Ford Puma review

The Puma’s driver’s seat does a great job of cradling you in the bends and cushioning your backside on longer runs. It also has plenty of adjustment to suit drivers of different shapes and sizes, and you even get adjustable lumbar support as standard on all versions; this either costs extra or isn’t available at all on almost all other small SUVs.

You don’t sit quite as far from the road as you do in a Volkswagen T-Roc, but you still feel that you’re driving something considerably taller than a Ford Fiesta. And the dashboard is easy to get the hang of, thanks in part to the chunky, intuitive controls for the air conditioning.

Depending on your driving position, you might find that the aggressively angled front pillars block some of your view out at junctions and roundabouts. The view out of the back of the Puma isn’t brilliant, either; blame the rising window line and those chunky rear pillars for that.

All Pumas come with rear parking sensors, while a rear-view camera is available as part of the optional Driver Assistance Pack. You also have to pay extra for LED headlights, which project their beam farther down the road at night than conventional lights.

All trim levels come with an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system, with DAB radio, built-in sat-nav and a couple of USB ports. You also get a wireless charging pad to make it easier to charge certain smartphones. 

True, the operating system isn’t as user-friendly as the equivalent in a Skoda Kamiq or Volkswagen T-Roc, and the touchscreen sometimes takes a while to respond after you’ve pressed it. However, all things considered, it’s a better infotainment system than the one you get in a Nissan Juke.

Go for range-topping ST-Line X trim and the standard seven-speaker sound system is replaced by a really punchy 10-speaker B&O setup. If we’re being picky, it’s not quite as good as the Bose one in range-topping Jukes when it comes to sound quality, though.

Ford has at least tried to dress the Puma’s interior a little more lavishly than, say, Volkswagen has the T-Roc’s. You’ll find some pleasingly squidgy surfaces on the dashboard and the tops of the doors, for example, and range-topping ST-Line X models have some faux carbonfibre highlights and part-leather seats.

However, these highlights are intertwined with some flimsier plastics that feel a bit low-rent. There’s no doubt that the Juke and Kamiq look and feel that bit more upmarket inside.