Ford, partner to this year’s Great British Fleet Event, has added a raft of new tech to its Puma crossover and confirmed the electric Puma Gen-E will debut later this year.
Under the facelift, the Nissan Juke rival gains an all-new interior, large digital displays, latest connectivity features and advanced driving technologies.
Upgrades include a new sports car-style cockpit, angled towards the driver and featuring a 12.0-inch touchscreen. This runs the firm’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system, which has twice the computing power of the previous version and also now comes with 5G connectivity, Alexa voice recognition and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Drivers also get a 12.8-inch digital instrument cluster. Physical buttons are kept to a minimum “for a calm environment”.
Driver assistance upgrades bring new lane centring functionality for the intelligent adaptive cruise control, predictive speed assist, reverse brake assist, rear cross traffic braking, enhanced blind spot assist and a bird’s eye view camera system.
Practical features include the 80-litre MegaBox in the boot floor, which delivers some 450 litres of space with the rear seats in place.
Engine line-up has been tweaked and includes a 125hp 1.0-litre EcoBoost mild hybrid petrol with either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. There’s also a higher-powered 155hp 1.0-litre EcoBoost, available solely with the automatic. The Puma ST range-topper now features a 170hp version of the EcoBoost engine and the dual-clutch auto.
Prices for the updated Puma start at £25,790 – a £150 uplift on the previous version. Trim levels span Titanium, ST-Line and ST-Line X models designations, each with their own bespoke front bumper, grille and alloy wheel designs.
Ford has also revealed that the Puma Gen-E will be revealed later this year, marking the advent of a fully electric powertrain for the model. As with the rest of the range, it will be built at the Ford Otosan plant in Craiova, Romania.
It’s based on the electric E-Transit Courier van that’s also being built at the Ford Otosan plant and starts deliveries later this year.
Also landing this year is the much-anticipated Ford Explorer electric SUV, a crucial part of Ford’s plans to have an all-electric portfolio of passenger vehicles in Europe by 2030.
The five-seat midsize crossover will join the existing Mustang Mach-E SUV, marking the brand’s second electric car. It’s built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform also used for the ID.3 and ID.4, under a global cooperation between the two firms. Powertrain line-up is expected to include rear-wheel drive versions with up to 355 miles of range and an all-wheel drive variant with up to 340hp of power.
Ford is also looking to launch a second electric crossover on the MEB platform, potentially reviving the iconic Capri badging.
