Revealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the refreshed styling brings it in line with the updated Ecosport and the forthcoming Edge large SUV, as previewed by the Kuga’s U.S. counterpart, the Escape, late last year.

It’s the first European model with the SYNC 3 infotainment system, with conversational voice commands and a much larger display than in the outgoing car. This will offer smartphone-like pinch and swipe gestures, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

An enhanced package of driver assistance systems will include Perpendicular Parking, Active City Stop which works at up to 31mph, the Adaptive Front Lighting System and a Cross Traffic Alert.

The new lead-in engine, likely to be an important addition in fleet, is a 118bhp 1.5-litre diesel with two-wheel drive, and a targeted 64.2mpg and 115g/km CO2, compared to 60.1mpg and 122g/km for the most efficient version of the outgoing car.

Ford says it will also offer 2.0-litre diesels with 148bhp and 178bhp, as well as 118bhp, 148bhp and 180bhp versions of the 1.5-litre EcoBoost turbocharged petrol engine, the latter offering up to 45.6mpg on the combined cycle.

The Kuga remains an important model in the brand’s line-up, with sales reaching 32,966 units in the UK last year – up 35.2% on 2015 and more than three times the volume sold in its first year on sale.