MOTORS.
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It’s well and truly a sign of how both fashions and buying habits change that when Ford decided to reimagine its iconic Puma coupe from the mid 90s that it updated the concept from coupe to crossover. The original Puma proved itself a marvel on the road with slick handling, excellent roadholding and peppy performance from its 1.7 petrol engine. It’s the one car I regret not buying; walking away from the dealerships to put down a deposit instead on a sexy little Alfa 145 Cloverleaf that, of course, spent more time in the service bay than it did on the road and lost all of its considerable value literally overnight. Heart literally stomped over head. 12 years later, wiser and with less hair on head and more in my ears, this new incarnation of the Puma might not slip so quickly through my fingers. The seductive exterior styling 32 dluxe-magazine.co.uk
looks back to the original couple, especially in those headlights but also represents the next chapter in Ford’s design philosophy so expect some pretty new cars to come. A low, sloping roofline gives a dramatic, instantly recognisable silhouette, and bucks the trend for wedge-style crossover side profiles. This “anti-wedge” design features a flatter belt-line to deliver balanced proportions and succeeds in stopping the Puma from appearing slabby.
and features an adjustable boot floor and Megabox storage space. The storage solution offers a capacity of 80 litres in a space which can house unstable items up to around 115 cm tall – such as houseplants – in an upright position. Alternatively, with the lid down, the space can be used to conceal dirty sports equipment or muddy Wellington boots. The synthetic lining and drain plug in the bottom of the Ford Megabox makes it easy to clean with water- clever.
Pronounced wheel arches amplify the sporty character as do the front air curtain inlets that guide airflow across the front wheels to reduce turbulence for improved aerodynamics and a large rear wing, wide tail lights and central Puma branding give what could be a heavy back end a squat and powerful presence.
Loading the Puma is made even easier thanks to a hands-free tailgate technology opening that you’d normally find on high end Mercedes models. The system allows access to the boot space even with arms full of groceries, kids or sports equipment, using a simple kicking motion under the rear bumper.
That back end hides best-in-class load space and luggage capacity of 456 litres
The rest of the cabin feels roomy and upmarket with lumbar massaging front
