Our view:
What you have to do when assessing the
Ford Puma ST is not get hung up on the whole
Fiesta ST thing. Yes, the two cars share a drivetrain. Yes, they have similar underpinnings. Yes, the Puma is heavier and taller and uglier (more on this later) and pricier than the Fiesta. But they serve two very different markets - and, given how magnificently Ford has executed the Puma ST, you really have to take your hat off to the Blue Oval.
Considering Ford felt the
EcoSport was somehow an acceptable B-segment supermini-based crossover for Europe not so long ago (remarkably, it's still on sale today, albeit significantly revised several times over since its lacklustre late-2013 debut), the Puma is a complete sea-change in products standards from the company and now it has reached its apogee with the ST. This side of a
Porsche Macan, the only SUV or crossover that drives in anything like as thrilling a fashion as the Puma ST is
Cupra's impressive Formentor. Which is, lest we forget, a larger, more expensive model than the Puma and pitched a whole class or two above the Ford.
While the carmaker will only be too keen to tell you that you shouldn't hold the Puma ST up to the searing dynamic light of the Fiesta ST, comparisons between the two are inevitable. They both use the marvellous 1.5-litre, three-cylinder, 200hp EcoBoost petrol engine as their form of motive power, but the Puma gains an extra 30Nm for a peak 320Nm output, spread across a 1,000rpm-wide band in the motor's lower-midrange. Despite this numerical advantage, and maybe also because the Fiesta's 290Nm is doled out evenly from 1,600-4,000rpm, the Puma's extra weight (it carries an additional 75kg over a five-door Fiesta ST, with the crossover recording a 1,358kg overall figure) and height means it's a few tenths behind the hatch for the 0-62mph sprint. It's still mighty rapid for this sort of thing, however, clocking a 6.7-second time and running on, where permissible, to a 137mph V-max.
Like the Fiesta ST, Ford's fancy patented Force Vectoring Springs (aka 'bananasprings', in the vernacular) are bolted onto a torsion-beam rear axle that has 2,000Nm/degree of stiffness on the Puma ST - that's 40 per cent greater than the Fiesta's set-up. It's also 50 per cent tougher than the axle used on a standard Puma, with 28mm rear and 24mm front anti-roll bars further sharpening the crossover's chassis. Ford fiddles with the steering, revising the ST's front knuckle with a shorter steering arm and quicker rack gearing to set the ratio at 11.4:1, 25 per cent faster than a regular Puma's system. Furthermore, the ST's 325mm front brake discs are 17 per cent larger than the stoppers on the non-performance models in the line-up and the rear discs are also decent at 271mm.
Factor in specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres on absolutely gorgeous 19-inch Magnetite machined alloy wheels and you have quite a drool-inducing spec on the Puma ST. Ford claims it is the only 'small performance SUV' in Europe to offer a mechanical 'slipper' on the front axle with its Quaife diff, although the American concern is clearly conveniently overlooking
BMW's X2 M35i when it says this; presumably because it considers the Beemer to be
not quite small enough to count in the reckoning.
Either way, we heartily approve of what, on paper, Ford has provided in the Puma ST's mainly attractive shell. We say 'mainly' because we're still a long way from convinced by the model's slightly surprised-looking face. There's no doubt whatsoever that the general ST styling accoutrements that enhance the Puma's body make this rapid variant look pretty special from most angles, and we do like the treatment of the radiator grille and front airdam on the ST, but those bug-eyed, high-set headlights are still not our favourite feature. No matter; there's a wonderfully squat purpose about the Puma ST's stance, which is only set off to a tee by one of the lovely colours available for it - such as Mean Green (£525) or Desert Island Blue (£425).
The interior's fantastic. Figure-hugging Recaros up front, a great driving position possible, the pleasing SYNC 3 infotainment system with a B&O Premium Audio ten-speaker sound system, physical climate control dials... it all looks good and operates perfectly well. And then there's the digital cluster pack, a feature which puts the Puma ahead of the Fiesta on the technological front (as the hot-hatch ST makes do with older analogue dials; some will prefer these to a TFT display, however).
