By Ian Strachan.
Ford’s excellent small SUV, the Puma is the first small Ford to get hybrid power, with its three-cylinder one litre EcoBoost engine assisted by an electric motor. The result is better economy and an impressive 155 horsepower.
The Puma is a nicely-designed, roomy and stylish offering, using good trim materials and a fair bit of technology.
Ford’s Fiesta-based SUV certainly seems bigger than it actually is. Ford’s designers have come up with a nicely rounded profile for the Puma, and the addition of 18 inch five-spoke alloy wheels give it a purposeful look. A deep grille further improves its exterior look, along with the large rear spoiler fitted to the ST-Line spec which I tested.
The Puma starts at £20,700 – good value for a well-packaged car – but I test drove the Puma in ST-Line trim, which retails at £24,825 on the road.
The Puma has a quality feel to it inside and out. Pumas of the past had plastic-laden unsophisticated interiors, but this Puma has high quality trim materials. You also get 12.3 inch instrument cluster with a touchscreen for satnav and in-car entertainment. You get keyless ignition, sports suspension, LED daytime running lights, heated, folding door mirrors with puddle lamps, alloy sports pedals, cruise control, lane keeping aid, wireless phone charging pad, heated windscreen, cruise control and electronic automatic temperature control as standard.
Interior space is good, and can be further improved with the folding rear seat. This spec comes with the Ford MegaBox extended bootspace.
I drove the 1.0 litre Ecoboost Hybrid 155PS version which gives a more than adequate 124 mph top speed and with electric assistance can return 49.6 mpg in combined performance. Linked to a springy six-speed manual gearbox, this is a good unit, offering plenty of power with little noise or fuss. Acceleration is pleasingly brisk..
Ride and handling are good, helped by the car’s nice suspension set-up. Despite its relative height it is flat and stable around corners.
My test vehicle came with attractive Fantastic Red paintwork (£750), a panormaic opening sunroof (£950) and a drive assistance pack at £900 which includes intelligent adaptive cruise control, park assist, evasive steering, front parking sensors and a rear view camera.
It’s difficult to fault this Romanian built offering from Ford which is certainly an improvement on earlier models, and with a keen price.
