First likelihood to get behind the wheel of the brand new Ford Puma Gen-E – the electrical model of the UK’s best-selling automobile of 2023 and 2024
How time flies. 5 years in the past, I attended the press launch of the unique (petrol) Ford Puma in sunny Spain.
I bear in mind it properly. Not solely was the sporty compact SUV spectacular, however it was the final main new automobile occasion earlier than the primary lockdown.
It’s a mark of the success of the Ford Puma that it’s now change into one of the vital acquainted automobiles on the street.
A worthy successor to its big-selling ancestors sporting the “Blue Oval”, such because the Fiesta and Focus, the Puma continues to be topping gross sales within the UK, regardless of the shift in direction of hybrids and EVs.
Positive, the Puma is accessible as a light hybrid petrol (EcoBoost in Ford converse), however it’s by no means been capable of compete with zero emissions newcomers such because the Kia EV3, Jeep Avenger, Peugeot 2008, MINI Aceman, Alfa Romeo Junior and Volvo EX30 – till now.
Other than its bluff nostril (no want for a radiator/grille in an EV), white badging on the boot lid and an even bigger tailgate spoiler, the Puma Gen-E seems identical to the common automobile, although in case you look actually arduous down under, the battery pack is seen under the sill.
And it’s this 43kWh lithium-ion battery that’s the center of the Puma Gen-E.
Built-in into the automobile’s modified platform, it’s good for an official vary of as much as 233 miles – or as much as a claimed 325 miles of metropolis vary.
Paired with a 165bhp electrical motor that drives the entrance wheels, it manages 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds, tops out at 99mph and develops 214lb ft of torque.
A ten-80% recharge time of simply 23 minutes is quoted, with a peak fee of 100kW.
Ford has labored wonders inside, the place regardless of its new innards, the designers have really managed to extend the Gen-E’s baggage capability from the petrol Puma’s 456 litres to 566 litres, which features a 43-litre ‘frunk’ beneath the bonnet (very best for storing charging cables).
The caveat there’s that 145 litres of that area is made up of the ‘GigaBox’ within the boot, which is underfloor storage that might have housed a spare wheel again within the day.
Curiously, the common Puma will get a barely smaller ‘MegaBox’, as a result of the exhaust pipe nibbles into the underside area.
Whether or not you get a GigaBox or MegaBox, it is extremely helpful, and even features a plug, so you may stick gadgets resembling muddy wellies in there after which hose it down.
For the file, the utmost load capability with the rear seats flipped down is 1,283 litres.
Up entrance, there’s a 12.8-inch digital driver’s show and a 12.0-inch centre touchscreen with Alexa in-built, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The motive force’s show is comparatively huge and there’s a good quantity of knowledge on it resembling velocity, vary, visitors signal recognition and a charging/brake regen meter.
Annoyingly, even with the massive, barely rectangular steering wheel, among the display is obscured.
The gear selector is now on a column stalk, so area is freed up within the centre console (the handbrake has additionally gone), leading to more room between the seats too.
The Ford Puma Gen-E is properly put collectively, although there are a couple of too many arduous surfaces on the dashboard and decrease down for my liking.
General, it’s potential to move 4 adults within the Puma (5 at a push). Nonetheless, rear passenger area is cosy. I might simply squeeze in behind somebody of the identical top (5’11”), however it will be uncomfortable on an extended journey. Additionally, taller rear seat passengers would possibly wrestle in case you go for the full-length sunroof which takes up among the headroom.
Customary-fit security and driver help methods embody AEB (autonomous emergency braking), a Rear View Digital camera, Cruise Management with Clever Velocity Limiter, Lane Retaining Assist and Lane Departure Warning.
On the street, the Puma Gen-E is clean and refined – or at the very least it was on the stunning roads in and round Barcelona in Spain, the place the worldwide launch occasion was staged.