Of course, the Puma ST's whole reason for being is that it is there in the Ford showrooms for people who want the driving engagement of the Fiesta ST, but who maybe have young families so need an extra degree of practicality. To that end, the Puma delivers, as rear-seat space is better than any Fiesta no matter how many doors the hatchback has, and the crossover also has the 456-litre boot - a considerable cargo-capacity figure supplemented by the 80-litre MegaBox function at the rear of the vehicle. This is a truly neat little invention and it's great that the ST Puma has it, just like the rest of the models in the range.
In terms of price, this where the Puma ST doesn't quite fare so well. Its standard equipment list is generous, including the Performance Pack which adds the diff, Launch Control, a Performance Shift Light and Shift Indicator, but at £29,640 basic and £31,360 with a metallic body colour, a handsfree powered tailgate (£600) and the Driver Assistance Pack (£900, incorporating various ADAS systems) all added, it feels pricey when a Fiesta ST starts from around 22 grand. You're going to genuinely need the Puma's extra space and higher seating position to justify that significant additional outlay.
Anyway, we've prevaricated for long enough now. Time for the meat of the review. How does the Puma ST drive? In a word, tremendously. In some more words, you can feel the obvious differences between it and the Fiesta. While the Puma is one of the most playful crossovers of them all in the corners, even in its regular formats, and this ST only upholds that fine tradition then builds upon it with even more involving, invigorating handling, it doesn't ever quite have that sensation of the car getting up on its tippy-toes, the dancing rear axle and those ingenious springs not quite talking as clearly as the same part does when you're driving the Fiesta hard.
Nevertheless, the beautiful steering on the Puma ST feels a touch more organic and less aggressively prone to self-centring than the Fiesta's set-up, while traction from that diff-equipped leading axle is phenomenal. Link in exceptional suspension, supple body control and strong brakes, and what you have is the perfect crossover package for exploiting that joyous turbocharged triple to the max. It sounds and feels just as good in this Puma as it does in the Fiesta, the ST being seriously rapid across ground when you start revving the motor out through the gears. Oh, and speaking of which, the engine is hooked up to one of the loveliest six-speed manuals currently available in the entire industry. Put it this way, if your favourite road is unfurling in front of you on a sunny day and you just so happened to be approaching it in a Puma ST, we cannot imagine that for a single second of the dynamic experience which would ensue next that you'd wish you were in a Fiesta ST instead. The Puma is a compact, laugh-out-loud riot.
It's also the better machine for long-distance and daily duties, because its damping isn't quite as frenetic at dealing with poor road surfaces as the suspension on the marginally shorter-wheelbase Fiesta. There's also notably more refinement in the overall package of the Puma, which means for motorway work it's superior. It's also pretty good on juice, too, as we saw a best of 40.9mpg from the Puma ST, set against a backdrop of 36mpg overall across 463 miles of testing. For something so swift and thrilling, we'd happily take such economy figures all day long.
So which is better, Fiesta ST or Puma ST? Well, as we keep hinting at, it's a pretty irrelevant question. There's not much point tipping these two Fords head-to-head, because they're aimed at different clientele, despite their obvious similarities. If you absolutely must know, for outright driving excitement then of course the lighter, nimbler, faster Fiesta wins. But we reckon we'd probably prefer to live with a Puma ST long-term, as it offers greater comfort and usability without sacrificing much in the way of dynamic excellence.
There, you've got your answer. But realistically, don't sweat the Fiesta v Puma thing. If you're a Ford fan, why not instead simply rejoice in the fact that your favourite car company is making two utterly spellbinding, sensational little performance machines that serve subtly different purposes, and both for less than 31 grand apiece? Pick a Fiesta ST or pick this Puma ST, it doesn't matter - you'll be completely delighted with either of them in the end. And as for crossovers of this size hoping to challenge the Puma? Forget about it. There are none. Class-leading stuff once again from the Blue Oval.
