The Puma ST from Ford is more vigorous than what its segment needs, but it’s a proper compact crossover hatchback. It’s the latest addition to the fast Ford model lineup, and it’s a car that will get even the toughest critics a bit excited. You don’t need to focus on how this vehicle made it off the drawing board, what should matter the most for you is the technical details, and is what we are going to give you.
The five-door, 4.2-meter hot hatchback has got around 190-horsepower with driven front wheels. There’s a six-speed manual gearbox as well as a Quaife helical limited-slip differential, which is optional.
The car is very close to the feted Focus RS of 2001, which gave popularity to the Team RS, for its size and weight. It’s larger than the Focus RS by only a couple of inches and it’s about 44kg heavier but slightly less powerful. You can apply this same logic to the Puma as well.
The vehicle is not the tallest or biggest supermini-based crossover currently, and even though there’s a mega box under-floor boot storage area, the car is more suited to have kids in the rear and adult upfront, than having grown-ups in both rows.
The car’s profile and ride height have seen ups and lows from time to time, as normal with the performance crossover hatchback. If you are tall, you would find them rather comfortable, as they have separate adjustable headrests, this is something you won’t normally see in the modern hot hatchbacks. Most of the modern vehicles only get one-piece backrests with integrated head restraints.
It’s an extra-practical, high-rise hot hatchback, so the question is whether you want to live with such a vehicle. Would you like to use it every day wherever you go? You might use it for your every journey, but the company itself accepts that the vehicle is not for the typical crossover hatchback customer.