New Ford Puma ST-Line Review - Ford's most affordable car in SA, but is it still worth it?

Summary

This video reviews the new Ford Puma crossover SUV. The Puma replaces the Ecosport in South Africa and is more premium, with nicer interiors and ride quality. Under the hood it shares the same engine as the Ecosport. Priced from R569k, it offers a more premium driving experience but faces stiff competition from Chinese brands like Chery and Mahindra that offer more car for less money. The Puma has a very versatile, configurable boot. Overall it's a nice car but not the best value.

Takeaways

• 😊 The Ford Puma is an all-new crossover model launched in South Africa, having been sold in Europe for 4 years where it's the best-selling car
• 🚗 The Puma is larger, more premium and more expensive than the EcoSport it replaces in Ford's lineup
• 💰 Pricing starts at R569,000 for the Titanium model, R613,000 for the sportier ST-Line
• ⭐ The Puma has a more upmarket interior than the EcoSport with better ride quality and refinement
• 👍 It retains the proven 1.0L 3-cylinder turbo engine from the EcoSport with cylinder deactivation technology
• 🚚 The Puma features excellent practicality like a large boot with innovative stowage solutions
• 💡 However, it faces very tough competition from Chinese and Indian brands offering more car for less money
• 😕 The Puma is now the most affordable new Ford passenger vehicle you can buy in South Africa
• 🤔 Given the high price, buyers may find better value in slightly used Ford SUVs available
• 👍 The Puma offers a more premium driving experience akin to pricier German crossovers

Q & A

What models did Ford sell in South Africa before the Puma?

Ford previously sold the Figo, Fiesta, and EcoSport models in South Africa before introducing the Puma.

How does the Puma compare to the EcoSport?

The Puma is larger, more premium, and more expensive than the EcoSport. It has a nicer interior, better ride quality, and more premium features.

What engine does the Puma use?

The Puma uses the same 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged engine as the EcoSport.

What are some key interior features of the Puma?

Key interior features include a leather dashboard, carbon fiber accents, wireless phone charging, and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system.

How practical is the cargo space in the Puma?

The Puma has a very versatile cargo area with up to 456 liters of space. It has a multi-level boot floor and Ford's 'MegaBox' for additional storage.

What safety features does the Puma offer?

The Puma comes standard with a full suite of airbags and advanced driver assistance systems like radar cruise control.

How does the Puma compare to rivals in terms of pricing?

The Puma is more expensive than rivals from Chinese brands like Chery and Mahindra that offer similar size and features.

Will the Puma receive a facelift anytime soon?

Ford has said it likely won't bring the Puma facelift that debuted overseas to South Africa.

What warranty does the Puma offer versus rivals?

The Puma has a 4-year/120,000km warranty, while rivals like Honda, Mahindra, and Chery offer 5-year warranties.

What is the author's overall opinion of the Puma?

The author thinks the Puma is a very nice premium hatchback, but it is expensive compared to rivals with similar features.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Introducing the Ford Puma small SUV

The video introduces the new Ford Puma SUV now available in South Africa. It provides background that Ford previously sold the EcoSport SUV but it is no longer available. The Puma is bigger, fancier and more expensive than the EcoSport. It has a premium interior and features not found in the EcoSport. Under the hood it shares the same 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged engine as the EcoSport.

05:01

😀 Reviewing the engine, noise insulation and ride quality

The Puma's 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged engine with cylinder deactivation is discussed. It seems reliable based on feedback. The Puma has better noise insulation and ride quality than the EcoSport, feeling more premium. The suspension, insulation and overall comfort make it pleasant for daily driving.

10:01

🛋️ Demonstrating the flexible and versatile boot space

The video shows the Puma's boot space and configurations. It has a large 460L boot that can expand with folding seats and a movable floor. There is also a 'Mega Box' storage compartment, but in South Africa this is compromised by the spare wheel. Overall the boot is very practical and versatile.

15:03

😕 Rear seats are cramped but have some nice features

The back seats are found to be tight on space with minimal legroom and headroom. Rear amenities like USB ports, air vents and armrests are missing. However, there are manual window blinds, ISOFIX anchors and a 3rd seatbelt.

