You might consider the new Puma ST Powershift from a distance and plausibly wonder aloud if Ford is taking the Michael. After all, it's not so long ago that the sight of the compact crossover caused an uproar over its recycled nameplate. And then we had to come to terms with the fact that the Puma's popularity with buyers had contributed to the demise of the Fiesta. And then, not content with selling one ST variant (among half a dozen others that simply profit from the badge) Ford launches another with (shock) an automatic gearbox and (horror) a smaller engine. Which also qualifies as a mild-hybrid. So you'd be forgiven if your first impression rhymes with ‘clucking bell'.
Certainly, it is hard to get yourself worked up over the prospect of a two-pedal Puma being parked outside your house. To be fair to it, the manual ST derivative is actually a decent steer as far as front-drive crossovers go - but that model comes with the same 200hp 1.5-litre three-pot that made the dearly departed Fiesta such a hoot. The thought of a 1.0-litre Ecoboost weaker to the tune of 30hp and 53lb ft of torque, and without the grace-saving presence of a proper gearbox, was sufficiently demoralising for the Powershift to not move for several days.
Probably the polite way to think about the newcomer is to concede from the get-go that Ford is attempting to broaden the Puma ST’s customer base. The niche for those after a manual crossover is likely more slender than the one interested in a convenience-friendly seven-speed automatic, and while the lower output might seem a touch mean, Ford is keen to reiterate that 170hp is an unusual amount of power for its ubiquitous 1.0-litre unit to produce - and it’ll charge you a tenner less for the dual-clutch ‘box than it does for the conventional ST.
None of that is going to make you fall instantly in love with the car, mind. Convenient or not, selecting ‘D’ in such a small car is incongruous at the best of times (definitely it runs counter to any expectation of enjoyment) and the ST’s knack for pulling away cleanly and keenly - thanks, in part, to mild-hybrid assistance - is less immediately notable than Ford’s perseverance with the manual car’s chassis settings. We forgave the ST its gnarly, neck-wearying slow-speed ride when there was a lever to play with and a redline to chase; with fewer distractions, it’s easier to bear a grudge.
Naturally, there’s a payoff to all this tightly-wound body control down the road, but you do wonder what sort of buyer would seek out a car that rattles their fillings around town, while declining the additional performance that makes it worth persisting with in the long run. For what it’s worth, the Powershift isn’t sluggardly by any means - Ford claims to have recalibrated the transmission to make better use of the uprated torque delivery - although we’re willing to bet that in everyday usage, the cheaper-to-buy 155hp version of the Ecoboost isn’t dramatically inferior. And you probably won’t feel the need to swerve manhole covers in that Puma.
Having said that, no other trim level - or compact crossover in general, for that matter - is so adamant that you drive it on the door handles whenever the chance presents itself. If the Powershift ST has a sweet spot, it’s to be found at the intersection of its earnest mid-range, thickset handling, twangy steering and a permissive attitude toward left-foot braking. To call it a supersized go-kart would be overstating its qualities in any one regard (not to mention overall, because it’s simply not that interesting) but that’s how the pumped-up Puma wants to be driven, regardless of the petrol motor doing the pulling.
It’s useful that the chassis seizes the limelight, because there is an inevitably narrow window for the Ecoboost to work its magic in. To Ford’s credit, the fettled dual-clutch ‘box makes a decent fist of doing as advertised, and does its level best to surf the three-pot’s eager-beaver mid-range. This makes pushing on a comparative doddle, although it’s probably best to disregard any impulse to start working the upshifts for yourself - for one thing, the ST's paddle shifters are the size of a hamster’s ears; for another, there is too little to be gained from revving the 1.0-litre engine out.
While that confirms the Powershift as not quite as fast or as furious as an ST-badged model probably should be (no real surprise, given the modest 7.4-seconds-to-62mph time), it’s arguably a secondary issue to the car’s even more modest 44.8mpg average fuel economy. Not necessarily the figure itself, but rather its close proximity to the manual version, which is said to be capable of 42.8mpg when measured the WLTP way, despite its larger capacity. If the price difference is negligible, and the running cost advantage negligible, you do begin to ask yourself why anyone would opt to go slower just to avoid pushing a clutch pedal...
If nothing else, that line of thinking validates our initial suspicion: that the Powershift isn’t really meant for us, and Ford is courting existing ST buyers in name only. At the same time though, it’s hard to see why anyone other than a proper enthusiast would put up with the unrelenting ride quality - or the premium associated with the badge - when, to the layman, there seems precious little upside to the package beyond a scant advantage in usability. That doesn’t necessarily make the latest addition to the Puma lineup bad per se (it’s as worthy as any square peg created with a round hole in mind) but the automatic certainly does nothing to alleviate the idea that in Europe at least, any lingering interest its maker had in making petrol-powered performance derivatives is fading fast.
SPECIFICATION | PUMA ST 1.0 ECOBOOST POWERSHIFT
Engine: 998cc, three-cyl petrol turbocharged
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 170
Torque(lb ft): 183
0-62mph: 7.4 secs
Top speed: 130mph
Weight: TBC
MPG: 44.8
CO2: 144
Price: £31,760
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