Ford has given its best-selling Puma a low-key update, coming with new headlights, an uprated cabin, and better tech.
The Puma was the UK’s most popular new car in 2023, accounting for 49,591 registrations and securing the No.1 spot ahead of the Nissan Qashqai.
And with Brit motorists already flocking to it, Ford has decided not to tinker too much with a winning Puma formula.
On the outside, it’s pretty much as we were, with a new headlight design and the option of Matrix LEDs.
But there are bigger changes in the cabin.
Lease customers can now enjoy a fresh sports car-like cockpit that features a 12.8-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.0-inch centre touchscreen.
Those screens are underpinned by Ford’s SYNC 4 infotainment system, which features voice control and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. What might annoy button purists, however, is the fact that functions like heated seats are now controlled via the touchscreen, not physical knobs, but it’s still an intuitive and responsive system.
The latest Puma should also be safer than before. It gets Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go and Lane Centring, which ‘accelerates and brakes smoothly to feel more natural, and can use Predictive Speed Assist to adjust cruising speed for curves in the road, roundabouts, and when entering or leaving highways’, says Ford.
As before, the Puma comes with a 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine, supported by mild-hybrid wizardry, and with power of up to 155 PS.
But perhaps the biggest announcement here is one that we can’t actually see yet, because the Puma is going electric in 2024. The battery-powered Puma ‘Gen-E’ will launch later this year.
That’s about as much as we know for now, but the smart money says the Gen-E will get the same electric motor and battery set-up as the incoming Ford Transit E-Courier van, giving it around 134 hp and 100kW rapid charging skills.
The other big news for the Puma is that the performance ‘ST’ model as we know and love it is changing.
As it stands, the range-topping ST gets power of 200 PS, a fruity exhaust note, and a 0-62mph acceleration time of 6.7 seconds. It’s a cracking little hot-crossover that we got to test late last year.
But, sadly, that 200 PS ST appears to be bowing-out of the Puma range, with the slightly-less potent ‘ST Powershift’ variant taking its place at the top of the tree instead.
The ST Powershift gets 170 PS, and isn’t available with a manual gearbox, but still offers some decent shove.
Prices for the updated Puma begin at £25,790.
And you can lease the Ford Puma with Select Car Leasing from £274 a month*.
*Prices include VAT. Credit is Subject to Status, Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply. Excess mileage may apply. Stock levels and prices correct as of 12/02/24.
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