The third generation Ford Kuga (also known as the Escape in the States) was launched in 2019 and went on sale in Europe in the same year. The Escape, on the other hand, was put on sale a year later. And now, despite still being very fresh, the Kuga is about to get its first facelift.

Our spy photographers caught the first prototypes of the facelift Kuga testing on the streets of Germany, next to the current model.

The prototype caught testing wears light camouflage, but, despite this, the facelift Kuga will actually offer quite an updated look, especially when it comes to the front end. Its new design will be inspired by the recently launched Fiesta and Focus models. It'll adopt a larger grille that will be positioned higher than before and will incorporate the Ford logo. In the current model, the logo is placed above the grille.

The headlights will also be completely redesigned and will adopt the same LED graphics that we've seen on the Mach-E. The hood will be more sculpted, the front bumper will also be redesigned, and in general, the facelift Kuga should adopt a more aggressive front look.

However, Ford will limit most of its updates on the front. The changes at the back will be minimal. From what we can see, it seems the changes are limited to redesigned graphics for the taillights.

For the interior, it looks like the infotainment screen will be updated to the new 13.2-inch touchscreen that we've seen in the recent Focus.

There will be no major changes made under the hood, so expect the facelift Kuga to be offered with the same engine lineup as the current model. As is with the current model, the updated Kuga's engine lineup will include gasoline, diesel mild-hybrid, full-hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

Expect the facelift Ford Kuga to be launched in the summer of 2022 with sales to begin in 2023.