Lifted Ford Kuga Off road Build for light Overland-Style Adventures
The Ford Kuga has never been a go-to choice for off-road enthusiasts. While its American sibling, the Escape, shares similar DNA, both models are typically considered daily commuters and grocery getters for family people. They simply aren’t made to provoke or challenge, instead they’re elegant, efficient, reliable and comfortable – typical “nice guys” in the car world.
But most of that image comes from Ford’s marketing, which probably didn’t see a point in positioning it as an adventure vehicle in the first place. Underneath though, Kugas aren’t significantly different from what we call mainstream “adventure crossovers”, offering basic AWD capability that can be further enhanced with some tried and tested upgrades like off-road wheels and lift kits (see how it compares to other similar crossovers and SUVs below).
Key Modifications:
- 40mm suspension lift kit + custom rear dislocation cones
- 29″ All-Terrain tires
- Overland-style exterior upgrades (roof rack, bullbar, spare wheel)
When I first came across this lifted 2010 Ford Kuga on Instagram, I knew I was looking at something truly special. Martin, the owner of this vehicle, saw potential where most people simply ignored it.
Despite almost no documented modifications on the internet, and poor aftermarket support, he decided to take the pioneering approach and adapt his Kuga for off-the-pavement adventures. As a result, he made one of the first truly decent Ford Kuga off-road builds, which required a good bit of research and dedication.
The Backbone
Despite not being pushed as an adventure crossover, in its 2010 brochure, Ford did mention that Kuga can be used off-road:
Its Control Blade independent rear suspension delivers an on-road experience that is second to none in its class. Its off-road capability is equally impressive. The intelligent all-wheel drive system adjusts automatically to give you optimum control in all conditions. – 2010 Ford Kuga Brochure
It may sound like the loud words, but they definitely aren’t louder than what other competitors used in their marketing materials. At its core, the Kuga uses the same unibody chassis with front independent with MacPherson struts and rear multilink suspension called Control Blade (somewhat similar to a Subaru Forester SJ).
All this suggests that with the tried and tested tricks like the lift kit and oversized tires, you CAN bump up the off-road capabilities of this crossover to enjoy more difficult dirt roads than a stock vehicle could handle. Read on to find out what exactly has been done by Martin and how it all worked together.
Owner’s Story
– I have owned the Ford Kuga for just over 4 years now. It was actually previously my Dad’s which he bought from Ford new back in 2010, so 15 years later and I am still keeping it going although very different to how it was all those years ago in the showroom.
Pretty much since day one of my ownership I wanted to make it a bit different and a bit more capable offroad as I often find myself off the beaten track camping and fishing.
Vision
– My vision was to lift it, put more rugged all terrain tyres on it, cargo roof rack, bullbar etc. Fast forward to Summer 2025 and I actually decided to go for it. After a lot of researching it soon became clear this was not going to be the easiest thing to achieve as it hasn’t really been done before.
Modifications
– After this, it was onto some serious modifications, first being the lift kit, this was probably the most difficult part of the build. After a lot of research I found a company out in Lithuania who makes a lift kit for my model Kuga which comprises of polyurethane strut spacers front and rear and rear spring spacers.
– I got my local workshop to install this and it was an easy installation. However I had problems with the rear springs shifting in their cups and on one occasion a spring completely popped out of place. So custom dislocation cones had to be made to keep the springs in place.
– Next mod was a set of 16 inch Tuff Torque Modular steel rims wrapped in 235/70R16 BF Goodrich KO2 AT tyres. As soon as these were fitted it transformed the Kuga into a very capable offroad looking vehicle and gave even more clearance due to the increased rolling radius over the stock wheels. 40mm lift kit and the increased tyre radius gives an overall lift of around 60mm over the standard Ford Kuga.
After this it was then a case of adding a few modifications to enhance the overland look. This included widening the rear track with 25mm spacers for a more aggressive stance, spotlights on the cargo rack and a bullbar made to order all the way from Italy which I also fitted with spotlights. One of my last mods to complete the adventure look was a full-size spare wheel for the cargo roof rack.
– My favourite modification is probably the wheel and tyre package. Combined with the lift kit it really completes the overland look.
I just generally love everything about the build. I had a vision of what i wanted to create and i set out and did it. It’s rare and as far as I am aware this is the only Ford Kuga overland build like it.
Follow my Insta to see the adventures we go on – @overlander_kuga
List of Modifications
Suspension
- Sek-Suspension Systems 40mm Lift Kit
- Custom rear dislocation cones
Wheels and Tires
- 16 inch Tuff Torque Modular Wheels
- 235/70/16 BF Goodrich KO2 AT tires (29″)
- 25mm GEN2 Rear Wheel Spacers
Exterior
- Cargo roof rack with full size spare wheel and spotlights
- Misutonida 4×4 bullbar with spotlights
- Wind deflectors
- Bonnet deflector
Summing up
Even in the stock form with 7.7″ inches of ground clearance in the stock form and overall wheel diameter of 27.3″, the Kuga earns 39.1 points out of 100 possible, based on our off-road capability score, surpassing other road-oriented competitors like a VW Tiguan and Honda CR-V (both rated at 38.6 Points). Yet due to the very basic AWD system gen 4 Haldex system it falls slightly behind a Subaru Forester SJ equipped with off-road dedicated “X mode” and a Toyota Rav4 TRD Off-road in similar configuration.
Thanks to all the modifications done by Martin, this Kuga transformed into a pretty capable rig that stands confidently before traditional 4×4 SUVs. The ground clearance was bumped to approximately 9 inches and oversized tires now have the overall diameter of 29″ inches, which is equal to the stock wheels on a Land Rover Discovery 1 and VW Touareg MK1 known for their off-road capabilities.
Even though there’s nothing off-road in the equipment of the Kuga except for the simple AWD, the physical size of the wheels and ground clearance alone significantly improved its off-road capabilities opening new destinations for Martin’s next camping trips.
Photography by @g3_cxo
Compare Ford Kuga off-road capabilities VS Competitors
Ford Kuga AWD (2008-2013)
Score:
Volkswagen Tiguan (2018-2024)
Score:
* Click “Choose Vehicle 2” above to select a vehicle you would like to compare the Ford Kuga to and our tool will list all the key parameters like the ground clearance, drivetrain type, wheel size, differential type, etc. that influance the off-road performance of a vehicle
