I too have a Kuga 1.5 150 petrol st line x and I came from a faulty VW Tiguan 2.0 diesel 150 4motion DSG, back to a manual.
Have to agree, gear changes are awful on the manual, I have contacted motability who agreed I could change back to an automatic as I now have medical conditions and driving a manual isn’t as comfortable as it used to be.
Tried the PHEV and CVT is awful, high loud revs before changed gears, never had that with VW DSG. So I’ve gone back to VW and come away from having an SUV, I don’t use the full SUV space, I prefer a bigger car but gone for a Golf, and its such a pleasure to drive compared to the Kuga, can’t wait for it to arrive.
I had a 2.0 150 titanium Kuga before the Tiguan, loved it, never had gear troubles in that did great on fuel compared to this petrol version (also when fuel prices were in the 120’s or less!).
Had no issues with the overall quality of the vehicle and tech on it either. Just a shame the automatics aren’t as good as VW’s.
Also the facelift version is coming in the next few months, I know this because I used to work with the guys at my local Ford garage ( worked at ford with them elsewhere) and they messaged me to ask me if I wanted to test drive it when it came in, so anyone looking at changing, hold out for the facelift version (if you prefer that one)