20:03

🎧 Premium sound system demonstrates excellent audio quality

A song is played on the Puma's standard 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. It provides clear audio with good bass and vocal quality, enhancing the premium driving experience.

👍 Nice car but faces stiff competition on value

In summary, the Puma is praised as a well-rounded premium crossover. However, competitors like Chery, Haval and Mahindra offer more value and features for the price. The Puma is recommended if you don't mind paying more for the badge and experience.

Keywords

💡Ford Puma

The Ford Puma is the specific car model being reviewed in the video. It is a new small crossover SUV that Ford South Africa has started selling as a replacement for the Ford EcoSport model. The host provides an in-depth review of the Puma's features, pricing, competitors, and overall value.

💡crossover

A crossover is a type of vehicle that combines features from SUVs and passenger cars. The Ford Puma is classified as a small crossover given its blend of hatchback design and slightly raised ride height. The video compares the Puma to competitors in the growing crossover segment.

💡EcoSport

The Ford EcoSport is the model that the Puma is succeeding and replacing in South Africa. The host notes the Puma is bigger, more premium, and more expensive than the EcoSport which targets more of an entry-level budget buyer.

💡premium

Premium means having higher quality, fancier materials and finishes, and a more upscale feel. The video states the Puma delivers a more premium look and feel compared to the EcoSport, justifying its higher pricing.

💡pricing

The Ford Puma starts at 569,000 Rand for the base Titanium model, making it significantly more expensive than rivals. The video explores whether you get enough extra value and features to justify spending more on the Puma.

💡value

Value refers to how the Puma's pricing aligns with what it delivers in terms of space, features, driving experience etc. The video concludes it offers a nice driving experience but rivals match or beat it for value and features at each price level.

💡rivals

The Puma faces competition from rival automakers producing similar small crossover models often at lower prices, like the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro and Mahindra XUV700 highlighted in the review.

💡boot space

The video demonstrates the Puma's large, versatile boot area in the back, a key consideration for practical family vehicles. It can be configured in multiple ways to handle larger cargo.

💡sound system

The Puma comes standard with an impressive 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen branded sound system. The host tests and appreciates the audio quality as a nice feature for the price.

💡warranty

Warranty coverage is another area where rivals beat the Puma's 4-years/120,000 km vehicle warranty, with most offering 5 years or more included.

Highlights

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Transcripts

[Music]

hello welcome back to the cars. COA

YouTube channel my name is chereda and

I'm sitting on the inside of a new Ford

pummer this is a brand new car to S

African roads however it's not a brand

new car in fact it's been on sale in

Britain for 4 years where it is the best

selling car in Britain Britain's buy

more of these than anything else British

people Britains no it's correct to say

Britains so what is this Puma all about

well you've come to the right place and

if you're looking for a used Ford we

have many of them on our site I maybe

about a thousand I I'll check just now

but there's lots of forwards and we'll

put a link to that stock in the

description below right here we go many

things about the new Ford

Puma cars. COA dream search

Drive car.

COA a lifetime guarantee on all repairs

is a lifetime of Sid stepping tackling

and modeling your Speedos happily budget

the official insurer of good South

[Music]

Africans right so what's happened with

Ford in South Africa is they sold the

ecosport for 10 years it sold very well

we've reviewed that car a few times on

our channel so the links to that will

pop up above my head somewhere and in

the description below but the EOS sport

is no longer because it was being made

in India well the one version was and in

that factory they sold it and then it

was being made in Europe but Ford Europe

decided to stop making them so Ford

South Africa couldn't get any more stock

so for a while Ford didn't have a nice

little crossover to sell anyone so they

went after something else and the the

only one really available to them was

this the pummer now this car is not

necessarily though an EOS Sport

replacement it's quite a bit bigger it's

quite a bit fancier and most importantly

it's quite a lot more

expensive so to get into a Ford Puma you

need to part with 569 th000 of your

hard-earned RS and that will get you the

titanium model if you would like this

one that I'm driving you have to part

with

63,000 r and that will get you into this

EST estline stline estline

St feel like

Ace

[Music]

