New Ford Puma Gen-E surprises with agility, poise and range

The Ford Puma in its present guise is a familiar sight on Irish roads. But only the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that this “new” Ford Puma is different.

 It's an EV and it's called the Ford Puma Gen-E. The mild hybrid petrol is, of course, still available but Ford decided that, as they are a little later to the EV market with their models than some rivals they had better find a way to offer more powertrain options. 

Like many others, for speed of development, they choose to adapt a current car to be an EV rather than go to the lengthy development required to produce a new one from scratch.

Now that has advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are that you already have a body shell, interior, etc, the disadvantage primarily is that as the floorpan was not designed to carry a battery, you tend to have to re-engineer it to fit one and usually it's a small one. So it is with the new Gen E Puma.

Has it got any street cred?

I like the new Puma from all angles. It's a smart-looking crossover that, although built on Fiesta underpinnings, looks far more substantial with chunky wheel arches and rather nice light clusters. The Gen-E is only distinguished by the lack of a front grille otherwise, it looks like … well, a Puma.

What’s it like inside?

The seats are very comfortable and supportive, the elevated driving position is pretty much perfect, and it comes with plenty of standard kit.

It is inside that a current Puma driver will notice the changes. The dash is now fully digital, and there is a large central touchscreen, which I must say is nicely integrated into the dash rather than perched on top of it.

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It's disappointing, though, to see the lack of real buttons and so much functionality is solely through the touchscreen. The new steering wheel is squared off, so it looks good, but it feels too big for a car of this size.

The compact cabin will seat four adults, and headroom in the rear is surprisingly good due to the high roofline. The boot is a two-level affair with space on the top shelf for about one large suitcase and some smaller bags, but underneath is what Ford is calling the “Gigabox”, a clever storage box for all that sports gear or mucky shoes. The Gigabox has a removable drain plug in its base, which means it can be hosed clean and drained in situ after carrying muddy boots.  A nice practical idea!

What’s under the bonnet?

The Gen-E has a 43 kWh battery and an electric motor. Performance is pretty good, as with most EVs. Ford claims a range of 376 Km, but like many EVs, especially those with smaller batteries such as the Puma Gen-E, it did not manage to achieve close to the claimed range. I started my test with 100% battery charge and a predicted range of 325km. I actually achieved 215km with just 30km remaining when I recharged. That is not a great range even for a smaller EV, a victim, no doubt of its small battery, as the efficiency was good. 

Will I enjoy driving it?

While nobody really buys a Crossover or an SUV for its rewarding driving dynamics, the new Ford Puma Gen-E surprises with an agility and poise not normally found in cars in this segment. A downside of that can be a ride quality that is firmer than you expect in a car in this segment. Overall, though, the new Puma Gen-E scores highly for the way it handles, rides and drives. Sure, the steering is not blessed with much feedback, but that aside, it's actually nice to drive.

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What’s my Verdict?

The new Ford Puma Gen-E has all the virtues of the Puma range, and that makes a very good car! As an EV, it will really only suit those who do not need a big range. In short, it's a good EV for shorter trips; otherwise, you will be somewhat frustrated by the short range. 

The new Gen-E costs from €32,900.