The Ford Puma is a subcompact crossover SUV (B-segment) manufactured and marketed by Ford since 2019 as a variant of the seventh-generation Fiesta.[5]
Ford Puma | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | Ford |
Production | 2019–present |
Assembly | Romania: Craiova (Ford Romania) |
Designer | Thomas Morel[1] |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Subcompact crossover SUV (B) |
Body style | 5-door SUV[2] |
Layout | |
Platform | Ford global B-car platform |
Related | Ford Fiesta (seventh generation) |
Powertrain | |
Engine | Petrol: 1.0 L EcoBoost Fox I3-T 1.5 L EcoBoost Dragon I3-T (Puma ST) Petrol Mild Hybrid: 1.0 L EcoBoost Hybrid Fox mHEV I3-T Diesel: 1.5 L EcoBlue Panther I4-T |
Electric motor |
|
Power output | List
|
Transmission | 6-speed manual 7-speed dual-clutch |
Hybrid drivetrain | EcoBoost Hybrid mHEV |
Battery | 48-volt, 0.48 kWh battery pack (mild hybrid) |
Dimensions | |
Wheelbase | 2,588 mm (101.9 in)[3] |
Length | 4,186 mm (164.8 in)[4] |
Width | 1,805 mm (71.1 in) |
Height | 1,537 mm (60.5 in) |
Kerb weight | 1,205 kg (2,657 lb) |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | Ford EcoSport (Australasia and South Africa) |
Sales started in Europe in 2019, in Australasia in late 2020, and in South Africa from October 2023.[4] In the European market, the Puma is positioned above the EcoSport and below the Kuga (also called Escape outside Europe).
Overview
editFord first announced the Puma crossover at its event Go Further in Amsterdam, along with the introduction of the third-generation Kuga. The Puma nameplate was last used on the Puma sport compact. The vehicle is based on the seventh-generation Fiesta platform (Ford Global B-car platform).[6]
Production of the Puma started in Craiova, Romania (Ford Romania) in October 2019 along with the EcoSport subcompact crossover and the EcoBoost 1.0 L Fox engine used in both cars. Ford invested two hundred million euros, and employed 1,700 people on the project.[7]
The Puma is offered with a mild hybrid 1.0 litre EcoBoost three cylinder turbo gasoline engine with a belt driven integrated starter, which uses energy from the braking system to charge the forty eight volt lithium-ion battery pack in order to increase torque and lower emissions. Power is rated at 153 bhp (155 PS), 114 kW, and 240 N⋅m (180 lb⋅ft) with an additional 50 N⋅m (37 lb⋅ft) from the integrated starter system.
In December 2022, the Puma Vivid Ruby Edition was unveiled as the new flagship trim.[8]
In March 2023, the Puma ST Powershift was officially launched with a 170 hp (130 kW) 1.0L mild-hybrid engine and an automatic transmission.[9][10]
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2020 Ford Puma Titanium
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2020 Ford Puma ST-Line X
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2020 Ford Puma ST-Line X
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Ford Puma ST
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Ford Puma ST
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Interior
Facelift
editThe Puma received a facelift in February 2024.[11]
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2024 Ford Puma (facelift)
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Rear view
Puma Gen-E
editAn electric version of the Puma will launch in 2024.[12]
Safety
editPuma was tested by Euro NCAP in 2019. It is rated five-star.[13] Adult and child protection is rated at 94% and 84%. Pedestrian safety is rated 77% by Euro NCAP.[13] The organisation tested the Puma again in 2022, on that occasion giving it a four-star overall rating, with a 75% score in the adult-occupant category, an 84% score in the child-occupant category, a 70% score in the vulnerable-road-users category, and a 69% score in the safety-assist category. The organisation found that the Puma had "marginal" performance in protecting the chest of the driver in a frontal-offset collision, the chest of a rear-seat adult passenger in a full-width rigid barrier collision, and in protecting those seated in the front from whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision, with "poor" performance at preventing occupants bodies from being thrown from side to side in an impact, while generally performing well in other areas for adult occupants. The organisation found protection for child occupants to be "good or adequate" in all of their tests. They also found the protection of struck pedestrians to be "good or adequate" in all areas except for the bottom of the windscreen and the a-pillars surrounding it, which were described as "stiff" and as having "poor" performance for head protection. The organisation rated the autonomous-emergency-braking system's performance as "marginal" due to the characteristics of the front seats and head restraints in low-speed autonomous-emergency-braking tests.[2][14][15]
Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Emergency Brake Assist, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Electronic Stability Control, semi-autonomous parking assist, and Emergency Steering Assist.[16] The car also has adaptive cruise control.[16] Other available features are autonomous emergency braking, Intelligent Speed Limiter and lane keeping assist.[17]
Reception
editIn January 2020, What Car? magazine awarded the Puma its Car of the Year title.[18] In January 2021, the Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid 155 Titanium won What Car?'s Small SUV of the Year title.[19] The same year, the Puma ST 1.5 Ecoboost 200 Performance Pack was named the magazine's Sports SUV of the Year.[20] What Car? awarded the Puma five stars out of five in its review of the car.[21]
In 2020, the Sunday Times found the "infotainment" system to be more difficult to operate than some competing Volkswagen Group products. They noted that the Puma has less rear-passenger space than those models, although they felt the large windows meant children were less likely to become motion sick riding in the back than in a Nissan Juke or Toyota C-HR. While they found the interior to be relatively quiet at speed they found the ride quality to be somewhat inferior to some of its competitors. They noted the 456-litre (16.1 cu ft) boot as one of the largest in a crossover car sold at the time.[22] The same publication also reviewed the ST model, saying they were "not sure why you'd want this over the 153bhp ST Line Puma" and noted "the uncomfortable seats and twitchy handling that make less sense in an SUV" while saying that the 31 miles per imperial gallon (9.1 L/100 km; 26 mpg‑US) they averaged was "decent for a car that can hit 62mph from standstill in 6.7sec".[23] The Daily Telegraph found the physical buttons in the Titanium model they tested to be less distracting than touch-sensitive pads found in some other contemporary cars.[24] Both newspapers praised the Puma's clutch and brakes,[22][24] and noted the drainable "megabox" underneath the boot as a standout feature.[23][24] Which? found changing radio stations to be "needlessly complex" and found the Puma to be reliable in surveys, with one-in-fifty Pumas under four years old breaking down in the time frame studied.[25]
Motorsport
editA Group Rally1 car, named Ford Puma Rally1, has been competing in the World Rally Championship since 2022. [26]
Sales
editIn 2021, the Ford Puma became the best-selling Ford model in the UK, surpassing the Ford Fiesta. Its high sales figures also resulted in it being the overall 8th best-selling car in the UK in 2021 having achieved 28,697 new registrations throughout the year.[27] The Puma became the fourth best-selling car in the UK in 2022[28] and the best selling car in the UK in 2023,[29] as well as the eighth-best selling car in Europe for 2023.[30] The plug-in hybrid version of the car was the best-selling plug-in hybrid in Europe for 2023.