sine which I really like it's got a body

kit it's got slightly sportier

suspension it's got a couple of little

accents here and there and I think this

is the one I'd have if I could spring

for the money so chro you may be asking

how is the pummer better or different to

the ecosport to justify that significant

price increase well it is a much more

premium offering car journalists love to

say the word premium it just means it's

a little bit more fancy so you get a

sort of fancier interior with a nice

leather dashboard with contrast

stitching you get this carbon fibr look

on the dashboard as well you get a

fancier steering wheel however it's not

hugely different from the EOS sport for

instance you get the same screen it's a

little bit small I would say for a car

in the segment but in it's a bit of a

mix of nice materials the headline is

really nice and some cheap materials but

I think they've got away with it it

feels like a much fancier interior than

it did in the Eos sport so it sort of

feels like you're getting your money

worth for what is a more premium product

this is closer to say a BMW X1 in the

interior or an Audi than it is to say an

EOS sport

okay so sha doesn't agree he thinks this

is a fiesta

basically right well everyone has their

own

opinions a couple of other nice touches

include a sort of double panoramic roof

thing automatic climate control but it's

not dual zone so you'll have to argue

with your significant other about how

cold or warm they are two USB ports down

here 12vt and you get a wireless

charging pad as standard that standard

equipment which is quite nice the other

thing that it has going for it is a very

safe car it's got all the airbags you

could want including Curts and airbags

so that will protect you and your rear

passengers in the event of a rollover or

a Side Collision so it's highly spec

generally speaking European spec cars

are very highly speced when it comes to

safety system so that's

[Music]

nice one of the areas that doesn't

differ from the ecos sport at all which

is quite interesting is under the Bonet

so you get a 1 L 3-cylinder turbocharged

motor and that is exactly the same as

the ecosport now look it's a tried and

tested motor I actually quite like it

I've never heard of too many issues of

it no one's really ever come to me and

said I've had a terrible time with this

motor if you maybe haven't had a good

experience or if you've had a good

experience maybe tell us about it in the

comments below but a lot of people tell

me about their problems their car

problems I'm like an Agony onto motoring

and I haven't heard much about this

engine it's been around for a long time

and I think they did a good job with it

interestingly this three-cylinder motor

has cylinder

deactivation and I'm like are there

enough cylinders to deactivate one or

two of them apparently it only

deactivates one and it's when you really

don't need that much power like your

coasting whatever the case may be and it

can re-engage the cylinder in 14

milliseconds so you don't really notice

and I haven't noticed if no one told me

I wouldn't know that it had cylinder

deactivation so I think the system

really works and obviously the system is

designed to improve fuel consumption and

I think the fuel average in here is

pretty good we're doing 7.7 I must be

honest me and the film crew and other

Jos I think we tend to have heavier

right feet than the average motorist so

I reckon you could get down into the

Sixers here and for a petrol powerered

car of this size I actually think that's

pretty impressive on the open road it

might be even better so that's good box

ticked but an area where it differs from

the ecos sport is in terms of noise

vibration and harshness nvh which just

talks about the sort of Serenity of the

car how much vibration and road noise

wind noise is making it into the cabin

and I feel like this is a better

insulated car I feel like it rides

better it has a better suspension system

it is a more expensive feeling ride

quality if that makes sense than you got

offered in the Eos sport the EOS sport

sort of felt more like a budget car

compared to this this feels like it has

premium ride quality and it's the sort

of car really I could daily this car

it's it's nice it does everything you

need it to do it's comfy it looks pretty

good in my opinion the looks have grown

on me I must say and the engine does all

the things I need an engine to do it's

fine for overtaking it's good in the

city the gearbox is a dual clutch it

seems to know what it's doing most of

the time which is good it it's a nice

daily I would happily daily this car I

think that if you need to do the school

run or whatever the case may be it's a

good car it's got a huge boot it's a

really really useful boot which I will

now demonstrate to

[Music]

