FORD has earned itself a solid reputation for turning out sensible, practical family cars that are still fun to drive. No mean achievement.

The Focus, late lamented Fiesta and Puma are all a hoot to punt round country roads thanks to sharp dynamics, crisp handling and precise steering.

But can the same be done with a large SUV, saddled with a tall stance and a higher centre of gravity? Well, the answer in the case of the Kuga 2.5I ST-Line is a definite Yes.

It's a PHEV which means you can connect to a three pin plug or a wall-charger to allow up to 39 miles pure electric travel. This also gives you near immediate acceleration at a dab of the throttle and lets you start off silently in EV mode.

Power comes from four cylinder 2.5-litre engine which knocks out a lusty 240bhp which gives it a seven second dash to 62mph and max of 125mph - pretty tasty stats for a five-seater high rider.

It comes as standard with CVT automatic gearbox, which can be somewhat intrusive despite its efficiency. But the installation in the Kuga is better than most and you're largely unaware of its presence.

With such a punchy performance and generous dimensions, you'd expect a noticeable thirst but our average didn't dip below 50mpg during a 400 mile drive, with a best of 59mpg on a gentle cross country run.

Now the Kuga shape has been with us for some time and is starting to look a tad tired. It's a similar story inside with plenty of grey and dark plastic mouldings, all well fitting and solid but somewhat old-school.

Front seats are large and supportive but they are on the firm side. The rear seats are made to slide forward to increase boot space. We loved the clever rubber door-protectors that emerged when opening a door and retracted when it was closed. Simple but very effective.

Space front and rear is ample with good headroom and more than sufficient legroom. The boot is large but not as big as some of the rivals. Inevitably, the electric gubbins steal some of the cargo area. Nevertheless you're left with 475litres of luggage space.

As said, the Kuga is one of the few SUVs that are really rewarding to drive, particularly on windy roads. Body lean is well controlled with relatively stiff suspension by SUV standards and the steering is communicative and very direct.

The flip side of the firm springing is that undulations and the many road irregularities on our daily routes can make for a slightly joggly ride. Overall, we felt it was compromise well worth accepting.

Plenty of standard kit on board the ST-Line X version including 360-degree camera, powered front seats, roof rails, LED headlights, hands free power tailgate and blind spot information system. On the cosmetic side, the ST-Line also gets red brake callipers and a sporty body styling kit.

The review car was painted ‘bursted green', an attractive shade which certainly flattered the car's lines and helped make it look more up-to-date. A worthwhile £800 option, we felt.

With the Kuga ST, Ford has maintained its prowess in producing a dynamically impressive family SUV which has sacrificed none of its practical character despite being rewarding drive.

£42,455

2.5-litre, 4 cyl, 240bhp, PHEV petrol hybrid engine driving two wheels via automatic gearbox

125mph

7.3sec

51.4

21

125g/km

28%

3yrs/60,000 miles

4.5