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The updated city SUV brings new looks and technology, but axes the last remnants of the Fiesta ST hot hatch – and will not come to Australia as the petrol Puma will be axed here.
The 2024 Ford Puma has received a facelift in Europe – with a revised look and overhauled interior – but it will not come to Australia in petrol-powered form as the city SUV will be dropped from local showrooms.
The upcoming electric Puma – to be known as the Gen-E – is still planned to come to Australia after it is revealed later this year, but the facelift for the petrol model unveiled by Ford in Europe tonight will not grace local roads.
Europe is not exempt from a trimming of the range, either, as the most powerful version of the Puma ST flagship – with the 147kW/320Nm 1.5-litre turbo engine and six-speed manual transmission from the defunct Fiesta ST hot hatch – has been dropped.
The Puma ST remains available in Europe, but only with a less powerful 125kW/248Nm 1.0-litre engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission that is close to a second slower from 0-100km/h than the 1.5-litre manual.
While Australia will not get the updated petrol Puma, its design changes – and overhauled interior – preview what to expect from the locally-bound electric Gen-E when it is unveiled later this year.
The LED headlights now incorporate matrix technology – which can blank off part of the high beams to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers, and turn into corners – and have new signatures.
The Ford badge has been repositioned from above, to within the grille – though this is likely to be blanked-off on the Gen-E – while there are new wheel designs, a new Cactus Grey colour, and mirror-mounted puddle lights which project Puma logos.
The interior has been reworked with a super-sized 12-inch infotainment touchscreen running Ford’s Sync 4 software – replacing the old 8.0-inch Sync 3 touchscreen – angled towards the driver.
It is said to have twice the computing power of the previous system, and offers wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition, satellite navigation, and Amazon Alexa support.
The air-conditioning controls have been moved into the touchscreen, but a volume dial is retained.
The digital instrument cluster has been enlarged from 12.3 to 12.8 inches, there is a new steering wheel with squared-off top and bottom edges, and drivers can choose to play music through a soundbar above the dual screens, or the entire 10-speaker B&O Play audio system.
Wireless phone charging is now joined by 5G connectivity for the FordPass Connect phone app, and a new sliding centre amrest.
The safety technology suite has been expanded with lane-centring assist, a 360-degree camera, braking for the rear cross-traffic alert system, an upgraded blind-spot monitor, and an updated adaptive cruise control system that slows for curves in the road.
In Europe, an 80-litre ‘MegaBox’ can be optioned under the boot floor for hidden storage of items – including dirty ones, as the compartment can be drained and washed. In Australia, the MegaBox was filled with a spare wheel, and the drain plug was not available.
Powering the Puma in Europe is a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine developing up to 114kW in regular models, aided by 48-volt mild-hybrid technology.
The ST uses a 125kW version of the engine, matched as standard with a “special sports chassis” and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox marketed in Europe as the PowerShift – the same brand name applied to dual-clutch gearboxes involved in a $10 million court case in Australia in 2017.
The 2024 Ford Puma is expected to reach European showrooms later this year. It will continue to be produced in Romania.
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