TEST HIGHLIGHT: FORD PUMA’S ENGINE

This ‘pared back’ BMW 128ti will never be one of the all-time hot hatch greats, but as an alternative to the Golf GTI, it’s pretty convincing and has more dynamic spirit, whatever kind of road you’re on. I can’t help feeling that it really needed a manual gearbox, though. Three pedals and some punchier rubber – perhaps Michelin’s Pilot Sport 4S tyres rather than the regular Pilot Sport 4 – would raise its game considerably, with the 4S’s giving the car the front-end bite needed to bring the rear into play more easily. As good as it otherwise is, this is an opportunity missed.

In previous editions, before my time, a test like this would demonstrate the rich variety of automotive powertrains on offer, with a mix of four-, six- and maybe five-cylinder engines. Today, all but one are turbocharged and all but one have four cylinders. It’s nice, then, that at least the Puma has a little character in the form of a three-pot.

When the current Fiesta ST was announced, people were worried about losing a cylinder from the previous generation. In reality, there is something quite appealing about a thrummy triple. Ford was one of the first to start introducing three-cylinder engines into its cars, something it has been doing with some success thanks to the eager and revvy Ecoboost units. I won’t pretend it’s as good as having both a straight-six BMW and a five-cylinder Focus RS around, like in 2017, but as we hurtle towards the electric era, I’ll celebrate variety where I can find it.