Test drive Ford Puma: One of many?
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Behind the wheel of Ford's new crossover that revives a famous name
In fact, Ford already has a small Fiesta-based SUV in its portfolio, the Ecosport model. However, this does not prevent the Cologne company from resurrecting the Puma, this time in the form of a crossover.
All is well in the SUV segment today. Every third buyer prefers to turn to such a car. In the United States, where this fashion came from, this share even exceeds two-thirds. As a result, Ford no longer offers sedans there. Under these conditions, it is not surprising that after the raised Fiesta Active and Ecosport, the European portfolio is expanding in this direction with another compact model - Puma.
Instead of asking if a Ford Puma is needed at all, it's better to point out that this model does some things differently than its platform counterparts. For example, in the transmission - here the liter gasoline engine is included in the mild hybrid system. The three-cylinder engine has become not only economical, but also powerful - power has increased to 155 hp. But before we get started, let's first focus on a bright red Puma ST-Line X with modestly shaped spoilers.
Much, but expensive
Since the outside temperature is only a few degrees above freezing, we turn on the heated steering wheel and press against the heated seats, upholstered in leather and Alcantara, which are optionally available even with a massage function. On frosty days, you can remove the ice on the windshield with the help of heating the car (in the winter package for 1260 BGN), But these things are already known to us, since we are largely familiar with the inner life of this car. It shows the base of the Fiesta and this also applies to the quality of the materials.
However, the new digital controllers adapt to the five driving modes in a beautifully animated and crisp style. Off-road mode, for example, displays elevation lines from the off-road map. In the Sport stance, the cars in front are portrayed as Mustangs rather than Mondeos or pickups otherwise - it's encouraging that Ford has been paying more attention to such details lately. As well as easier control of functions - compared to the overloaded menu of on-board computers in sister models, the digital cockpit has undergone a serious diet. The sequential infotainment system, which responds faster but continues to ignore free-form voice commands, has also received some improvements.
The ST-Line X version, offered for an ambitious BGN 51 (customers can now take advantage of a 800% discount from the price), adorns the Puma's interior with carbon trims and distinctive red stitching. There is ample space for small luggage, as well as a smart inductive charging stand, in which the smartphone is placed almost vertically, rather than constantly sliding to the side.
In front, even for tall people, there is enough headroom, in the back it is much more limited - as are doorways. But the luggage compartment is not small at all. It offers what is probably a class-record 468 liters, and in more serious transport tasks it can be increased to 1161 liters by folding down a 60:40 rear seat split. The most interesting thing here is not the back cover, which opens with the help of an electromechanism and a sensor, but a washable bathtub with a drain hole at the bottom of the trunk.
More active on the road with a hybrid
Despite the poor visibility in the Puma, it's easy to park above the dirty water drain thanks to the rear view camera. If desired, the parking assistant can take over the entrance and exit from the parking lot, and the adaptive cruise control reliably regulates the distance to other road users (in the package for 2680 BGN).
All this helps not only in the city, where the 48-volt hybrid can fully demonstrate its advantages in driving with frequent starts and stops. As soon as you approach a traffic light with the throttle off, the three-cylinder engine shuts down when the speed drops to about 25 km / h. During the inertial movement, the starter generator recovers the energy that is felt after a short moment of stopping. When the traffic light turns green and the foot rises over the clutch pedal, the three-cylinder unit wakes up instantly, but is clearly audible. Yes, the gasoline turbo unit is rough and at 2000 rpm it pulls rather weakly and rattles a little unpleasantly. In turn, it picks up revs above this limit, but to keep it in this mood, you need to shift the gears of the manual transmission more often.
In Sport mode, the small engine becomes even louder and responds more clearly to commands from the accelerator pedal, especially with the 16 hp generator. it helps him jump over the turbo hole. With standard 18-inch tires, grip can only be lost when accelerating through very tight bends. The driving forces then interfere with the precise steering system, which, however, is slightly comfortable for drivers with sporty ambitions. While the Puma is not available with a dual drivetrain like the Ecosport, thanks to its precise chassis tuning, it tempts you to drive energetically into corners.
It also makes the new model stand out from the emphatically sensible Ecosport. In this way, we can also answer a question that we did not want to ask at the beginning.
Video test drive Ford Puma
