A quick primer on the Ford Puma

Ford has resurrected the Puma name, for a new subcompact crossover SUV, that's available now. Here's everything you need to know.

What to consider when buying a Ford Puma

Considering buying a Ford Puma? Here's what you need to think about.

• Rivals

  

  The Ford Puma is entering a pretty competitive market and it'll need to take the battle to rivals like the Mazda CX-3, Nissan Juke and the Mitsubishi ASX.

  How does it compare, at least to the UK-spec Puma?

  	Fuel economy (best)	Speeds	Boot volume (seats up/seats down)	Seats	AWD available	Sport model?
  Ford Puma	5.5L/100km	Six	468 litres/1,161 litres	Five	No	ST-Line V
  Nissan Juke	5.6L/100km	Six	354 litres/1,189 litres	Five	Yes	Nismo RS
  Mazda CX-3	4.8L/100km	Six	264 litres/1,174 litres	Five	Yes	No
  Mitsubishi ASX	7.6L/100km	Five-speed manual or CVT auto	393 litres/1,193 litres	Five	Yes	No

  It's got a class-leading seat-up boot volume and a reasonable one with them folded down, plus there's a sporty model available in the ST-Line X, but there's no AWD for those who want better traction on slick surfaces.

  

  Below the floor is what Ford calls the "MegaBox", an enclosed storage compartment that provides an additional 80 litres of capacity and improves the cargo space height clearance. A nifty feature of the compartment is it's waterproof, with a drainage plug so you can chuck wet and muddy boots in there, without messing up your interior. Even the parcel shelf adjusts to improve storage space.

• Hybrid power

  

  UK-spec Ford Pumas get fitted with a pokey 998cc EcoBoost petrol. This compact, turbocharged, three-cylinder power plant has won the International Engine of the Year awards six times.

  You can purchase the Puma in 1 of 2 tunes, 92kW or 114kW. In order to improve fuel efficiency, the UK-spec Puma has mild-hybrid technology. There's a 48V system installed, with no EV-only propulsion mode, but with regenerative braking, it should lower emissions and lean out petrol usage. There's also automatic start/stop.

  Going somewhat against the growing norm, Ford bolts in a six-speed manual gearbox.

• Pricing

  No Australian pricing has been set out yet, but for reference, the UK Puma starts from just shy of the equivalent of $40,000 (£20,545). The ST-Line X will set you back nearer to $45,000 (£22,895). There, a Ford Focus starts from $40,100 (£20,645), indicating that the Puma will perhaps fall into the same ballpark as the Focus in Australia. With that said, the hatch starts from $29,711 in Australia.

• Family friendly

  

  This car is going to appeal to those with small families and so Ford designed the Puma interior to rise to the occasion.

  The entry-spec Titanium Puma has the following:

  • Leather steering wheel, handbrake and gear knob
  • Wireless charging pad
  • Ford SYNC 3 Navigation, with DAB, seven speakers, an eight-inch touchscreen, remote audio controls, voice control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, emergency assistance, Bluetooth, a mobile Internet modem, privacy mode and two USB ports
  • Three-stage, automatic electronic air temperature control (EATC)
  • Driver and front passenger seats with three-way adjustable lumbar massage function
  • Ford MegaBox (expanding boot space)
  • Seats with built-in, machine-washable, removable seat covers

  It's an intelligent and thoughtful spec that will suit families nicely.

• Features

  

  The Puma has heaps of features and a decent spec. Standard features include:

  • 17-inch, 10-spoke alloys with a black machined finish
  • LED daytime running lights (DRL)
  • Projector headlamps
  • Front fog lights with cornering function
  • LED rear lamps
  • Leather steering wheel, handbrake and gear shifter
  • Cruise control, lane keep aid and lane departure warning
  • Ford SYNC 3 infotainment system
  • DAB radio
  • Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • Mobile Internet
  • Two USB ports
  • Electronic air temperature control (EATC)
  • Quickclear heated windscreen
  • Front seats with lumbar massage function
  • Selectable drive modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Trail
  • Body-coloured, heated, folding exterior mirrors with puddle lamps
  • Centre console with armrest and storage

  Not bad for an entry model.

  The ST-Line adds extras like:

  • 17-inch, multi-spoke alloys
  • ST-Line body kit with a spoiler
  • Sports suspension
  • ST-Line flat-bottomed leather steering wheel and accompanying aluminium gear knob
  • Completely digital 12.3-inch instrument cluster
  • Manual air conditioning
  • Driver seat lumbar and height adjust
  • Alloy sports pedals
  • Front and rear floor mats

  The ST-Line X adds:

  • 18-inch, 5-spoke alloy wheels with a matte black machined finish
  • Rear privacy glass
  • Bang & Olufsen premium sound system
  • Partial leather trim
  • Carbon-look interior trim pieces

• Safety assists

  UK-spec Pumas have lots of safety assists. The standard model features:

  • Airbags: front, side head (front and rear), side chest and side pelvis
  • Rear ISOFIX child seat restraints
  • Seat belt reminder
  • Autonomous emergency braking (pedestrian, cyclist, city and inter-urban)
  • Intelligent speed assistance
  • Lane assist system (Lane keep and lane departure warnings)
  • Automatic headlamps with rain-sensing wipers
  • Auto high beam
  • Rear parking distance sensors
  • Cruise control with adjustable speed limiter
  • Front fog lights
  • Optional drive assist pack with adaptive cruise control, active park assist, blind spot information system with cross-traffic alert and pre-collision assist
  • Electronic stability control with traction control and emergency brake assist
  • Emergency brake warning (auto flashes hazard lights under heavy braking)
  • Traction control with hill start assist and ABS
  • Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS)

Price

You'll not find any official pricing info for Australia yet, as the car hasn't launched. It is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2020.

Price-wise, it's going to be competing with cars like the Mitsubishi ASX (starting driveaway of $24,990), Nissan Juke (starts from $23,490) and the Mazda CX-3 (driveaway from $23,990). Couple that with the near-Focus price point used in the UK and we should be looking around the $23,000–27,000 mark here.

Trims

In the UK, there are three trims: Titanium, ST-Line and ST-Line X. Each trim grade adds extra comforts and features.

There are also some special editions: Titanium First Edition, ST-Line X First Edition and ST-Line X First Edition Plus. These models unlock extra features like heated steering wheels and seats, as well as the Driver Assistance Pack. It is not yet known which trims will be offered to Australian buyers.

Potentially, Ford may swap the hybrid here for a more traditional petrol engine, perhaps complete with a seven-speed automatic. According to some sources, Ford is working on bringing a non-hybrid and diesel engine to the UK-spec model.

What's it like to drive?

UK journalists who've driven the Puma say it's very good to drive. Supposedly it's great fun to rev the engine hard and go for a spin. Journos described it as nimble and perky, making it a great crossover SUV to own for inner-city motorists. It was also praised for the inclusion of lots of safety tech and the practical interior design.

When does the Ford Puma launch?

In Australia, it launched in 2020.

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Picture: Supplied