FORD PUMA

Targeted revisions aim to keep this driver's favourite on the pace

- JONATHAN BRYCE

TESTED 3.9.24, COTSWOLDS DELIVERIES NOW

The Ford Puma has the unenviable task of picking up where the Fiesta left off. In becoming the brand's crucial new entry-level model, it must draw buyers in with a well-sorted chassis, new interior technology, good practicality and competitive fuel efficiency with the aim of inclining them to migrate to Fords further up the range later in life. To that end, it has just received a facelift.

The most obvious changes on the outside are new headlights, a restyled front grille and new wheel designs, which combine to give the Puma a worthwhile freshen up.

Most of the development budget, however, has gone on the interior. Ford has thoroughly rethought the design and upgraded the technology with a new 'floating' 12in infotainment touchscreen running the latest software, Sync 4, together with a 12.8in instrument cluster and wireless charging, both of which are standard across the range. Ford says these systems have "twice the computing power" of the previous car's, as well as overthe-air update capability, built-in Amazon Alexa and 5G connectivity.

In keeping with the times, the buttons for the climate control and heated seats have now been integrated into the touchscreen as part of a move to reduce the number of physical switches for a "cleaner design". The small size of the touchscreen icons means it would have been more convenient to have kept them as physical switches, but you eventually get used to their placement.