Ford has unveiled the all-new Ford Puma - an SUV inspired compact crossover. Yes, we'd told you about the company teasing the car ahead of its reveal and now we get to see it in the flesh. The Ford Puma is certainly a new chapter in Ford's design identity with styling cues including distinctive wing-top mounted headlamps and athletic, aerodynamic lines. The all-new Puma joins Ford's expanding line-up of SUV and SUV-inspired crossover models in Europe, including the Fiesta Active, Focus Active, EcoSport, Kuga, Edge, and the all-new Explorer Plug-In Hybrid. SUVs now account for more than one in five Ford vehicles sold in Europe, and sales rose more than 19 per cent in 2018.
The Ford Puma gets 'canoe-shaped' headlamps which sit high on the wings
The Puma compact crossover features a low, sloping roofline which adds a bit of drama to the car. It bucks the trend for wedge-style crossover side profiles with an 'anti-wedge' design that features a flatter belt-line to deliver balanced proportions. Ford's design team developed the clean lines, carefully sculpted bumper, two-piece rear light clusters and wide stance. The front of the Ford Puma is no doubt expressive and the 'canoe-shaped' headlamps sit high on the wings, just above the LED fog lamps that have been integrated into the front air curtain inlets. Ford has introduced the Puma crossover with distinctive personalities including the sporty Puma ST-Line and stylish Puma Titanium, reflecting individual customers' preferences.
The Ford Puma gets a distinctive wing-top mounted headlamps and athletic, aerodynamic lines
The Puma Titanium features unique Pearl Grey machined 18-inch alloy wheels, and chrome elements for the grille, side skirts and fog lamps. The rear diffuser and skid plate are finished in metallic grey, and the window surrounds in high gloss black. Inside, Puma Titanium is offered with a leather-effect steering wheel, wood-effect appliques for the cluster bezel and instrument panel, and distinctive fabric inserts for the door interiors. The Ford Performance-inspired Puma ST-Line is offered with 18-inch standard or 19-inch optional matte black machined alloy wheels and a sports suspension with specially tuned springs and shock absorbers. At the front, the ST-Line grille features matt black elements and a highgloss surround, high-gloss foglamp surrounds, and an optional larger, functional roof-spoiler.
The Ford Puma gets a two-piece rear light clusters
There will be 11 colours on offer - Blazer Blue, Frozen White, Race Red, Solar Silver, Agate Black, Luxe Yellow, Lucid Red, Grey Matter, Desert Island Blue, Magnetic and Metropolis White. As far as boot space goes, Ford provides 456 litres of luggage capacity. A flexible load compartment can comfortably accommodate a box 112 cm long, 97 cm wide and 43 cm high with the second row of seats folded flat. The Puma tailgate also features an innovative incorporated parcel shelf solution - solving the challenge of what to do with the parcel shelf when loading, unloading and carrying large items. The tailgate mounted luggage cover moves in unison with the tailgate and removes the need for side supports, ensuring unhindered access to the rear load area. The flexible luggage cover easily moulds itself around bulky items.
The Ford Puma gets a luggage capacity of 456 litres
Now we come to the powertrains on offer. The Ford Puma compact crossover gets a 1-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with hybrid technology. So there's an 11.5 kW belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG). Replacing the standard alternator, the BISG enables recovery and storage of energy usually lost during braking and coasting to charge a 48-volt lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack. The BISG also acts as a motor, seamlessly integrating with the low-friction, three-cylinder engine and using the stored energy to provide torque assistance. Offered in 123 bhp and 153 bhp variants, the self-regulating mild-hybrid system continuously monitors how the vehicle is being used to determine when and how intensively to charge the battery for optimal benefit. The electric torque assistance helps deliver punchier, more responsive performance, with up to 50 per cent more torque available at lower engine speeds, for a more flexible and connected driving experience. The BISG has also enabled Ford engineers to lower the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine's compression ratio and add a larger turbocharger for more power, by mitigating turbolag using torque supplementation that also rotates the engine faster for maintained turbocharger boost response. A diesel powertrain option and seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission will join the line-up very soon.
The Ford Puma comes with a ton of features
Ford has also introduced a number of features on the Puma compact crossovers. There are 12 ultrasonic sensors, three radars and two cameras positioned around the car to deliver a suite of Ford Co-Pilot360 technologies that enhance protection, driving and parking, and are designed to make the driving experience more comfortable, less demanding and safer. Enabled by the seven-speed automatic gearbox, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go, Speed Sign Recognition and Lane Centring helps the vehicle maintain a comfortable driving distance from vehicles ahead. The system also helps reduce stress during long road trips by keeping the vehicle centred in its lane, and can adjust the vehicle speed to within legal limits by monitoring the roadside and overhead gantries for speed signs. This is in addition to using information from the on-board navigation system.
