Ford Puma 2020 Review - International

The original Ford Puma was a small and fashionable (at the time) coupe built on the underpinnings of the Fiesta and powered by relatively modest engines. It was only sold in Europe for four years, from 1997 until 2001, but built up a reasonably loyal following in that brief time.

Now, the Ford Puma is back for a second bite of the cherry. Once again it’s based on the underpinnings of the latest Fiesta, which will soon come to Australia only in ST hot hatch form, and once again it’s small and fashionable (in a contemporaneous sense), but it’s now a taller crossover-type vehicle, rather than anything small and sporty.

This switch from Puma Mk1 coupe to Puma Mk2 crossover seems to have annoyed some people beyond all reason, probably because Ford is not afraid to put some of its most legendary nameplates on the back of SUVs right now – see the Mustang Mach-E for details.

But this Puma ‘paradigm shift’ in ethos doesn’t bother us so much, for two reasons: one, as already stated, we didn’t get the Puma Mk1 on these shores anyway; and two, Ford has previous form in this department, re-visioning (and re-spelling) the 1998-2002 Cougar coupe (this time sold in Australia, between 1999 and 2004, and marketed in North America under the Mercury brand) as the Kuga mid-size SUV.

It replaced the original Escape in 2008 before reverting back to the Escape name for the current generation, which in turn will be replaced by an all-new Escape in August.

So, let’s drop all the historical maundering about nameplates and what they mean to a select band of gearheads, and focus on the new model’s merits instead.

The 2020 Ford Puma will replace the Indian-built Ford EcoSport and is based on the new Fiesta floorpan, but it is not built alongside the smallest Ford hatch at Cologne in Germany; instead it’s bolted together in Craiova, Romania.

Unlike the first Puma, this one will be a global car, sold in key markets around the world including Australia (which won’t get the US-focussed Bronco or its smaller ‘baby Bronco’ sibling) later this year. And while it uses the Fiesta chassis as a basis, there are some key modifications to make the Puma stand out on its own four tyres.

For starters, the track widths are increased over a Fiesta by 58mm on both axles, to a Focus-matching 1562mm, while the rear torsion-beam suspension is adapted to suit the Puma’s mass and physicality.

It’s obviously longer (by 146mm), wider overall (71mm), taller (54mm) and possessed of a 95mm-longer wheelbase than its Fiesta hatchback sibling, which results in more cabin space, a higher driving position and a really big boot.

Said to be class-leading in terms of size, this 456-litre storage area (which shrinks to 401 litres in mild-hybrid versions, but still expands to a total of 1161 litres with the rear seats folded) is defined by a parcel shelf that’s cleverly mounted to the tailgate, rather than the C-pillar, meaning it stays out of your way while loading.

There’s also a two-level floor arrangement and the MegaBox. This is an 80-litre underfloor recess with a waterproof, synthetic lining and a drainage plug, so you can put muddy and dirty items in it and then hose it out to get it clean.

It also allows for taller items, of up to 1143mm, to be stashed in the back, meaning a couple of golf bags can stand upright in the MegaBox. It’s a really useful feature that’s well-executed, so it should put the Puma high up on buyers’ lists, if practicality is a key crossover-purchasing issue.

The interior is also a high-quality affair, with nice fixtures and fittings and a good level of comfort and safety equipment. All Australian-market Pumas should get the SYNC 3 infotainment and Ford’s new 12.3-inch Digital Cluster for the instrument pack, which is crisply rendered and configurable through various different layouts.

There’s no doubt the Ford’s cabin is a smart place to sit, although on the less sporty Titanium version the driver’s seat feels mounted slightly too high in relation to the car.

We expect both the Titanium and ST-Line cars to come to Australia, which are what we drove at the Puma’s European launch.

Less convincing than the interior and practicality is the exterior styling of the Blue Oval’s new small SUV. The Ford Puma is obviously nothing like as unfortunate to look at as the EcoSport, but while the rear three-quarter view of the newcomer is most pleasing and the flanks are detailed with some attractive, swoopy lines, the front-end of the Puma is, erm, striking, to say the least.

Ford talks proudly about the ‘optimistic grille’ and signature high-mounted headlights, but we reckon the car has a slightly gormless expression as a result.

Naturally, aesthetic values are a subjective matter and therefore what we think of this crossover’s appearance might not be what you reckon about it, so the best news is that the Puma drives really sweetly.

