Ford Puma ST-Line 2020 Review

The Raider, the Kuga, the Maverick and now the 2020 Ford Puma. Over the years, the blue oval has endured a tepid relationship with its SUV range in Australia. Between some truly great high-riders, there have been plenty of casualties along the way.

The new Ford Puma lands in showrooms this month as a replacement to the much-unloved EcoSport. Strange name; forgettable SUV.

Based on the Fiesta city hatch, the Romanian-built Puma is available in three model grades in Australia – each pushing for a contemporary, increasingly fussy SUV audience. It’s a significant change of tack from the Puma’s Indian-built EcoSport predecessor.

Let’s see whether Ford’s latest roll of the dice can mount a genuine challenge to the growing compact SUV arsenal: namely, the Mazda CX-3, Volkswagen T-Cross, Hyundai Kona, Nissan Juke and Kia Seltos.

The blue oval brand’s push upmarket with the 2020 Ford Puma is evidenced by its price tag.

The Puma is offered in three well-specified trim grades – Puma ($29,990 plus on-road costs), Puma ST-Line ($32,340 plus ORCs) and Puma ST-Line V ($35,540 plus ORCs) – all powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

That compares with a $27,990 (plus ORCs) entry point for the Volkswagen T-Cross, and much less for the Ford’s other mainstream rivals.

As we’ve reported, to sweeten the deal Ford has announced drive-away pricing from $31,990 for the base model, with ST-Line $2000 upstream and ST-Line V at $36,990 drive-away. Another $500 will be shaved from the price for those who carry out a physical test-drive and purchase the soon-to-be-launched Puma in September or October 2020.

Our pricing story covers the full details, but entry-spec Pumas ride on 17-inch Pearl Grey alloy wheels and come standard with LED headlights, a chromed grille and fog light surrounds, plus a metallic grey rear diffuser and skid plate.

The mid-spec ST-Line we’re focusing on adds five-spoke machine grey alloys (also 17-inch), colour-coded wheel-arches, a larger integrated rear spoiler and a sportier suspension tune, among other features. The only obvious feature it misses out on is keyless entry.

Inside the cabin, each Puma variant also gets the same 8.0-inch SYNC 3 touch-screen infotainment system with navigation, digital radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, wireless phone charging and split-view reversing camera. The ST-Line also boasts a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as well as sports seats with red stitching through the cabin.

Optional extras available for all grades include a panoramic sunroof ($2000), black roof rails ($250), black-painted roof ($500) and prestige paint ($650). An electric tailgate can also be added to the Puma and Puma ST-Line for $750.

Every Ford Puma gets the car-maker’s Driver Assistance Technology suite including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, driver impairment monitor, tyre pressure monitoring and cruise control.

A $1500 ‘Park Pack’ option adds front parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, active park assist and adaptive cruise control with lane centre and ‘stop and go’ function.

The Puma is backed by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, while servicing intervals are spaced every 12 months or 15,000km. The first 60,000km of servicing is capped at $299 each under Ford’s Service Benefits scheme.

The Puma is fitted with a space-saver spare tyre and advertises a 750kg braked towing capacity.

It may start with the foundations of a Fiesta, but the Ford Puma is markedly different in execution.

Firstly, the Puma is longer (by 146mm), wider overall (+71mm), taller (+54mm) and features a 95mm-longer wheelbase than its hatchback sibling.

Track width has been increased 58mm over a Fiesta on both axles to a Focus-matching 1562mm. Ford engineers also adapted the rear torsion beam suspension to cope with the added mass and changed geometry.

All Australian grades receive the same 1.0-litre turbo-petrol three-cylinder engine with 92kW and 170Nm. Drive is shuffled to the front wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The EcoBoost motor includes fuel-saving cylinder deactivation tech, which helps deliver a claimed fuel average of 5.3L/100km. A point worth noting is the Puma requires 95-octane premium unleaded fuel.

There are five selectable driving modes: Normal, Sport, Eco, Slippery and Trail.

