Can Ford find its feet again with the facelifted Puma?
Exterior – Front
So, the design from the front hasn’t changed much from the pre facelift model. To start with the bumper is the same as the pre facelift with a decent lower central air vent and side vents. What is different though is that the ford logo has been updated and has moved onto the grill which in itself has a new mesh pattern. This keeps it inline with the new Ford design language. We also get a new set of headlights with a new graphic in it which again gives it a more modern look. Depending on what headlight you go with the graphics are different. So, overall then the front hasn’t changed that much but it is enough to make it look like other Fords, and it is still recognizable as a Ford.
Exterior – Side
Moving round to the side and the changes have been kept to a minimum with some new wheel options based on the new Ford design language as well as some new colour options too. apart from that we get a decent side profile with some extended wheel arches and some bulges that give it a sporty off-roader look.
Exterior – Rear
Moving round to the back and again just like the side the rear profile has hardly been changed with only updates to the new Ford Badge and the lower splitter hiding the exhaust. Everything else is the same. This means we get 3d style taillights that look futuristic and a simple bumper housing the fog lights and reflectors. Right, lets have a look and see what the engine range is now like in the new Ford Puma Facelift.
Car and engine specs and price
So, the engine range of the new Puma Facelift is very similar to the pre facelift. this means you get the Ecoboost engine. Everyone shivers when someone says Ecoboost. Well, its not the same as the wet belt ones as they now have a timing chain so most of the problems have disappeared. So, let’s start with the first model. This is a 1.0 litre turbo unit producing 123 bhp. this is front wheel drive and can do 0-62 in 9.8 seconds which isn’t that bad. This is available with a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic powershift gearbox. This engine is also a mild hybrid so can go round town on electric only or coast in electric mode. The next engine is the same as the previous engine, but the power has been increased to 153 bhp. Again, it is front wheel drive, but the 0-62 time has been reduced to 8.7 seconds which is quite quick. It is only available with the 7-speed automatic powershift gearbox though. Now for the final engine it is a 1.0 litre turbo EcoBoost unit, but this produces 168 bhp. now this for me seems ridiculous and too much for a small engine to handle. This does 0-62 in 7.4 seconds which isn’t bad as a normal trim level engine, and it can only be had with a 7-speed automatic powershift gearbox. Now this engine is only available on the ST model. Yes, you did hear me correctly, the Puma ST model. Now before you could have had the Puma with a 1.5 litre with 200 bhp and a manual gearbox which was much quicker and more fun to drive. This engine in the ST seems cruel for the ST brand but it has been done for cost cutting and co2 reasons. It’s a big shame really. The price of the new Ford Puma Facelift starts at £25,800 which is more than most of its rivals. Right lets have a look at the interior as there is a lot more to talk about there.
Interior – Design
So, moving inside the new Ford Puma Facelift and its all change in here, but not for the better. Now for me I much preferred the interior of the pre facelift Puma. All it needed was the updated Sync 4 system taken from the Kuga Facelift and that was it, but they have done a lot more than that. To me this interior feels like a mess, and I don’t know where to start as there are so many little things that have changed. Right the infotainment system is the new Sync 4 system, but the screen size is different and is 12 inches in size. The software itself is good and it is easy to use but it does house the climate control system which means we don’t get physical controls anymore. Up above the infotainment system we get some air vents and above that we get the B&O sound bar like what the mustang Mach-e has. Now I do like that idea but in this car, it just looks like it has just been placed on top of the dashboard and not integrated. The same can me said for the instrument cluster. There is no surround on it so you will get a lot of reflection on it, but it does have new graphics which I do like. The dashboard has a single piece air vent design on the passenger side which I like but the lower part is just material and feels to dark. The centre console is also slightly different but is mostly the same. The indicator stalks are new. These have been taken from the Ford Transit Custom. This means that the indicator and wiper functions are on one stalk and that’s it. The other side would be a gear selector but as you have one in the centre console it isn’t needed. The steering wheel is also new and has this square design to it which again has come out of the Transit Custom. For me im not a fan and it is only a 2 spoke so it doesn’t feel sporty. To me, the interior isn’t the best and it feels like it was changed to add new parts that aren’t designed for this car for example the indicator stalks. The pre facelift was better though. Right, lets have a look at what the rear seats are like.
Practicality
So, getting into the back of the Puma and legroom and headroom is decent enough for the size of car and on this model, you even have the dual sunroof option. Unfortunately, the plastics aren’t the best in the back and there is no arm rest or air vents which is a shame. Lets have a look and see what the boot is like.
Boot Size
So, opening the boot and you are welcomed with 456 litres of space. this is the same as before and folding the seats down you get 1,216 litres. Again, the same as before. you also still get the cool MegaBox underneath the floor. This has 80 litres of extra space, and a drain plug if you wanted to clean something in there. This feature I do like and makes the Puma unique.
Summary
So, what do I think of the new Ford Puma Facelift then. Well, the exterior design is good in my opinion and so is the practicality. The big turn down for me though is that interior. As I have said the previous interior was much better designed than this version and was better. It just feels like to me ford are loosing their touch at the moment and are trying to win back customers with no avail. I also want to point out that there is going to be an electric version called Puma Gen-e. The puma is based on the same platform as the mk8 Fiesta. So, why couldn’t they of made an Electric version of the Fiesta, maybe given it an update to have the Sync 4 and kept that on sale. That would have sold well and would of kept it going for another 4 years. Ford has some serious work to do to get back on top.
Exterior 4/5
Interior 2/5
Practicality 4/5
Total 10/15
Model | Ford Puma ST-Line X |
Engine | 1.0l Turbo, 123 bhp, 0-62 = 9.8 Seconds, Front Wheel Drive |
Transmission | 7 Speed Automatic |
Price | £30,050 |
On Sale | Now |
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