Even after it has been on our roads for three years Ford’s Puma still draws admiring comments and still has stand out looks in a motoring world where much seems the same on the style front. When I had my first Puma test car I was parked in a supermarket car park and a rather trendy young couple walked past.. “That’s the new Puma,” said he. “Nice, isn’t it”, said she. A few minutes later they both purred past in their Porsche SUV. If you think a lot of people buy a car because they like the looks-and then argue they bought it for more common sense reasons then it’s probably the former. The Puma, even in these difficult times, delivers healthy sales for Ford. Underneath the smart body sits a lot of Fiesta, including engine and gear box. But the bits you can see are all bespoke to Puma and stretch further in every dimension than the Fiesta donor.
Ford has a hard won reputation to maintain for building affordable cars that bring a smile to their driver’s face. The Puma more than lives up to the accolade, with the sort of eagerness to tackle a corner that the taller body might warn against. Positive steering and a pretty snappy gear change add to the fun. The more sporting ST-Line and ST look enhanced in all the right places with a sports body kit. However, they also have sports suspension so it’s worth checking the ride is to your liking before making your final choice, even the non-sporting models ride and handle extremely well.
Prices start at £24,920 for a Puma that comes with a 1.0-litre 125PS engine and shares all the attributes of dearer cars. The Pumas also add mild hybrid to the mix for improved green credentials. Every Puma gets a cockpit that looks modern, works well but arguably lacks the surface shine of some rivals. There’s plenty of room up front and just about enough in the back, before we reach the clever bit in the boot. Lift the boot floor and you discover what Ford calls a MegaBox, an 80 litres waterproof compartment, complete with drain plug for dirty wellies and the like. The goodies count is impressive, with even the lead-in Puma featuring power fold heated door mirrors, auto lights, high beam assist, auto wipers, navigation, intelligent cruise, climate, Car Play and Android Auto, quick-clear heated screen, five different drive modes and 17” alloys.
Words by Mark Slack
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