Ford Puma ST ARRIVES as a crossover take on the Fiesta ST

The Ford Puma ST arrives as Ford adds Fiesta ST performance to the new Puma Crossover, with the same 197bhp and six-speed manual.

Ford’s ST models – Fiesta St and Focus ST – are appealing, fairly warm, hot hatches which don’t reach the performance heights of previous RS models but have enough poke and involvement to be properly fun.

But in a world that seems to value ride height above all else, Ford’s new Puma Crossover – really, a high-riding Fiesta with a bit of a Michelin Man look – a ‘Performance’ Puma was always going to happen, and here it is – the new Ford Puma ST.

Unsurprisingly very closely related to the Fiesta ST, the Puma ST comes with the same 1.5 litre turbo, good for 197bhp, driving the front wheels, here good for 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 137mph, both a bit down on the Fiesta thanks to an extra 100kg of lard.

The chassis of the Puma is much the same as the Fiesta’s too, but with a rear torsion bar 40 per cent stiffer, despite which Ford say it has no impact on comfort, steering that’s 25 per cent quicker than other Pumas, and the option of a Quaife limited-slip diff which works with torque vectoring to tighten the line through bends.

Brakes are a bit beefier than normal Pumas too and enclosed by 19″ alloys, with a selection of drive modes – Eco, Normal, Sport and Track – to suit your mood. Cosmetic changes include a new grille and ST badges, a splitter at the front and diffuser and wing at the back, with the interior adding Recaros, ST steering wheel and 12.3″ instrument display.

Prices for the new Puma ST start at £28,485, with the Performance Pack (which adds that limited-slip diff – adding another £950.