Ford’s Kuga and Puma get BlueCruise hands-free driving tech

Ford has introduced its hands-off BlueCruise driving technology to its Kuga and Puma models.

Having previously only been available on the Mustang Mach-e electric SUV, BlueCruise uses a system of cameras and radars to ‘read’ the road ahead and allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and allow the car to ‘steer’ instead.

New Kuga and Puma BlueCruise Edition cars will get the system equipped as standard, doing without the £17.99 monthly subscription for the service on the Mach-e.

The hands-off system can only be used on approved ‘Blue Zones’, which currently include areas on the M1, M6 and M25. However, unlike a fully autonomous car, these new models still require the driver to monitor the road ahead at all times and be prepared to retake control of the vehicle at any point.

To differentiate these models from the rest of the ranges, BlueCruise Edition cars get an exclusive Vapor Blue exterior paint colour with contrast black-painted roof and black mirror caps, as well as black alloy wheels. Inside, there are embossed seats and other detailing finished in Nordic Blue.

BlueCruise Edition cars also get connected navigation included as standard, bringing cloud-based updates for traffic to help drivers avoid slowdowns and congestion.

Available to order today, the Kuga BlueCruise Edition is available as a plug-in hybrid, full hybrid or regular petrol, while the Puma BlueCruise Edition can be specified either with an EcoBoost petrol engine or as an electric model in the Puma Gen-E.