Ford

Puma

The all-new Ford Puma is a practical compact SUV that offers five-door versatility and great driving dynamics. It has class-leading storage space and is offered with a choice of frugal, yet punchy powertrains.

The good

Styling, handling, space and running costs

The bad

Up against stiff competition

Tech Specs

Price from

£20,845

Combined Fuel up to

67.3mpg

0-62 from

6.7 seconds

max speed up to

137mph

co2 from

96g/km

Test Drive

Ford Puma ST Gold Edition (2022)

Ford has certainly struck gold rush with its latest Puma model thanks to the help of some social media and a huge fanbase of loyal followers.

It was a brave step to ask the public to suggest both design cues and the model naming process after the rather spectacular Boaty McBoatface naming incident a few years back. And there have been other splendid examples such as Mister Splashy Pants for an endangered humpback whale and even Spirit of the Walletsuckers for a new ferry following ticket price hikes. But nevertheless, Ford entrusted this limited-edition model to its fans who came up with design ideas as well as the ‘Gold Edition’ name.

So, the end result is the rather stunning Puma ST Gold Edition and it is quite the head-turner to be honest thanks to 19-inch alloy wheels with a gold finish, a unique ST body-styling kit, including large rear spoiler, bespoke vehicle decals and Ford Performance embossed splitter plus red brake calipers. A black painted contrast roof and dual tail pipes perfectly add the finishing touches to this five-door model.

Move inside and you are greeted by a sporty, clutter-free interior with a flat-bottomed ST sports steering wheel that features gold stitching and sports seats finished in similar gold craftwork. Both the seats and steering wheel can be heated to fend off the winter blues and there is a unique ST gear shift knob, along with alloy sports pedals.

On-board technology impresses with a 12.3-inch instrument cluster with sharp graphics and the Ford SYNC 3 Navigation system with an eight-inch touchscreen, pitch perfect Bang & Olufsen sound system with 10 speakers and subwoofer, DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad and plenty more besides.

Powering this limited-edition car is the same three-cylinder turbocharged 1.5-litre, petrol engine that drives the normal Puma ST. Delivering 200PS and 320Nm of torque, it can sprint to 62mph from a standing start in 6.7 seconds, tops out at 137mph and can achieve a combined 41.5mpg with carbon emissions of 155g/km.

Our test car had a six-speed manual gearbox and there are drive modes to flick through called Eco, Normal, Sport and Racetrack that alter the driving performance and reactions of the car. An ‘S’ button on the steering wheel offers instant access to the Sport setting which is really handy when faced with tempting, twisting lanes.

With a nice tight 10.5-metre turning circle, the Puma ST is perfectly suited to busy city centre driving with lots of weaving in and out of traffic. Plus, the additional parking features will help you find a suitable space and then automatically park the car.

The Puma ST is such a fun model to drive with sharp, punchy acceleration, confident road holding and ample power to overtake slower moving vehicles. There is quite a raspy engine note as you power away, which rather matches the sporty styling of the car. And the dynamic suspension and steering set-up has been designed for thrill-seekers out there.

Yet this car still ticks all the practicality boxes along the way. There is a glovebox, deep trays, seatback nets, a cubby box, front cup holders and a boot that can swallow 466 litres of luggage. Drop the 60:40 split-folding rear seats and that capacity increases to 1,200 litres.

But it’s worth looking beneath the boot floor too as there is a huge storage compartment there. This area is called the Megabox and is ideal if you need to transport muddy boots or the likes, as it can be rinsed out when you get home which is all very clever.

Safety specifications are top notch which is essential on any family car with pre-collision assist with autonomous emergency braking, pedestrian and cyclist detection and post collision braking, lane keep assist and lane departure warning, hill start assist, electronic stability control and a full suite of airbags.

The Gold Edition, which unfortunately is now sold out, was more than £2k pricier than the standard Puma ST so cost owners £33,125 and our test model also featured a Driver Assistance Pack with parking that added £600 to the total bill.

All in all, it’s always good to see limited edition cars on our roads especially when the fanbase that love the models have a certain amount of input along the way. Thankfully (or maybe not) this time round, we got a sensible name.

Test Drive

Ford Puma 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV Titanium (2020)

Think back to that small coupe model from the 90s called the Ford Puma. Well, now the name has made a comeback and the car itself is ready to pounce on the scene.

That’s because the all-new 21^st Century Ford Puma has many architectural similarities to the ever-popular best-selling Fiesta model on which it is based, but it’s bigger all round and also higher so becomes yet another vehicle vying for sales in the compact crossover sector.

And although that particular segment is bursting with models these days, the five-door Puma has some unique selling points to grab the attention of would-be customers, including eye-catching styling, punchy economical engines, plus class-leading load space which is a ‘must’ for anyone who needs to fill every inch of their boot.

There is also a rather clever underfloor compartment in the boot which is ideal for storing muddy boots or wet clothing etc. And when you get home you can simply rinse this Megabox area out as it has a plug that can be removed to drain away dirty water. It’s very clever and practical. I transported a number of plants from a garden centre and this storage area was ideal for keeping them upright and then any excess dirt was quickly washed away.

We tested the Puma powered by a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder mild hybrid engine delivering 125PS and 210Nm of torque in Titanium guise matched to a six-speed manual gearbox. This model, costing £21,640 (£23,840 with options) could sprint from 0-62mph in 9.8 seconds, topped out at 119mph and delivered 51.4mpg under WLTP testing along the way, with carbon emissions of 96g/km.

Out on the open country lanes, the acceleration from the three-pot engine proved both instant and constant with ample power on tap to overtake slower moving vehicles. The front wheel drive Puma offers impressive levels of grip meaning corners can be attacked with confidence and it’s also nicely balanced with very little sign of any body sway.

In fact, it would be fair to say its dynamic characteristics are very similar to that of a hatchback rather than a compact SUV and the nicely weighted steering offers plenty of driver feedback.

It cruises with ease at national speed limits on motorways, although the engine does get a little more vocal when pushed on, and then the Puma is nimble and easy to manoeuvre in busier town centre settings with a 10.5-metre turning circle.

The driver can choose from drive modes called Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Trail that alter the car’s responses – the Sport setting really sharpens up the handling and is best saved for quieter country roads.

There’s no denying the Puma, which is built in Romania, is a good looking vehicle with its athletic SUV stance, neat curves, LED daytime running lights, distinctive grille, tinted windows, lots of chrome trim, plus 10-spoke, 17-inch alloys.

The interior is both clutter-free and driver friendly with all dials, controls and readouts well placed for ease of use. The cloth seats are comfy with plenty of support and there is a wealth of on-board kit to explore, with techno treats including a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system and Ford’s SYNC 3 set-up that features a sat nav, an eight-inch display touchscreen and a 12.5-inch configurable instrument cluster behind the steering wheel. There is full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and a wireless phone charger pad.

Comfort levels are high and there is room for a couple of adults in the back if the front seats are not pushed back too far. Storage options are good too with the boot capacity ranging from 466 litres to 1,200 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. And that Megabox means you can carry two sets of golf clubs in an upright position if so desired.

The Ford Puma also comes complete with a comprehensive list of safety features that helped it secure a maximum five stars when it was tested for its Euro NCAP rating. Our car also had a Driver Assistance Pack costing £900 extra that introduced blind spot monitoring, city traffic assist with active braking, intelligent adaptive cruise control with evasive steering, active park assist, front parking sensors and a rear-view camera.

All in all, the all-new Ford Puma is a very attractive newcomer to the compact crossover scene with smart styling and impressive handling, plus some very clever packaging along the way.