Wie de Ford Puma voor zich ziet als sportief, compact coupeetje zal even moeten wennen aan de gereïncarneerde versie. Dat is namelijk, geheel in lijn met het huidige tijds- en modebeeld, een cross-over. In het zuiden van Spanje maakten we kennis met de auto die Fords eigen Ecosport volledig overbodig maakt en zich tegelijkertijd mengt in een inmiddels al zeer druk bevochten marktsegment.
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Content
15.433 -> This is the new Ford Puma, and it raises two big questions. Why is this
called Puma, because that used to belong to the funny little coupé from...
28.769 -> the nineties? The rival to the Opel Tigra back in the day. It was a very
popular sort of car back then, with emphasis on 'back then'.
36.915 -> Nowadays however, there's no market anymore for cars like that.
There is a market for SUV's and crossovers though, because they're...
44.386 -> selling like hotcakes. So Ford must've thought 'Puma sounds good, let's
continue the name'. I mean, they've already turned the Mustang into an...
54.338 -> SUV as well. Then, the second question. Why would they build an SUV or a
crossover in the segment they already have the EcoSport in.
65.214 -> Another good question, and you can answer it in a very short fashion.
Ford didn't have a B-segment SUV in their range,
77.026 -> but they had one in South America. That was the EcoSport,
which they imported to Europe. And everybody thought the same:
85.234 -> it's a desperate measure. It just didn't fit in the European model range.
They've since improved it, but it's still not the greatest car they've ever built.
96.445 -> That's why Ford must've thought 'we'll position the EcoSport as the
tough, small SUV', and make the Puma the funky little crossover.
111.405 -> Anyway, it looks pretty good. According to my own opinion of course.
Some people think of it as some kind of small Cayenne.
123.114 -> I get them with that front, just look at the headlights.
Whatever you think it looks like, it's quite the appearance.
129.296 -> My colleague Lars already did a comprehensive introduction on this
car. He sat in it and talked about all the ins and outs.
148.696 -> So I'll won't go into the specs as much, I'll focus mostly on the drive.
154.231 -> When it comes to the drive, Ford usually delivers. Their cars are known
for their light and sporty handling.
163.613 -> They steer very nicely, with nice chassis' and good handling.
Even the most basic versions don't disappoint.
172.232 -> And since this Puma is based on the B-platform of the Fiesta,
despite the bigger wheelbase and trackwidth, this car is very nice to drive.
193.585 -> I've been driving this for a while now in the mountains around Malaga,
and it's slippery here. So you'll have to keep that in consideration,
203.795 -> since this is the most powerful version. A 155 horsepower 1.0-litre
EcoBoost, but you're still driving it with a smile. A rare occurrence...
215.573 -> in this compact crossover-segment. They're supposed to look nice and
be practical, but they won't be exciting to drive.
225.942 -> But this is. Exactly what Ford does best, and they haven't disappointed.
Let's start with the engine. Like I said, it's a 1.0-litre EcoBoost,
235.981 -> in this case 155 horsepower. You can also get a 125 horsepower-version,
the only engines Ford supplies in the Netherlands.
244.745 -> And what stands out is that this is the first Ford with that 1.0-litre
EcoBoost connected to a mild-hybrid system.
254.985 -> In this case, it means it has a 48V-battery aboard, which powers an
11 kWh-electric motor. In turn, that electric motor supports the...
266.622 -> combustion engine. It supplies some extra torque at setting off, but it can
also supply extra torque if you need all of the power.
277.547 -> That relieves the engine a little and you save fuel. Around 9 percent
according to the WLTP-cycle.
287.072 -> So it all sounds advantageous, on paper. So how does it do in the real
world? If you ask me, it does very well.
298.324 -> The 1.0-litre EcoBoost-engine is a very nice engine to have,
and with the electrical support, there's more power to play with.
311.562 -> And it all goes very smoothly. On the dashboard, there's a hybrid gauge.
When I'm braking or when I've released the throttle, it regenerates a little,
322.067 -> and when I put my foot down, you can see it assists the engine.
Until you run out of electrical juice that is, after that it has to recharge.
332.232 -> But you always have some extra boost available,
which is very nice.
342.076 -> Right, the drive then. The experience. The steering is nice and sharp,
or nice and Ford as I should say.
349.288 -> Around the middle, it can feel a bit senseless though. You have to get
through that. It has light steering though, that could be heavier.
358.263 -> Especially for a sportier driving experience, but it's not bad at all.
The gearbox then, always alright in a Ford as it is in here.
368.5 -> It's a 6-speed manual, but in time a 7-speed double clutch automatic
will become available as well. The chassis itself is at the good side...
380.549 -> of sporty. Not too hard, but exciting enough. It dares you to push
it a little further. It doesn't heave too much either, so it's a very nice...
391.371 -> chassis. You can even choose between different driving modes.
They won't change anything about the chassis, but they do have...
399.911 -> effect on the throttle response. There's Sport-mode,
Normal, Eco, Terrain, Slippery... I should go for the latter right now,
407.404 -> because the mountains are getting very slippery indeed. Driving really
is the strong point of this Puma. It offers lots of driving pleasure.
436.406 -> Finally, I want to show you something Ford is very proud of.
The boot, and mostly the possibilities you have with it.
445.038 -> Colleague Lars already showed it in the studio-video.
It has quite a large boot for its segment.
453.456 -> 456 litres, and that's including the extra well over here.
The Megabox, as Ford calls it. It now fits the bags of our...
464.441 -> camera man Mark. It's supposed to fit 80 litres to make the cumulative
luggage space 456 litres. But that isn't possible yet.
475.16 -> It only fits 401 litres now because next to the Megabox, we have the
battery packs for the mild-hybrid system.
482.726 -> Ford is going to move them to underneath the passenger seat,
so the full,bigger boot will become available in the near future.
490.977 -> And you can also close the lid very nicely.
494.675 -> To be clear, the EcoSport will remain available next to this Puma.
They cost about the same, this Puma starts at €26.900.
505.166 -> And the EcoSport will have a similar entry price, and you can
guess what car will get the most customers.
511.055 -> This is not the first compact crossover slash SUV in its own kind,
because it's a very crowded market with the Captur, T-Cross, the Juke,
521.827 -> and the CX-3. How it's going to hold its own, we'll find out shortly. When it
releases on the Dutch markets in the near future, we'll immediately compare...
532.879 -> it with the tough competetition. We'll find out how it does,
but I already know its going to ace the driving-part.