuga is a sharp offer, making it quite popular. However, Chinese EV giant BYD now also supplies plug-in hybrids in Europe, with the Seal U DMi even briefly becoming the best-selling PHEV in Europe. Should Ford be worried?
The versions we have together for this test are the BYD Seal U DM-i Boost (217 hp, €39,790) and the Ford Kuga 2.5 Plug-in Hybrid ST-Line X (243 hp, €49,135).
Wanting to drive electric but not be entirely dependent on charging stations: that’s actually quite a reasonable wish. Anyone wanting to keep the step towards a plug-in hybrid SUV reasonable – including in terms of purchase value – undoubtedly has the Ford Kuga on their list. It may not be the most striking or sharpest car in its segment, but the Ford offers a lot of space and equipment for a relatively favorable price.
Kuga from €43,490
That amount may not seem as favorable if you look at the prices at the top of this article. There, you’ll read that the Kuga costs over 49,000, but that price belongs to the tested and quite luxurious ST-Line X variant. As a Titanium, the Kuga with this powertrain (there is only one) costs €43,490, which is certainly reasonable for what you get, especially since the standard equipment is already very neat. Ford is also temporarily offering a €4,000 discount on the Kuga, which it needs to get close to the BYD price.
Because yes, the Chinese car is even more affordable at €39,790. BYD offers two versions of the Seal U DM-i, the plug-in hybrid that is also considerably more affordable than an electric Seal U. However, the difference between the Boost and the Design is not in the equipment, but in the powertrain, which is much more powerful in the Design and offers four-wheel drive. The Boost has front-wheel drive and is still powerful enough with 217 hp, although the Kuga has more power with 243 hp.
The Ford brings the gasoline and electric power combined to the front wheels via a stepless transmission, similar to how Toyota does it. This works well in practice, mainly because there are never any shift moments or other jolts. The gasoline engine is a relatively large 2.5-liter four-cylinder without a turbo. Relatively simple, then, and that turns out to be a smart choice in an application where the engine is constantly switched on and off and the electric motor compensates for any lack of torque.
Impressed
Ford delivers a fine hybrid powertrain here, but we are more impressed with the Seal U in this area. BYD installs a weaker 1.5-liter gasoline engine, but a much more powerful electric motor. On the road, the emphasis also seems to be much more on electric driving, and the engine functions in the background when needed, virtually inaudible to those who don’t pay attention. Under most circumstances, the four-cylinder doesn’t even drive the engine at all, but only serves as a generator to provide power to the batteries. Only at constant high speed does the engine seem to directly drive the wheels, but you don’t really notice that either.
The silence is particularly noticeable, but due to its abundance of electric power, the Seal U also seems to perform even more effortlessly than the Ford. Its battery is also significantly larger, resulting in a clearly larger electric range (see box), so it is less often necessary to use the gasoline engine at all. On the road, you can even charge the BYD at the fast charger, although that rarely makes financial sense.
Loose front axle
Due to the quiet powertrain of the DM-i, the difference between the electric BYD Seal U and the plug-in hybrid is not always clear on the road. The version with a fuel tank is also a good-natured, comfortable, and somewhat distant car, perfect for those who want nothing more than pleasant transportation. A disadvantage is the too loosely damped front axle, which causes it to wallow somewhat uncertainly over its front wheels under certain circumstances.
Fine driving Kuga
Ford has a reputation to uphold as a manufacturer of fine-steering cars, and thus cannot get away with so much distance. The Kuga does not disappoint and steers sharply and with a lot of feel, which in combination with a much tighter chassis results in a very fine driving car. The Ford certainly doesn’t hate a fast corner and provides more certainty in the event of an unexpected evasive action, but is fortunately also wonderfully comfortable. Well done.
Yet the Kuga is certainly not a car with which you merge as a driver. The seating position, for example, is somewhat awkward, so you are never really comfortable behind the wheel. Finding a nice place in the back is no problem at all, because the Kuga is very spacious there. But that also applies at virtually the same level to the Seal U, which also offers a more pleasant seating position in the front.
Small luggage space
The luggage space of the Ford, with 395 liters, is theoretically not so impressive for the type of car, although in practice it feels quite reasonable. The cargo space has a handy shape and the space that is lost due to the battery pack compared to the regularly powered versions (not available in the Netherlands) is still under the floor. A sliding rear seat makes it possible to enlarge the cargo space somewhat, although that is of course at the expense of legroom in the back. The Seal U does not have such a sliding function, but scores points again with an adjustable loading floor and just a little more space than the Ford.
Buttons scrapped
The interior of the Ford Kuga seems to have been designed by an advanced form of AI: it all makes sense, but looks rather uninspired. The different parts hardly connect to each other anywhere, and the materials used are solid, but nothing more than that. During the recent facelift of the Kuga, Ford scrapped some buttons, but that doesn’t cause any major disadvantages in practice. Fortunately, the large touchscreen is excellently put together, and because the interior temperature and related matters can be directly controlled in the bottom bar, you can still access it quickly. Ford’s infotainment makes a seriously good impression, partly because something as essential as Android Auto merges seamlessly with the rest. You can even show it on part of the screen, so that you can also see or operate other things on the rest of the screen. Top.
Seal U more normal inside than other BYDs
BYD is known for its unusually designed and colored interiors, but the Seal U is the exception that proves the rule. This dashboard looks a lot less outlandish than that of, for example, an Atto 3 and is ‘just’ largely black, although you can tick a combination of black and brown for the seat upholstery free of charge. The Seal U dashboard certainly doesn’t get an originality prize and lacks its own face, but is otherwise well put together and has some nice details here and there. At 15.6 inches, the screen is somewhat larger than the 13.2-inch Ford screen, but the infotainment system of the BYD is considerably less fine than that of the Ford. It works okay, but is graphically less beautiful and less logically put together. The climate control is also in the screen here, but in automatic mode, the system often blows air into the interior far too hard.
The steering assistance also works somewhat raggedly, but the BYD partially makes up for this with its downright impressive standard equipment. The previously mentioned seat upholstery, for example, is made of artificial leather and has holes, through which the air from the standard seat ventilation flows. The seats are also heated and electrically adjustable, and every Seal U DM-i has an opening panoramic roof, adjustable ambient lighting, keyless entry, a 360-degree camera, Infinity audio, 19-inch light-alloy wheels, and much more. The Kuga can only match that if you order the complete option list, but then the price difference between these cars is very large even with the Ford discount.