Ford Puma ST review

The Ford Puma ST was once an unstoppable force at our Car of the Year Awards, hoovering up the Best Sports SUV trophy four years on the trot. This year, though, its reign has come to a screeching halt. Not even an honourable mention.

Why? Well, swapping the engine of a performance car is a bit like a band swapping lead singers. The name stays the same, the stage set-up looks familiar, but something feels… off. And that’s exactly what Ford has done to the Puma ST in its mid-life facelift.

Yes, it still wears the Sports Technologies badge and keeps most of the old car’s go-faster bits. But the fiery 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine from the Ford Fiesta ST? Gone. So, too, the six-speed manual gearbox. In their place? A 1.0-litre mild-hybrid engine and an auto gearbox.

Has this "change of heart" wrecked the Ford Puma ST’s chances against rivals including the Cupra Formentor and VW T-Roc R? Let’s find out…

Let’s get straight to it: the biggest change to the Ford Puma ST isn’t one you’ll see, but one you’ll feel. While the 1.5-litre engine of the previous version produced 197bhp, the 1.0-litre mild-hybrid produces 168bhp.

On paper, the performance deficit looks negligible – the 0-62mph sprint time is just 0.7 seconds slower, at 7.4 seconds. But out on the road the difference is far more pronounced. Blame the drop in torque (from 53lb-ft to 183lb-ft) and the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, which is rarely in the right gear at the right time.

Leave it in auto mode, and it dithers. Carry speed into a corner and it’s hesitant to downshift, leaving you flat-footed on the exit as it scrambles for a lower ratio. Take manual control and things improve, but not enough.

Response is slower than Volkswagen’s DSG or Hyundai’s N DCT, with noticeable lag on upshifts and the occasional outright refusal to downshift under heavy braking. A manual gearbox option would have transformed the experience.

The engine itself is another sticking point. Peak torque arrives at 3000rpm, but it runs out of puff by 5750rpm, leaving little reason to chase the red line like you would in a proper hot hatch. And where the old 1.5-litre had a mischievous, rally-esque soundtrack, the new unit sounds flatter and less characterful.

So does the latest Puma ST at least retain its handling sparkle? To an extent. The steering remains a highlight – sharp, direct and quicker to react than a Cupra Formentor or VW T-Roc R. The front end is keen, and the stiff chassis allows for rapid direction changes. But it’s not quite as playful as before.

Where the pre-facelift car would rotate progressively when you lifted off the accelerator, the new version feels more planted, more secure. Stability control systems can’t be fully disabled, either. That's fine for less experienced drivers but frustrating for keen ones. The Puma ST was once the most engaging small performance SUV you could buy. That’s no longer the case.

Worse still, Ford hasn’t softened the car to compensate. The ride remains firm and unsettled around town, while the aggressive steering rack makes it prone to tram-lining on rough B-roads. Before, we forgave those flaws because the handling was so engaging. Now, with that edge dulled, the compromises are harder to justify.

“Ford will sell you a reasonably priced Handling Pack that includes unique 19in alloy wheels and KW coilover suspension but I’m not sure I’d want the ride to be any firmer than it already is.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Road Test Editor

The Ford Puma ST’s interior has had a sporty makeover to match its aggressive body kit and rear spoiler. Heated sports seats come as standard, offering plenty of support in corners while remaining comfortable on longer journeys.

You get a flat-bottomed steering wheel unless you opt for the Handling Pack, which swaps it for a round one. ST badges are scattered throughout to remind you that this is no ordinary Ford Puma.

The driving position is excellent, striking a balance between a low, car-like feel and a slightly raised seat height that suits the ST’s SUV credentials. The Cupra Ateca offers a more commanding view – but at a significantly higher price.

Visibility is generally good, although the steeply raked front pillars can obscure your view at junctions, and the thick rear pillars mean over-the-shoulder visibility isn’t the best. Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors come as standard, along with automatic LED headlights and wipers. A rear-view camera is available as part of the reasonably priced Driver Assistance Pack.

The mid-life facelift brings a new 12.8in infotainment touchscreen, replacing the old 8in unit. It’s quicker to respond, thanks to Ford’s latest SYNC4 software, which feels snappier than the system in the VW T-Roc R. However, the new screen sits lower down on the dashboard so you shift your gaze further from the road when you use it.

Worse still, the physical climate controls have been removed in favour of touchscreen buttons, which are more distracting to use while driving.

On the plus side, the ST now includes a wireless charging pad for your smartphone and a 10-speaker B&O sound system, which delivers impressively punchy audio. The driver gets a digital driver's display instead of traditional dials, and they can show sat-nav directions, media settings and trip information.

Material quality remains a weak point. The updated interior looks more modern, but most of the dashboard plastics feel hard and scratchy, and the faux-leather trim pieces are not particularly plush. For a more upmarket feel, check out the Cupra Formentor and VW T-Roc R.

“The Puma ST’s heavily bolstered sports seats are truly fantastic, gripping you tightly in the bends.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Unless you’re exceptionally tall, you’ll fit just fine in the front of the Puma ST. The front seats are quite a bit beefier than the standard Ford Puma pews but there's still plenty of space to stretch out in the back seats.

For even more space in the front and back, consider the larger VW T-Roc R, which gives you even more head room and has a slightly broader interior.

There’s plenty of stowage space in the Puma ST, thanks to decent-sized door bins, a cubby in front of the gear lever, another one below the front armrest and a couple of cupholders between the front seats.

As with every version of the Ford Puma, the ST can take six carry-on suitcases in the main boot compartment and two in the 80-litre MegaBox storage area under the boot floor. The rear seats split 60/40 to fold down (most sports SUVs are the same).

“The Puma ST’s underfloor boot storage is pretty ace but I’ve also found the 12-volt power socket in the boot to be very useful.” – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

Let’s not beat around the bush, the Ford Puma ST is significantly cheaper than almost every other similar-sized sports SUV, including the Audi SQ2, the Cupra Formentor and the VW T-Roc R.

Even if you tick the options boxes for metallic paint and the Handling Pack, you’ll still be getting a car that’s at least a few thousand pounds cheaper than the competition. The Puma ST's comparatively low purchase price and surprisingly low emissions help to lower BIK tax payments if you get one as a company car.

When you factor in the impressive standard equipment list – including 19in alloy wheels, wireless phone-charging, a heated windscreen, heated sports seats and a heated flat-bottomed leather steering wheel – the ST feels like decent value. Cruise control comes as standard too (if you want adaptive cruise control, you can add it as part of the Driver Assistance Pack).

That said, if you’re in the market for a genuinely fun performance family vehicle, the Ford Focus ST is almost as practical and yet way more fun, and the superbly rounded VW Golf GTI is only a few thousand pounds more.

Like the standard Ford Puma, the ST comes with plenty of preventative safety aids, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane-keeping assistance and tyre-pressure monitoring. Blind-spot assistance and a couple of other safety aids come with the driver assistance pack.

Euro NCAP reassessed the standard Puma under more stringent 2022 standards and has downgraded its safety rating from five stars out of five to four.

That was due to concerns over chest protection for the driver, the lack of a central airbag, the lack of an eCall system and poor whiplash protection for rear occupants in a rear-end collision. It’s hard to draw comparisons with rivals because they were tested under different standards.

Meanwhile, to keep would-be thieves at bay, the ST comes with a Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser.

Ford ranked a middling 14th out of 31 brands in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. That puts it above Audi (in 24th place), Cupra (17th) and Volkswagen (18th). 

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