Update: Ford Australia has confirmed the new Puma will be available locally in the second half of 2020.
The new Ford Puma, the brand’s new small SUV, has been revealed in Europe.
Before the remaining fans of the Blue Oval get excited, the Puma isn’t confirmed for Australia at this stage.
The Puma will sit underneath the Escape, competing with the Mazda CX-3, Hyundai Kona and the upcoming Kia Seltos. Currently, the uninspiring EcoSport fills that role Down Under.
Built on Ford’s B-car architecture, the Puma gets distinctive wing-top mounted headlamps, a sloping roofline, a unique “floating” A-pillar, a flatter belt-line and pronounced wheel arches.
The sharp design continues on the inside, depending on the grade, there’s a customisable 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Ford’s Sync 3 infotainment system, a 4G WiFi hotspot, satellite navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, a 575W 10-speaker B&O sound system and front seats with a lumbar massage function.
In terms of cargo space, Ford claims the Puma delivers a “best-in-class” 456 litres of boot capacity, aided by an underfloor stowage compartment which adds 80L. The flexible load compartment can accommodate a box 112cm long, 97cm wide and 43cm high with the second row of seats folded flat.
Ford has confirmed European buyers will be offered a pair of 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engines tuned to deliver 92kW and 122kW with mild-hybrid technology.
On the safety front, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control, emergency steering assist, a rear-view camera and a semi-autonomous parking assistant are available as part of Ford’s Co-Pilot360 safety suite.
The Puma looks far more compelling than the EcoSport and with sharp pricing, it could be successful given our penchant for SUVs, Ford’s local arm should be aggressively working to bring the car to Oz.
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