Photo: SB-Medien
While Ford refuses to admit that it's working on a hot Puma ST, our spies stationed near the Nurburgring have once again spotted this bad boy of the tiny crossover world.
While Renault has been thinking about making the Captur RS for many years, the Puma ST basically began testing as soon as it was possible. We think Ford is right on the money with this one, as not only is the Puma name iconic, but the market is also hungry for an affordable sports crossover.
Think of this not as a tiny Cayenne Turbo, since it probably won't have AWD, but as a slightly more practical and cool Fiesta ST. The platform is basically the same and we think the engine will be shared too. In fact, the thing that totally gives this away as an ST is the bespoke twin-tip muffler on the right of the car, which a normal Puma wouldn't need.
The engine in question is the 1.5-liter turbo, shared with other Fords, but modified for ST use. It should offer 200 HP and 290 Nm of torque for a 0 to 100 km/h time of about 7 seconds and top speed in the region of 230 km/h. It's probably manual-only, though an auto can't be completely ruled out.
Bigger brakes, an available LSD and trick rear suspension will complete the package. This The system patented by Ford features the so-called "force vectoring springs" that use a special type of winding that applies sideways forces to the rear suspension. Ford says it enables cornering forces to travel directly through the spring, which is angled, making the rear end more planted.
Given the state of this prototype and Ford's MO, we believe the Puma ST will be launched around the middle of 2020 with basically no rivals other than the warm version of the Honda HR-V (Sport) and Hyundai Kona (1.6 T-GDI with 177 HP). There are other powerful cars of this size, but they're either expensive or not crossovers.
Think of this not as a tiny Cayenne Turbo, since it probably won't have AWD, but as a slightly more practical and cool Fiesta ST. The platform is basically the same and we think the engine will be shared too. In fact, the thing that totally gives this away as an ST is the bespoke twin-tip muffler on the right of the car, which a normal Puma wouldn't need.
The engine in question is the 1.5-liter turbo, shared with other Fords, but modified for ST use. It should offer 200 HP and 290 Nm of torque for a 0 to 100 km/h time of about 7 seconds and top speed in the region of 230 km/h. It's probably manual-only, though an auto can't be completely ruled out.
Bigger brakes, an available LSD and trick rear suspension will complete the package. This The system patented by Ford features the so-called "force vectoring springs" that use a special type of winding that applies sideways forces to the rear suspension. Ford says it enables cornering forces to travel directly through the spring, which is angled, making the rear end more planted.
Given the state of this prototype and Ford's MO, we believe the Puma ST will be launched around the middle of 2020 with basically no rivals other than the warm version of the Honda HR-V (Sport) and Hyundai Kona (1.6 T-GDI with 177 HP). There are other powerful cars of this size, but they're either expensive or not crossovers.
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