Here’s the facelifted 2024 Ford Puma we won’t get

The facelifted 2024 Ford Puma has been revealed in Europe and, as we reported yesterday, it won’t be coming to Australia as Ford prioritises utes, vans and EVs.

So what will we miss out on?

An all-new interior with larger digital displays plus “cutting-edge connectivity and advanced driving technologies”, says Ford.

There have also been some mild exterior design changes, but you’d be hard-pressed to notice much more than the new alloy wheels, tweaked bumper elements and relocated Blue Oval emblem.

The new interior, however, is notable given it’s been completely overhauled and modernised beyond recognition when compared to the basic but functional layout of the outgoing small SUV.

Ford describes the new arrangement as a “sports car-style cockpit” that “wraps around the occupants with screens mounted high and angled towards the driver”.

Perhaps the most notable change is the integration of the infotainment system into the dashboard – instead of the old 8.0-inch unit that sat atop the dash – underlined by a series of shortcut buttons and controls.

The new system moves a lot of the controls into the bigger (12-inch) and far more advanced SYNC 4 infotainment system, which features 5G connectivity, FordPass Connect, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sat-nav (on certain variants) and Alexa Built-in.

Other interior changes include a sliding centre armrest, new 12.8-inch digital instrument cluster, layered air-vents and a new wireless charging pad.

Plenty of upgrades have also been made to the Puma’s suite of driver aids and safety systems – especially the adaptive cruise control – to make them easier to use and more refined in their operation.

No mechanical changes have been made as part of the facelift, but the flagship 1.6-litre turbo-petrol ST – essentially a high-riding Fiesta ST – has been axed from the global line-up, leaving the 1.0-litre hybrid ST Powershift to take over as the flagship of the range.

Unrelenting European demand for the hot Puma ST and warm ST Powershift prevented either version being sold in Australia, despite this market’s demand for performance cars and especially hot hatches.

The next-generation battery-electric 2024 Ford Puma Gen-E will make its global reveal later this year ahead of its Aussie introduction either in the closing stages of the year or in early 2025.

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