About a year ago, Ford officials made it clear that the Puma crossover sold in Europe won't be coming to America. After watching this video, we wish they'd reconsider, and a lot of enthusiasts probably agree.
The sports version of the car, called the Puma ST, was spotted testing around Dearborn just a couple of days ago. Meanwhile, the Europeans are enjoying what could be the most engaging cheap crossover ever.
This acceleration test shot by YouTuber AutoTopNL subjects the Puma ST to the rigors of the Autobahn, the public network where you can legally reach a car's top speed. But the funny thing is that just when the Ford is about to merge, a green container truck appears, sporting a logo made famous by a certain cargo ship.
Fortunately, it doesn't take a week for the Puma ST to overtake the truck and go about its business of being fast and fun. Well, it's not fast in the same way as a Focus RS, more like a Honda Civic Si.
The hot Puma is directly connected to the Fiesta ST, and quite a few things have changed from a technology standpoint ever since that pocket rocket left the American market. Ford has switched from using the 1.6L turbo to a 1.5L. The EcoBoost already powers many types of Blue Oval cars, and the one in Puma ST can even go from running on three cylinders to two when it wants to save fuel.
The other interesting thing about the Puma ST is that it sends power exclusively to the front wheels via a manual gearbox. Sure, a DCT and AWD could have made it faster, but a good manual is practically essential to having fun in a car making about 200 horsepower. Reaching 62 mph takes about 7 seconds, give or take, and AutoTopNL is able to push right up to 140 mph (225 km/h), which is a couple of miles over the officially claimed figure.
The video also shows launch control at work. The car keeps the revs under a certain level until you dump the clutch. It's part of an option package worth about $1,500. Speaking of which, the Puma ST starts from 30,900 euros in Germany, equivalent to $36,350. That might sound like a lot, but it's mainly due to the taxes. Even so, it might have trouble competing with the Kona N, which will offer both the DCT and a bigger 2.0L turbo.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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