Hot hatch goes gold to boost street cred

FORD’S hot hatches have earned themselves an enviable reputation over the years and are always highly desirable amongst enthusiasts.

Introduce a Ford with the letters ST after the name and you know you have a sure fired winner.

Add a limited edition to the equation and that desirability goes off the scale.

So the Ford Puma ST Gold Edition, with a limited run of just 999 vehicles, is hot property.

While the standard Puma ST (it stands for Sports Technologies) costs just slightly north of £31,000 the Gold Edition model, driven here, will cost you an additional £2,600 – but will definitely give your street cred a boost.

In many ways it’s similar to the standard Puma ST with its impressive body kit and is powered by the same 1.5litre, 197bhp, threecylinder turbocharged engine giving you a top speed of 137mph and acceleration to 62mph in just 6.7 seconds.

But like all special editions there are a number of extra features which make this model unique, and most of them were asked for by Ford enthusiasts in a poll which attracted more than 275,000 votes.

That gave the car maker an insight into what its buyers were really looking for in a hot hatch.

The Gold edition comes in black only but stands out from other Puma ST models because of the discreet lines (rather than stripes) which run from front to back over the bonnet and roof.

There are red brake calipers and special grey stitching on the seat belts and all Gold models come with the ST Performance Pack as standard which gives you a limited slip differential to help ensure you don’t lose grip when driving the car to its full potential.

And with that in mind this little powerhouse comes with a selection of driving modes which include both Sport and Track.

Even in Normal mode the ST Gold Edition is exciting to drive but slip it into Sport and it earns its hot hatch designation with sharper acceleration, firmer suspension and a more sporty engine note.

Slip it into Track and it grows horns, and really does put a smile on your face when you get chance to open it up and power round tight country lanes enjoying the almost go-kart-like steering and short throw six-speed manual gearbox, not to mention the full benefit from the excellent Ford rally seats.

And the more sportier mode you opt for the more sportier the engine note becomes, completely eliminating the usual three-cylinder engine noise.

But for the run to the supermarket

And the more sportier mode you opt for the more sportier the engine note

or commuting to and from work Eco and Normal modes ensure you have a relatively quiet, although still firm, ride.

On-board creature comforts include a Bang & Olufsen premium sound system, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and a heated windscreen.

And like all Pumas the ST Gold Edition has a practical side with a sensible sized boot and, below the floor, a deep 80-litre well which is rubber lined and designed to take muddy boots, wet fishing waders or anything else aquatic.

And when the MegaBox, as Ford terms it, gets dirty you can just wash it out thanks to a removable drain plug at the bottom.

So the Ford Puma ST Gold Edition is very much a dual purpose car which gives you the best of both worlds – a practical compact family SUV and a hot hatch par excellence to brighten up the dullest of journeys.