28 October 2023 , 10:43
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For the misty-eyed, old-school motoring hacks like myself, the Ford Puma is a shadow of its former self. At least on the face of it.
The original Puma was considered something of a masterpiece in its 1990s heyday and, if you can find one that hasn't rotted away, they're starting to command remarkable prices.
But Ford's in a bit of a sensible phase at the moment, and the SUV rules the roost, so the return of the Puma back in 2019 saw it arrive as "crossover", or a "compact SUV" as we're now preferring to call them.
Think of it, then, as a slightly bulkier Fiesta. And if that sounds exciting then, well, it should do. Because the Fiesta is (was) ace, and... Spoiler alert: So is the Puma.
The first thing you need to know is, true to its pedigree, the Puma is great to drive. It's lightweight, the engine is torquey, the steering sharp and the chassis just feels fun.
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It really doesn't need to be this good to succeed in the compact SUV sector, so it's not all that relevant, but it's certainly refreshing.
On to more important stuff, then. I won't dwell on the exterior, other than to say it looks great, and I'll move on to the interior, which is standard Ford fayre.
The driving position is spot on, the seats are comfortable, the controls are intuitive and there's a mountain of tech bundled in to all but the most basic of trim levels.
I don't think it would be cruel to describe the interior styling as "safe". There's no daring slashes, no space-age materials, a relatively small entertainment screen... I would say it's showing its age, but I actually quite like it. It's all very functional and easy to use.
Space in the rear is excellent. The Puma is around 10cm longer than the Fiesta, God rest its soul, so rear-seat passengers are well catered for. And there's a useful 456 litres in the boot. For its size, the Puma is very well packaged.
Some might find the rear visibility a bit lacking, its pillars are chunky and the rising roof line means the windows are small. A cluster of cameras sorts the problem to some extent though.
All Pumas in the range are now Mild Hybrids, which means they have a 48v motor underpinning the engine. The engines are all three-cylinder units, but that's no bad thing.
The mild hybrid setup helps economy by taking on some of the low-load work, and it can give the engine a welcome shove while the turbo is spooling up. It's a nice setup that works well.
The ST-line version I was testing had 155bhp from its 1.0-litre engine, a 0-60mph time of 8.9 seconds and it always felt eager to please.
Couple that with the nifty road manners and the sporty driving position and it's honestly the most fun you'll have in a compact SUV.
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Depending on the spec you go for, prices start at around £25,000. My ST-Line would cost just shy of £30,000 and a fully-loaded Vignale or ST with all the boxes ticked would knock on the door of £40,000.
But that's honestly good value for money these days.
I get it, then. I can completely understand why the nation is in love with the Ford Puma. It's dominated the UK's sales charts, and rightly so. It strikes a rare balance between sporty and sensible, it still looks great, it's cheap to buy and cheap to run.
That makes it one of the best all-rounders on the market.
FAST FACTS
Model tested: Puma ST-Line 1.0L Ecoboost mHEV
Price: £29,765 (as tested)
0-60mph: 89. seconds
Power: 155PS
Economy: 51.4mpg (combined)
CO2: 125g/km
Search for a Ford Puma here.