you right the boot there's a lot to get

through here let's go so let's say you

arrive at your boot and you're carrying

a lot of things you just swing your foot

as long as the key is in your pocket and

the tailgate opens the tailgate is

electric by standard right then we put

that in there that sort of shows you how

big the boot is in its kind of original

format but this gets very complicated

now so let me get that out of there cuz

I'd like to show you a few things if you

pick up the bootd and do

that you get a whole other level then

you get a massive boot this is actually

460 L it's really really big but you can

go down another level so this lifts and

clips into place which is quite clever

then you get and I'm not making this up

the Ford Mega Box that's its actual name

so you move this out of the way and you

find a spare wheel but in South Africa

it's sort of a semi Mega Box because

well there's a spare tire inside so I'd

like to show you how big the Mega Box

actually is though without the spare

tire but I can't imagine a situation

where you'd want to leave your spare

tire at home so this all actually does

look like a bit of an afterthought and

one of the reasons why I think it's an

afterthought is because in the

UK instead of getting a spare tire

mounting point which I'll show you

eventually you

get it's really a lot going on here

there's your

jack so you see where that mounting

point is that should be a drainage plug

so that you can put dirty things in here

and then you can wash it out with a hose

or a bucket or whatever you like and it

will just drain out of the bottom of the

car so you don't get that in South

Africa I can't imagine a situation where

you'd want to leave your spare tire out

of the car that doesn't really make

sense but then you can't really use this

do as it will be called in South Africa

to its full potential so it's a little

bit confusing because it would be a very

very useful practical extra to have in

your boot but in South Africa it is a

bit compromised but I know South

Africans prefer having a spare wheel so

it's a little bit it's a difficult one

to sort of review on this case I'm not

sure what the best way to use your boot

is and I suppose I'll leave that up to

you but then there are a couple of other

features so I'm going to remove our

light out of here how cool is our light

and I'll put the boot floor

down and if you fold this into this

position which is a sort of top position

it's like a three-story boot this and

then you fold the seats down you get a

completely flat load area and you can

still move this there's a lot going on

here someone really put some thoughts

into this that is a practical and

versatile boot then you have an electric

tailgate wow there's really a lot going

on here

[Music]

okay

[Laughter]

me that's the messiest boot scene I've

ever done in my

life okay Mega Box

reassemble it's like a really version of

transformers

[Music]

this right the back seats and it is

compact back here I mean I'm sure you

can see on camera I have almost no knee

room don't have much head room it's okay

for kids back here but it really won't

be great for adults and then there are a

lot of things missing there's no USB

ports to charge your things there's no

rear air vents there's no Center armrest

there's no drinks holders except for

those in the door I've seen much cheaper

cars with a lot more equipment than this

but there are some nice touches you do

get this manual blind on the rear

panoramic roof so that's quite nice you

do get a proper third safety belt

although I have no idea how you'd fit

three people in here and you do get

isopix child seed mounts on both sides

of the

[Music]

