Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Road test: Ford Puma ST a fun and fast hot SUV

Post Thumbnail

The Ford Puma has been an unmitigated success since it was launched a few years ago.

Great looking and fun to drive, the Fiesta-based crossover has won an army of fans and a slew of awards – it was crowned Scottish Car of the Year in 2020.

Now Ford has launched a hot SUV version, called the Ford Puma ST.

It gets a 1.5 litre, three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that produces 200hp. The same engine is used in the outstanding Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch, which bodes well.

To cope with the extra height and weight of the SUV model the engine has had its torque boosted from 214lb ft to 236lb ft. This extra pulling power ensures the Puma ST still feels fast even with a full complement of passengers and luggage.

So what does that translate to in numbers? The Puma ST will hit 0-62mph in just 6.7 seconds and has a top speed of 137mph.

That’s pretty quick. What’s equally remarkable is how efficient the engine is. Over 300 miles of driving round Tayside, Fife and Aberdeenshire during the course of a week saw me average 41 mpg – and that was making regular use of the car’s performance.

Looking the part

From the outside, the Puma ST shouts that it’s no ordinary SUV. A muscular bodykit, 19in alloy wheels with red brake calipers, twin exhausts and a high level rear spoiler give it a purposeful and aggressive stance.

Prices start at just over £30,000. That slightly undercuts other performance SUVs, such as the Hyundai Kona N, Cupra Formentor and Volkswagen T-Roc R.

My test car came with the optional performance pack and other extras such as a hands-free power tailgate and metallic paint, bringing the price up to a still-very-reasonable £31,850.

The Ford Puma ST was much more fun to drive than I was expecting. As a rule SUVs tend not to handle terribly well, being on the taller side.

The Puma ST is definitely an exception, however. Perhaps that shouldn’t be surprising. It is, after all, based on the Fiesta, which has a wonderfully dynamic chassis.

Ford has also uprated all the bits that help make cars go round corners faster. The Puma ST has sharper steering, stiffer suspension, stronger anti-roll bars, an optional mechanical limited-slip differential and Michelin tyres developed specially for Ford.

Driving spirit

In practice that means the Puma stays remarkably flat, poised and composed when it’s being hurled round a few bends. Even during hard cornering there isn’t even a hint of body roll.

Throw in accurate steering and a smooth six speed gearbox and you have a car that is hugely entertaining to drive.

When you’re not pressing on the Puma ST does a pretty good job of being a daily runaround. It’s practical for a start. Headroom is good all round, and the rear is fine for children or small adults.

The boot is roomy and comes with an excellent 80 litre plastic storage space with drainage underneath the floor – you can easily fit an entire family’s muddy gear or some wet dog towels in there after a day outdoors.

The interior lets you know you’re in a sports car as well. From the Recaro sports seats to the ST detailing, digital display and various power mode options it feels sporty and special.

The only downside is the firm suspension doesn’t let you forget you’re driving a hot SUV.

Live with that, however, and you’ve got an outstanding sports car that doubles up just as well as a practical compact SUV.

This is a very special car.

 

 

Facts

Price: £31,850

0-62mph: 6.7 seconds

Top speed: 137mph

Economy: 41.5mpg

CO2 emissions: 155g/km

Conversation