While we understand that a hot 150kW Ford Puma ST is in development, for now the Ford Puma is fitted with just one engine: a 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost turbo-petrol unit in three different forms.

The most basic delivers 92kW, consumes 5.8L/100km and is likely to be the sole engine offered in Australia. In Europe there are also two mild-hybrid (or mHEV) versions, outputting 92kW and 115kW.

Reducing fuel consumption to a respective 5.5 and 5.6L/100km – but also adding weight and cost and reducing cargo space – mHEV versions add an 11.5kW belt-integrated starter generator (BISG) powered by a 10Ah, 48-volt lithium-ion battery mounted behind the rear seats.

This boosts low-speed torque by up to 50 per cent, while adding up to another 20Nm to the peak torque of the combustion engine as well, and reducing CO2 emissions by a claimed 10g/km.

The 1.0-litre mHEV powertrain offers the same 92kW and nominal 200Nm outputs as the standard Puma, but supplements torque and takes the total to 210Nm in Sport mode, while the 115kW version delivers 220Nm of torque and is mHEV-enhanced to 240Nm in Sport.

Later in the year, both a dual-clutch seven-speed automatic gearbox and an EcoBlue turbo-diesel engine will be added to the front-wheel drive Puma family, and the former could be the sole transmission offered here.

We didn’t drive the non-mHEV model at launch, but the differences between the 92kW Titanium we drove briefly and the 115kW ST-Line we spent a lot more time in are not exactly transformative, but they’re enough to make the higher-powered derivative of the EcoBoost mHEV engine the one to go for in the Puma.

You have to work the 92kW that little bit harder around town and on open roads, so it feels a bit less relaxing. Also, the ST-Line seems to have the better handling, a lower driver’s seat position and smarter interior touches (such as the gear knob, for instance) that suits the 115kW unit’s nature.

It's a really refined car, the new Ford Puma, with a comfortable ride and top-notch noise suppression. Ambling around town, the drivetrain is easy-going and visibility out of the car is first-rate in all directions.

Light steering in Normal mode and a slick six-speed manual gearbox also make it a cinch to drive in urban areas.

Head out of the city and onto faster-flowing roads, and the Ford Puma retains all its composure when cruising along. We saw easy returns in the ballpark of 6.0-8.0L/100km when driving it steadily, so on first sampling it seems to be as gentle on fuel as Ford claims.

Start driving it harder, though, and it reveals a genuinely rewarding chassis. It’s not quite as excellent in this department as the Fiesta source material, of course, as a high centre-of-gravity and added weight will always do that to a car.

But as light-sized B-segment crossovers go, there’s nothing we can think of that’s finer to steer than the Puma.

It has a wealth of front-end grip, a remarkably active rear axle (especially in Trail mode on loose surfaces, where it seems to want to oversteer with an almost eager abandon) and body control that’s about spot on, considering the ride comfort.

Of course, you get more cornering lean and pitch/dive in the Puma than you would in a Fiesta, yet it’s not discomfiting to drive it quickly on the right roads.

Throw in the willing and decently sporty-sounding three-cylinder drivetrain, and the Ford Puma is proper fun to chuck about at speed.

The only black mark here revolves around the steering. In the less-sporty Titanium, the lighter set-up felt purer and less corrupted, while in the ST-Line with its fatter, grippier tyres there was more of that springy and overly aggressive self-centring action that we’ve experienced on a few ST models of late – like the Fiesta and Focus.

It just robs the Puma of that final degree of connection between machine and driver, which is a bit of a shame.

Despite this, and the strange styling of the Ford Puma’s nose, this is night-and-day better than Ford’s previous offering in this segment, the EcoSport, and we have little doubt that it has the goods to challenge the class-leading Asian competitors in this marketplace.

Once pricing and equipment specs are confirmed, which will be key, and we’ve given it a thorough workout on home soil, we think the Ford Puma will be capable of achieving greatness.

Even if it’s winding up a tiny proportion of the world’s population because it’s no longer a coupe…

How much does the 2020 Ford Puma EcoBoost mHEV 115kW ST-Line cost?Price: TBC
Available: Late 2020
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol with mild-hybrid tech
Output: 115kW/240Nm (Sport mode)
Transmission: Six-speed manual (Seven-speed auto to come)
Fuel: 5.6L/100km (NEDC)
CO2: 99g/km (NEDC)
Safety Rating: N/A