With so many compact SUVs already doing the rounds, how can the Ford Puma possibly shake up the segment?

In our test car’s ST-Line trim, the answer appears to be: With a healthy pinch of sportiness.

The Puma’s cabin invokes its share of go-fast appeal with a low-slung driver’s seat, splashes of faux carbon-fibre highlights, a large grippy steering wheel and contrasting red stitching dotted throughout. The digital instrument cluster channels the Mustang by flashing up with a shiny image of a Puma, too, adding to the fanfare.

The cabin presents nicely in mid-range guise, with minimalist but legible instrumentation, nice displays and incidental storage levels commensurate with this size of SUV (good, but not great). The middle console brings a deep but relatively narrow hideaway space and, as much as anything else, something comfortable to rest your elbow on.

Up front there is one USB point, one USB-C point and one 12-volt outlet. The second row is quite sparse by comparison – no outlets of any kind, no rear air vents and a cosy layout accentuated by a high-set window line and raked roofline.

The second row misses out on fore-aft sliding adjustment (a la T-Cross) and feels tight on legroom against the segment’s more cavernous options.

The second row also misses out on the padded fabric of the front contact points and there’s no flip-down armrest. However, it does get three top-tether child anchorage points, the outbound pews also offering ISOFIX attachments.

The big interior boon for the Puma is its boot. The 410-litre space includes an underfloor storage area suitable for muddy clothes, plus another 12-volt outlet and a space-saver tyre.

According to Ford, the load compartment can accommodate a box up to 112cm long, 97cm wide and 43cm high with the second row of seats folded flat.

Sticking with the sporty premise, let’s move onto the driving experience of the Ford Puma ST-Line.

That same sporty focus applies on the road, where the engine offers torque and response that belies its small displacement. Officially, 0-100km/h takes 10.2 seconds, but the triple marches confidently up to highway speeds and retains its refinement across the dial.

Similarly, the dual-clutch automatic offers up sharp, well-timed changes and resists the temptation to bind or hesitate at low speeds like some rivals.

The pairing netted a combined fuel consumption figure of 6.0L/100km during our 300km stint, which included a lot of open-road mileage.

As far as ride and handling goes, the Puma is a mixed bag – and will ultimately be judged by what buyers are after.

Beginning with the positives, the Puma is highly proficient through the corners, with an immediacy to its steering and controls that quickly elevates it to one of the most dynamic performers in the class.

The expediency in which it rotates through bends is somewhere between warm hatch and hot hatch. The steering requires minimal input, with about 2.5 turns lock to lock.

On a twisty section of road, the Puma turns in confidently and offers admirable adhesion via its 17-inch Goodyear rubber.

Furthermore, the 1300kg body sits flat through corners and the chassis proudly boasts its hatchback origins with a playfulness not far removed from the excellent Fiesta ST, which incidentally costs a similar amount.

But the ride and handling execution is far from perfect.

In ST-Line trim, the Puma lacks the primary compliance of other competitors in the class. It is jittery over pitter-patter bumps, thuds over harsher imperfections and feels small nuances of a coarse-chip surface through the steering wheel and seat.

Similarly, the Puma fails to impart the planted and surefooted feeling that many SUV buyers demand across longer distances – it is easily upset by elongated undulations and the fast reaction of its steering rack means it is sensitive to even the smallest inputs.

That would be fine in a Fiesta ST, where the dynamic trade-off is unequivocal, but the trade-off is harder to justify in this application.

There’s no questioning the new Ford Puma’s effectiveness in replacing the EcoSport within the blue oval’s Australian line-up. It’s a clear step forward.

The bigger test is whether Australian buyers are ready to make the jump, both in terms of its lofty starting price and its decidedly sporty character.

In isolation, the Puma has promise and bodes well in Ford’s refreshed SUV line-up.

How much does the 2020 Ford Puma ST-Line cost?
Price: $32,490 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 92kW/170Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 5.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 121g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2020)