12 October 2020
Finally got my hands on a test car that I’ve been eager to run ever since Mr ‘The Boss’ Barker said your next long-termer is a Ford Puma.
When I first saw pictures of the Puma, I was unconvinced by its looks, but I was wrong because it looks great in the metal, especially in the Grey Matter colour of our car.
And ST-Line X trim is really well kitted out. For a start, I’m sitting on part-leather seats and staring ahead at a 12.3-inch digital instrument display, and I control the car using a part-leather flat-bottomed steering wheel and alloy sports pedals.
The car also has cruise control, climate control and automatic wipers and headlights, with automatic full beam. In addition to all that, there’s the Ford Sunc3 infotainment system, with Apple CarPlay, and a superb-sounding Bang and Olufsen sound system. Not bad, eh?
Initial impressions are that the Puma is a brilliant car to drive, with really sharp steering and the sort of gearshift that most sports cars would kill for. The 1.0-litre engine is punchy enough, aided by the mild-hybrid system. And I’m currently averaging around 45mpg, which is reasonable.
Luggage space is pretty decent, and the MegaBox space beneath the boot floor is huge, and has already proved its worth when taking my girlfriend’s son to university.