Ford upgrades the Puma – can these adjustments hold it prime of the charts?

Ford’s Puma is formally Britain’s favorite new automobile.

Last yr, it topped the gross sales charts for the very first time with 49,591 registrations, dethroning the Nissan Qashqai to reclaim Ford’s historic long-running crown on the prime of the UK gross sales rankings that ran for 49 years between 1972 and 2020.

Now the Puma has been handled to a mid-cycle facelift with an upgraded inside, host of recent tech and revamp of its engine vary for 2024.

Here are the 5 greatest speaking factors.

1. Bigger display, contemporary tech and fewer buttons to ‘calm drivers’

It’s the cabin the place Ford has gone massive on the revisions to the up to date Puma.

A sportier, wrap-around dashboard is dominated by a 12-inch touchscreen – an improve on the 8-inch show within the pre-facelift automobile – and the removing of many of the management switches.

Ford says ‘bodily buttons are at a minimal for a peaceful setting,’ although there are main query marks concerning whether or not this tactic actually works.

In some circumstances, drivers have lamented producers for ridding easy-to-find and function management switches, saying that embedding extra performance into infotainment screens is distracting to make changes when on the transfer. Ask homeowners of the VW Golf Mk8, and they’re going to doubtless inform you that it isn’t a great setup.

Ford guarantees the infotainment display is ‘intuitive’ to make use of, and it comes with the newest SYNC4 software program, which means sooner processing, machine-learning algorithm to foretell what changes you need to make and an improve from 4G to 5G connectivity.

As effectively as making the touchscreen bigger, there’s additionally an even bigger digital instrument cluster that measures 12.7 inches throughout and is now totally customisable to point out the data most related to the consumer. 

Other updates on the within features a new ambient lighting setup, a noise-cancelling laminated windscreen, and synthetic-leather supplies for the seats and the brand new two-spoke steering wheel that is distinctly squarer than earlier than.

At the again, the drainable boot-mounted MegaBox has been retained beneath the boot flooring – a favorite sensible characteristic amongst present Puma homeowners, particularly as a result of it will increase the out there baggage area – although having it does imply you must go with out a spare wheel. 

2. More assisted driving options

Buy a facelifted Puma and you will get much more assist driving it.

That’s as a result of Ford has thrown the assisted-driving kitchen sink on the compact SUV, together with ‘Intersection Assist’ to alert drivers to heightened dangers at junctions, particularly highlighting cyclists and pedestrians.

It additionally will get computerized Lane Centering as a part of the adaptive cruise management, which suggests the automobile can steer itself into the center of lanes, as an illustration if the driving force is drifting in direction of the white traces on a motorway. 

‘Predictive Speed Assist’ has additionally been added to the suite of options – this adjusts the automobile’s cruising velocity with the cruise management turned on, mechanically slowing down for curves within the highway, roundabouts, and when coming into or leaving highways.

‘Reverse Brake Assist’ and ‘Rear Cross Traffic Braking’ are additions that mechanically apply the brakes when the driving force is about to reverse right into a static object or if it detects folks or different automobiles shifting throughout the rear of the automobile. 

A 360-degree surround-view digital camera system will even assist cut back the chance of parking scrapes.

3. Better headlights

With headlight dazzling changing into a significant subject in recent times, motorists might be glad to listen to that the Puma will get Ford’s newest system that ensures to not briefly blind oncoming drivers.

The non-compulsory Dynamic Matrix LEDs have a glare-free perform the place it detects when different highway customers are forward and immediately turns off the LEDs to stop glare.

The newest iteration of Ford’s system contains Predictive Dynamic Bending Light to observe the highway forward and shine mild into corners to assist drivers see extra clearly. 

The headlight clusters are solely barely completely different in form, which is the theme throughout the remainder of the outside design of the Puma facelift.

Other than a brand new badge and completely different color choices for the entrance grille, there’s little to shout residence about in terms of how the Puma seems.

4. The strongest engine isn’t any extra

If you need the newest Puma, you’ll have to make do with a 1.0-litre three-cylinder Ecoboost petrol engine beneath the bonnet.

That’s as a result of the 197bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine that had been out there within the sportier Puma ST has been reduce from the vary. Instead, it makes do with the smaller unit. 

There’s a selection of two energy outputs: 123bhp or 153bhp, each assisted by a 48-volt mild-hybrid starter-generator. 

While the lower-powered choice is on the market with both a six-speed guide gearbox or Ford’s seven-speed dual-clutch auto, the stronger solely comes with an computerized ‘field.

5. An electrical model is coming with a brand new identify…. 

Given that a few of Puma’s greatest rivals – particularly the Vauxhall Mokka and Peugeot 2008 – are additionally offered with electrical energy, Ford is prepared to verify its greatest vendor can compete.

Later this yr it should launch a brand new Puma Gen-E. which is more likely to share a battery pack with the Tourneo E-Courier.

Will the facelifted Puma be costlier?

In brief, sure, however it will not value an excessive amount of extra, it appears.

Order books are open for UK prospects now with first deliveries due early in the summertime.

Full specs and costs stay beneath wraps, however we do know that the entry model will value £25,790. That’s a £150 mark-up on the equal present specification.