THE FAST AND THE LUXURIOUS
“Try the massage function at the side of your seat,” said the nice man from Ford.
I did and 10 minutes later I was swooning: “Ooh, ooh, ooh, yes!” It is amazing what cars can do these days.
If I said this was the new Ford Puma, many old- school Ford fans would immediately picture the sexy and sporty two-door coupe from the 90s – but this car is totally different. The Puma name pays homage to the forerunner but this is a car built very much for the 21st century.
It is a compact, five-door crossoverr with a high ride height and features and systems that will have you drooling because this car, in luxury Titanium trim, is a mere £21,700.
It is an astonishing price for the look and the kit and will undoubtedly appeal to a swathe of buyers – not least those looking to buy a car rather than use public transport.
Nicola Gilda, of Peoples Ford, said:: “We expected a lot of things becausee of Covid-19 but what we didn’t expectt was a whole new market. People whoo
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never bought cars before are turning to us for the first time because they feel safer – and they feel their families are safer – in their own cars.”
And the Puma fits the bill perfectly. It is small and easily manoeuvred whether in town, in the country or at the local shopping centre.
It’s good looking too, with a neat nose, a robust stance and a neat rear with the Puma name across the hatch. It stands high with a bold and chunky feel. Inside, there is a choice of seat finishes, although you have to manually adjust the driver’s seat – no electric motion here. However, that is more than made up forfo by the massage button for both drivedriver and passenger.
ThThere is an 8in touchscreen that stanstands proud of the dash housing the enteentertainment system and many of the ccar systems, like Ford’s excellent SYNSYNC3 and the Passapp, which gives you access to much more, so you have sat nav, live traffic updates and wi-fi withwit Ford PassConnect.
WhatW is even more interesting aboabout this car, though, is the mild hybridhy engine which you can monitor on the instrument panel behind the steering wheel. A neat graphic displays when you are regenerating energy by lifting your foot from the accelerator or braking and shows you when you are using power.
As if that was not enough, this little car has five different drive modes for every occasion. Normal is the default but there is also Sport for dynamic driving, Eco to help you stay green, Slippery for wintry mornings and even Trail for rocky surfaces.
I drove the 1.0-litre hybrid with 125PS and the small electric motor to give added boost to the powertrain. It raced along the motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh and proved faultless on the country roads around my house.
It uses Ford’s astonishing EcoBoost engine, which has won awards all over the world and since it was developed has been evolved for more powerful use in bigger cars yet still retaining its essential frugality. It is perfectly suited to the Puma and will give you between 48.7 and 51.4mpg, although that nice man from Ford told me he was getting more.
And I believe him. He is the one who gave me the heads up on the massage button. He knows his stuff.