Published:
2 April 2021The idea of the performance crossover is no longer as novel as it was a few years ago, but the Ford Puma ST still manages to represent something of a departure from those we’ve seen before.
Where so many of its rivals rely on heavily boosted four- cylinder engines, slick dual-clutch transmissions and four-wheel drive, the Puma features none of the above.
The 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine of the regular Ford Puma has been replaced by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol unit that is almost exactly the same all-aluminium powerplant that you’ll find in the excellent Ford Fiesta ST, albeit with a bespoke air intake and new roll-restricting engine mounts.
It develops the same 197bhp at 6000rpm as in the cheaper Fiesta ST, which might raise one or two eyebrows. However, peak torque has been increased to 236lb ft at 2500-3500rpm, all of which is deployed to the front wheels via a six- speed manual transmission. Specify the ST Performance Pack (a £950 option that our test car had) and you’ll get not only an electronic launch control and interior shift lights but also a Quaife helical limited-slip differential. This works in tandem with brake-based torque vectoring.
So the Puma ST is already shaping up to be a fairly hardcore contender. And that’s before you get to the tweaks made to its chassis and suspension. To help counteract the Puma ST’s taller centre of gravity, the torsional stiffness of its twist beam rear axle – which has a 28mm anti-roll bar cleverly integrated into its U-section – has been increased by 50% compared with the standard Fiesta ST’s equivalent.
