Introduction
What Car? says...
If the Ford Puma name sounds rather familiar to you, well, there’s a good reason for that. It was originally a small coupé back in the late 90s, and it was a jolly good one, too – it even picked up a What Car? Car of the Year award.
The trouble was, the original Puma didn’t sell particularly well, which might be why, when it returned to the Ford line-up some two decades later, it had morphed into a small SUV. It still looks sportier than most of the other cars in this class, though, and is more fun in other ways, as we’ll come on to explain.
Over the next few pages of this review, we'll look at all the engines and trims so you can decide which version of the Ford Puma would suit you best. Plus, we'll see how it stacks up against its key small SUV rivals in all the important areas, including performance, practicality, safety, comfort and value for money.
If, after reading our review, you decide the Puma is the car for you, make sure you check out the deals available through our free What Car? New Car Deals service. You could potentially save thousands with its new small SUV deals.
FAQs
It didn't do that well in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey, coming near the bottom of the small SUV class and below all its main rivals. As a brand, Ford finished in 27th place out of 32 manufacturers.
Every Puma is equipped with mild-hybrid technology, which means the engine gets some electrical assistance, which in turn should lower your fuel bills. There's no electric car version, though.
We think the 1.0 Ecoboost mHEV 155 engine is best. It’s a punchy performer, hitting 60mph in 8.5sec, while keeping running costs sensible. We’d team that with ST-Line trim, which gets you a sportier look as well as useful equipment.
Titanium is the Puma’s entry-level trim, and comes with 17in alloy wheels, automatic lights and wipers, and climate control. The ST-Line model gets more kit and sportier looks without pushing up the price too much.
Ford’s SYNC infotainment system is presented on an 8.0in touchscreen that has useful features including Bluetooth connectivity, built-in sat-nav and smartphone mirroring. It can sometimes take a while to respond and isn’t as user-friendly as systems in rivals, including the Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Roc.
The Puma has a 456-litre boot capacity. You can fit in more than in most rivals if you use the extra storage box located under the boot floor, which on its own can hold two carry-on suitcases. The boot floor is height-adjustable.
| RRP price range | £24,920 - £32,350 |
|---|---|
| Number of trims (see all) | 7 |
| Number of engines (see all) | 3 |
| Available fuel types (which is best for you?) | petrol |
| MPG range across all versions | 42.8 - 52.3 |
| Available doors options | 5 |
| Warranty | 3 years / 60000 miles |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £1,382 / £2,093 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £2,765 / £4,186 |
| Available colours |
