Ford’s mini-‘Mustang’ Mach E creates the new Puma crossover
Urging observers to look closer, Iain Robertson believes that the latest Puma is much nearer to being a downsized Mach E than might be considered the case initially, as troubled Ford tries desperately to save its pan-European market share.
Model naming is a complete nightmare for car companies. In our litigious society, many of us have experienced the issues related to, let’s say, opening a new website and providing it with an appropriate name. Fortunately, despite the fact that most things on the Internet are largely (and sadly) uncontrolled, web sites do need to be registered and the moment you think you have the right name, some busybody informs you instantly that another party owns the rights to it and tries to sell the domain to you.
Imagine the situation for carmakers, who are keen to hit the zeitgeist, with product names that imbue whatever sense of vitality, calm, or normality the manufacturer hopes for. More often, than not, they can find themselves embroiled in a legal wrangle that even immense manufacturing might cannot overcome. A number of years ago, several new companies dealing in product names commenced trading. Like a licence to print money, they earn handsomely from organisations that believe they have the legal right to certain words.
When Ford launched its Puma coupe in 1997, based on the Fiesta model of the time, it became the aptly named baby brother to the Mazda-based Ford Cougar, a larger coupe model. The Puma name is synonymous with Ford. Original Puma production ceased in 2001 and the name was shelved. It has been reintroduced, albeit on a compact SUV model, as a complete generation has passed since its previous application, which Ford hopes the market may have forgotten.
In the meantime, Ford has also introduced the SUV version of the Mustang, which was a brand name that I had always believed to be sacrosanct. To be fair, it uses a soubriquet Mach E for its electrified newcomer but it is worth highlighting that while neither new Puma, nor Mach E, are remotely similar in design terms to their progenitors, they do possess a passing similarity to each other, which must, by happenstance, be something of a relief to Ford Motor Company.
Make no bones, Ford is in a parlous place. It might struggle these days to fight an escape from a damp paper bag, which is a dramatic about-turn in its fortunes since the early-1990s, when it was on the acquisition trail and owned some seriously prime real estate. Today, it scarcely knows its arse from its elbow and has been consolidating its model lines and concentrating on SUVs and trucks, where it believes its salvation lies.
My abject horror at the introduction of Mach E is well chronicled. Ford is a company that I once used to respect. Its bastardisation of the cherished Mustang name is sure to bite it soon. Yet, Puma is a different scenario altogether. When I heard Ford was going to name its baby SUV in this form, memories of the Puma coupe flooded back, albeit tempered with the aforementioned knowledge. Ford has struggled in this sector with the deservedly maligned Eco-Sport, which is as close to a dog’s dinner as any modern car can be. The new Puma promises a different riff and, on first acquaintance it carries off the transformation most successfully, looking far better in the metal than pictures trying to do it justice.
You can spot the Focus lineage in its flanks but the deeper frontal and rear aspects, allied to the expected wheel-arch trims, suggest a car of broader purpose; crossover. Interestingly, Puma is based on Ford’s global B-platform; the same as Fiesta. Just as the smaller hatchback is a real gem to drive, first on-road impressions with Puma measure up similarly. Its grip levels are astonishing and the car’s composure over some genuinely bad English road surfaces proves to be equally impressive. Much of this is due to judiciously reworked spring and damper rates for our market. The chassis guys have carried out a sterling task.
Powering Puma is the 123bhp version of Ford’s troublesome one-litre, three-cylinder, petrol-turbo engine. In this case, it has been hooked up to a 48v mild hybrid set-up that is probably one of the worst I have yet driven. Intended to manage brake energy recovery, stop-start electrical usage and to provide a small boost in energy from start off acceleration (but no EV mode), its presence is marred by an apparent ‘small gulp of air’ that creates an annoyingly staccato progression. It may be a raucous engine but it is not slow, being capable of despatching the 0-60mph dash in around 9.6s, which belies its chunky 1.28-tonnes kerbweight, and it tops out at around 119mph, thanks to quite leggy gearing. The mild hybrid hardware (11.5kW belt-starter/generator; compact lithium ion battery pack) factors in an additional 32lbs ft of torque assistance but helps to keep CO2 emissions to 96g/km.
The interior detailing, although ordinary in appearance, is of decent quality and both looks and feels Fiesta sourced. The cabin is surprisingly cramped, with higher seating in the rear making it easier for children to see outwards but restricting headroom for adults. Yet, the driving position, with full adjustability of seat and steering column, is good and all controls fall conveniently and ergonomically to hand. The driver is fronted by a switchable digital instrument panel that is standard across the Puma range and a large touchscreen in the top-centre of the soft-touch dashboard.
The boot offers a generous 456-litres of space, with a deep bin (‘Megabox’) located in its floor. According to Ford, it is possible to stand a golf bag upright in the boot, using the box. There are plenty of other practical slots and pockets around the cabin for the usual array of in-car paraphernalia. However, priced at £22,545 (as tested), with the potential for greater depreciation than some of its compact crossover rivals, I would await the imminent arrival of Pumas on the second-hand market, before indulging in a purchase. Personally, I would have thought that Ford might have aimed its new urban runabout at the upper end of the class but, despite a moderate level of equipment and some good aspects, Puma falls short of expectations, which is actually quite sad.