Year | Europe[31] | Australia | South Africa |
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2019 | 337 | ||
2020 | 118,180 | 597 | |
2021 | 134,431 | 3,218[32] | |
2022 | 136,956 | 2,408[33] | |
2023 | 159,704 | 2,027[34] | 368[35] |
References
edit- ^ Keel, Toby (24 February 2020). "Grabbing a slice of mid-winter sunshine, with golf, biking and a Ford Puma". Country Life. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Official Ford Puma 2022 safety rating". euroncap.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "2019 Ford Puma 1.0 EcoBoost (155 Hp) MHEV | Technical specs, data, fuel consumption, Dimensions". www.auto-data.net.
- ^ a b Golson, Daniel (26 June 2019). "The New Ford Puma Crossover Is Tiny, Weird-Looking, and Probably Coming to the U.S." Car and Driver. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ "2020 Ford Puma Render Based On Teaser Previews The Fiesta SUV". Motor1.com. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ Allan, Lawrence (3 April 2019). "Ford revives Puma name for "evocative" new small SUV | Autocar". www.autocar.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ "Ford Begins Puma Production In Romania". industryeurope.com. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "2023 Ford Puma Vivid Ruby Edition Is The New Flagship Trim With Pricing To Match". Carscoops. December 8, 2022.
- ^ "2023 Ford Puma ST Powershift Launches With 170 HP 1.0L Mild-Hybrid And An Automatic". Carscoops. March 8, 2023.
- ^ "Ford Puma ST Gains 1.0-Liter Turbo Mild-Hybrid Engine With 168 HP". Motor1.com. March 8, 2023.
- ^ Padeanu, Adrian (2024-02-07). "The New Ford Puma ST Has Big Screens And Tiny 1.0-Liter Engine". Motor1.com. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
- ^ "Ford Confirms Fiesta's Demise In 2023, Will Be Replaced By An Electric Puma". Carscoops. October 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Ford Puma review". Auto Express.
- ^ "Assessment details" (PDF). euroncap.com. December 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ Trebilcock, Oliver (9 December 2022). "Why doesn't the Ford Puma get a full five-star rating in the latest official crash tests?". Which?. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b "2020 Ford Puma Has Cute Looks And Is Loaded With Features". Carscoops. June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Ford Puma SUV – Reliability & safety". Carbuyer.
- ^ "Ford Puma wins What Car? Car of the Year 2020". What Car?. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- ^ "Car of the Year Awards 2021: Small SUV of the Year". www.whatcar.com. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ "Car of the Year Awards 2021: Sports SUV of the Year". www.whatcar.com. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
- ^ "Ford Puma Review 2021". www.whatcar.com. Retrieved 2021-12-03.
- ^ a b Lette van Oostvoorne, Nick (21 January 2020). "2020 FORD PUMA REVIEW". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b Dron, Will (4 December 2020). "2020 FORD PUMA ST REVIEW". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Robbins, Alex (9 November 2020). "2020 Ford Puma Titanium review: this most affordable version is also the best". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "Ford Puma (2020-) review". Which?. January 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ^ "M-Sport Ford unveils Puma Rally1 car – first pictures". wrc.com. WRC Promoter GmbH. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ "SMMT - Car Registrations". smmt.co.uk. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "These were the top 10 best-selling UK cars of 2022". topgear.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "These are the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK in 2023". topgear.com. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Ford Puma Among Top 20 Best Selling European Cars of 2023". Retrieved 15 July 2024.
- ^ "Ford Puma European sales figures". carsalesbase.com. 2020-04-10. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ "Top 100 new cars sold in Australia in 2021: From Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger to Mitsubishi's Pajero and Mirage". CarsGuide. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
- ^ "Ford sales in Australia in 2022". carexpert.com.au. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
- ^ "VFACTS: The biggest sales winners of 2023". carexpert.com.au. 5 January 2024.
- ^ Ryan Bubear (18 April 2024). "How popular is Ford's Puma in SA? Sales in 2024 so far versus 3 key rivals". news24.com.