If whisper-quiet electrical movement isn’t sufficient for you, then you may change on the digital propulsion sound. You’ll both prefer it or detest it. For me, the novelty quickly wore off.
The Puma Gen-E’s acceleration isn’t neck-snappingly fast like some EVs, however quick sufficient – and most significantly – managed.
It’s nimble and agile too, helped by a kerb weight of 1,560kg, which is modest for an electrical automobile. And although it’s about 300kg heavier than its petrol sibling, it nonetheless drives just like the Puma adored by so many.
The fact is that many could want the electrical model, as a result of it’s simplicity itself to drive. Simply push the Begin button, have interaction Drive, press the accelerator and also you’re off with no gears to fret about. In truth, in case you select one-pedal mode, it’s going to even carry the automobile to a standstill while you elevate off the accelerator.
For me, one of many nice issues in regards to the EV model of the Puma is the driving place. You don’t really feel perched like some small EVs, so it’s potential to hunker down and really feel extra concerned with the automobile. That is regardless of the Puma Gen-E being about the identical top as a Jeep Avenger or Volvo EX30.
With on the spot torque, spectacular grip and little physique lean in tougher corners, the Puma Gen-E delivers an attractive drive. Add the robust but progressive brakes, and it generates confidence, encouraging you to push on.
It will likely be fascinating to drive it on UK roads, the place I believe some could discover the suspension on the stiff facet at decrease speeds on tough roads, however for now, the Puma’s zero emissions transition has been successful.
4 driving modes are supplied – Regular, Eco, Sport and Slippery – which tweak the steering and throttle response. Have a play, however as ever, Eco dulls the driving expertise, Regular presents the very best mix of efficiency and effectivity, and Sport dials up the enjoyable.
I didn’t get to strive Slippery mode, however it’s meant to optimise the automobile’s efficiency in lower than very best situations, resembling snow, ice, and moist surfaces.
The Ford Puma Gen-E isn’t good although, and the vary of 233 miles is more likely to shrink to under 200 miles in real-world driving, although it might creep above if it’s primarily pushed in a low-speed city surroundings.
Keep in mind that the common automobile within the UK travels round 20 miles a day (about 140 miles per week) – and that determine is skewed by a small variety of high-mileage drivers – so the truth is {that a} vary of lower than 200 miles most likely received’t bother most motorists, particularly if they’ve a house charger.
Ford claims it’s probably the most energy-efficient powertrain, and judging by the restricted information I collected on my check drives, there’s some fact in that assertion.
At worst I achieved round 2.5 miles per kilowatt-hour, however at finest I managed 4.4miles/kWh, rising to five.1 miles/kWh on one run – probably the most spectacular power effectivity I’ve managed in any EV.
The brand new Ford Puma Gen-E is accessible in two totally different specs (Choose and Premium) and there are six colors to select from: Frozen White, Electrical Yellow, Agate Black, Photo voltaic Silver, Improbable Pink and Digital Aqua Blue.
Crucially, it’s priced from under £30,000 (£29,995) and Ford can be providing its Energy Promise in a bid to take the stress out of EV shopping for and proudly owning.
The scheme features a free house charger with set up included, as much as 10,000 miles of free charging credit score and a five-year service plan.
In the end, the Puma Gen-E is somewhat late to the electrical compact SUV occasion and it’s up in opposition to stiff competitors from rivals which were designed from the bottom up as EVs – many with larger battery choices and longer vary.
That mentioned, Ford has created an electrified Puma that loses not one of the enchantment of the petrol-powered unique, but delivers big potential financial savings and is kinder to the planet.
Verdict: The Ford Puma Gen-E is a perfect entry-level electrical automobile that’s more likely to be a very huge hit with the legions of Puma and Fiesta house owners on the market seeking to make the large change to zero emissions motoring. Straightforward to drive, simply as sensible inside and outside, and arguably extra participating to drive, the electrical Puma ought to positively be in your EV shortlist.
Ford UK
