Ford Puma review

Unless you’re exceptionally tall, you’ll fit just fine in the front of the Puma. It's not as roomy as the Volkswagen T-Roc, mind, which has a few centimetres more head room, along with a slightly broader interior that provides more shoulder room between the driver and front passenger.

There’s plenty of stowage space, thanks to decent-sized door bins, a cubby in front of the gearlever, another one below the front armrest and a couple of cupholders between the front seats.

The Puma's small rear side windows don’t help create an impression of roominess and, in real terms, a couple of six-footers will enjoy less knee room than they would in a T-Roc or the limo-like Skoda Kamiq. Head room is also worse than it is in both of those cars, although there's still enough space for a couple of taller adults.

It’s best to avoid the optional panoramic roof, though – this lowers the height of the ceiling and reduces head room, particularly in the back.

All Pumas have 60/40 split-folding rear seats, which matches what you get in almost all small SUVs.

It’s a pity there’s no ski hatch (there is in the rival VW T-Roc), but other clever seating tricks are few and far between in this class. The Volkswagen T-Cross, with it’s sliding rear seats, is one notable exemption.

You can fit six carry-on-sized suitcases in the main boot compartment – one fewer than you’ll squeeze in a Kamiq or T-Roc. But the Puma has a trick up its sleeve. Lift up its boot floor and you’ll find a large well underneath that can swallow a further two cases.

If you clip the boot floor vertically against the rear seatbacks, you can stand two sets of golf clubs, or a couple of pot plants, upright in the well. There’s even a removable plug at the bottom, so you can hose any mud out afterwards.

The boot floor is also height-adjustable and, when set to its highest position, leaves no step in the floor of the extended load bay when the rear seats are folded down, and only a very small lip at the boot entrance. The tailgate-mounted parcel shelf is yet another clever feature because it lifts up when the boot is opened to give excellent access.