We video review the all-new 2021 Ford Puma.
The hottest ticket from Ford for 2020 is here and it’s a cracker!
The all-new, award-winning Puma compact SUV is the first step in Ford’s future, introducing fresh new design elements, a greater level of technology than has ever been seen before and a cleaner focus of what to expect from Fords to come. The Puma is a powerhouse too, with the brilliant 1-litre EcoBoost turbo petrol delivering an astonishing 92kW to give the Puma the athletic nature one would associate with the big cat – even if it has a small kitten body.
Ideal as a spirited city SUV, Puma is loaded with features you would expect to find on much larger vehicles – satellite navigation with 3D rendering and Ford’s automatic parking assistance supported by front and rear parking sensors and tyre pressure monitoring, to name a few. While its car-park friendly exterior appears compact, the tricks Ford’s engineers have pulled off when it comes to inner space and cargo capacity would make David Copperfield take his rabbit-filled hat off in respect – cargo space expanding from 410 litres to a massive – for the class – 1170 litres, using cleverly-designed underfloor spaces.
Puma is connected as well, boasting the new FordPass Connect, which allows the driver to inter-relate to the vehicle via Smartphone app and adds this little trick with the already sophisticated voice-compatible SYNC3 infotainment interface. There’s wireless phone charging onboard too. Thanks to the combination of a sports-tuned suspension and the 17-inch alloys, Puma is dynamic, athletic and engaging, backed up with the surefootedness of all the electronic wizardry of the modern mid-sized SUV.
Is there a best bit to the Puma? Depends on who you ask. For us, it was that Puma’s fresh and crisp body is based on a platform shared by a number of vehicles, but which was modified specifically for Ford’s smallest SUV. Think global numbers and that level of commitment is mind boggling.
Others will appreciate the bigger-than-expected interior, and there will be those impressed by the 92kW power output and how easy it is to get at and use all of it. Some would say the new headlight design, which doesn’t sound like much, but makes an enormous difference to the perception of the vehicle overall, and there will be still more for whom the overall design ticks all the boxes.
We liked the pricing, which is nicely competitive, but which is all the better until the end of 2020. So we suggest you hustle in to your nearest Ford Puma dealer to get your cat in the bag.
For more information go to www.ford.co.nz/suv/puma/