car so I have this thing I sometimes

call cars handbag cars and I'm not

trying to be derogatory to anyone who

likes a handbag but a handbag is the

sort of thing where you might spend more

on it than is absolutely necessary

because you would like a nice handbag

and so a car like this in my opinion is

the sort of car where you could get

better value so to speak you could get

more car for your money else wear but

maybe you want something that looks

quite fancy and feels quite fancy so you

spend a bit more than you need to so

this I think is one of those cars other

cars like this for me sometimes are the

mini for instance like a mini is not a

very good value car let's put it that

way and the pummer kind of fits between

a practical family runaround and a

handbag car and that's actually quite

good that's not a bad compromise let's

quickly go over the pricing again 569

for the titanium which is your entry

into the pummer range and then for this

stline venal Edition very fancy sounding

uh 613 before some options our car has a

couple of options fitted some nice ones

as well for instance you've got radar

guided Crews with traffic assist so it

will crawl in traffic for you and stop

start that's quite nice that's an extra

21,000 r so price as tested here is

653,000 R but let me make some

comparisons in the market to the entry

point of the Puma call it 570 now if

this car had arrived 5 to six years ago

when a lot less Brands were on the

market especially from China the price

in isolation would have looked okay

however there are now many many

competitors to this car available for

less money so 57 gu for this you can get

a cherry too7 Pro which is quite a large

vehicle bit bigger than this and you can

get one of those for about 450 so that's

a saving of 120,000 R so this car is

Jolly on sized and you can get a jolly

on a basb jolly on with not many

features but you can get one for 200,000

R less than this which is quite a lot of

money you can actually get the largest

Havel SUV an H6 which is a 2 L all-wheel

Drive dual clutch gearbox you can get

one of those for 60 grand less than an

entry level pummer um and you can get a

topspec Mahindra XUV 700 which is a 7

seater has got lots of features in my

opinion a very very nice car with all

the safety features you can want you can

get one for the same price as the entry

pumo and that's quite a lot of car for

your money so the Indian Brands and the

Chinese Brands As We Know as we've

spoken about many times before on this

channel have upended the market and it

is difficult for the Legacy Brands to

[Music]

compete one of the ways in which this

car feels very premium is it has a 10

speaker banging olivon sound system as

standard so let's listen to what that

sounds like I'm going be a little bit

naughty while I'm at the stop Street and

put my favorite song on one of my

favorite songs at the moment I'm really

enjoying it

I must go louder

shuck in my headu in my heartu in my

body this is Sean's this is Sean's

favorite part of the day when we s some

test

really good basy very clear

vocals like

it kly Ray Json so

underrated like Taylor

light I could be ding you all night I

find your lips in the streaming light I

want to be there with

[Music]

you

[Music]

take me to the

Fe I'll be

[Music]

your when the

night away with

me every

single I'll

be

we

night

oh that is a banging sound system what a

trer as well love it kly Ray where do

she go she's good she kind of shone

brightly and then

left anyway moving

[Music]

on right to the Ford pumo if you want to

Ford pumo

and you don't mind spending this money

you are not going to be disappointed

this is a lovely car it's a really nice

car it does everything well I'd happily

drive this every single day no problem

at all however if you are looking to

stretch your rans and get the most car

for your money then the pummer is not

the answer unfortunately there are now

many options for you to choose from if

you want an SUV or a crossover and much

larger cars as well and the Chinese cars

are also very well speced as well when

it comes to your warranty for instance

you'll get a longer warranty from

Mahindra from Honda from Kia from Cherry

you'll get a similar warranty from haval

it's 4year 120,000 on this 5year 100,000

on the haval 5year 150,000 on the Cherry

for instance and 5year 200,000 on the

Honda it's one of the best warranties in

South Africa actually and that would be

the HRV that I'm speaking about which

would be a competitor to this car now as

I mentioned the Puma has been around for

a while in Britain and there should be a

facelift coming out in that market this

year however Ford we did ask them and

Ford have said that they probably will

not bring the facelift to South Africa

so that's what they're saying at the

moment whether they're changes or not

remains to be seen but I think you can

buy a pumer right now and not worry too

much that a facelift will be coming out

which will affect of course the value

the secondhand value of your car I

really like this car I've been quite

surprised surprised by it I think Ford

is in a difficult position at the moment

they don't have the Figo anymore they

don't have the fiesta they don't have

the ecos sport this is actually the

cheapest car that Ford sells so you can

buy this or a ranger or an Everest I

think are those the only Fords sld that

that that they sell now in South Africa

I think that's the case actually so

that's quite an interesting position to

be in and maybe they have a plan to

bring in something under the pummer but

right now if you want a Ford badge on

your driveway this is the most

affordable way to get one but you know

there are other ways to spend your money

inside the brand for instance I looked

on our site just now the best way to

look through our 75,000 cars is in our

app we'll put the links to that in the

description below and you could get

yourself something like a really nice 3

or 4-year-old previous gen Ford Everest

with very little mileage for less money

than this and I know maybe you don't

want to Fort Everest it's too big it's

difficult to park it's not really the

sort of car you need you're looking for

a hatchback run around however it just

shows you what sort of value there is on

the secondhand market for this kind of

price so I think in summary the Puma

offers an experience which is closer to

the more premium brands on the market

your German Brands the k for instance

which have gone really nicely up Market

at a good price point it's more of like

a mini experience than it is say an EOS

Sports Experience but you do pay the

price for it it is quite a pricey car

for a car this physic

size right thank you very much for

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