My Kuga 2021 2.0 AWD 8 speed auto ecoblue titanium x edition,returns 26mpg doing very very short urban hops in local speed hump land. I had the engine checked out because it makes a terrible clatter like a hammer drill when driving after a cold start,was told nothing to worry about its a transit engine.Its even worse now with really cold weather,saw the amber snowflake light up on the digital dash today for the first time. I think the seats are out of a transit too with fancy materials and stitching,they are very very firm with virtually no side or seat bolstering.
I fear that your issue MickC is that the type of driving that you do means that you shouldn’t have chosen a diesel. Modern diesels have diesel particulate filters that clog up unless the engine and exhaust get hot frequently. You say that your journeys are ‘very very short’ and low speed, hence the 26mpg. These are exactly the sort of journeys that diesels don’t like. To be fair, most diesels that I have driven (with the exception of BMW diesels) can sound a bit agricultural when cold, but tend to quieten down once warm.
If you wanted a Kuga, given the type of journeys that you do, you would have been far better to have gone with the PHEV version, which gets very good reviews. You would be doing all of your journeys on electric and have virtually no petrol bills. It would also be very quiet and not have an issue with your short low speed journeys. Obviously you would be stuck with the same seats though. It might be worth having a conversation with Motability and explaining that you ordered a diesel which you now realise was a mistake and see if they will let you change early. They seem to be quite understanding in these situations.