Ford Puma ST extreme test: an urban SUV at the Nürburgring?

If many enthusiasts mourn the brilliant lineage of Focus RS, it is because they certainly underestimate their little sisters: the Ford ST badged. Reputed to be wiser, this family nevertheless gives birth to damn playful models, whose angry engines and playful behaviors have marked the saga of our extreme tests. Shot in 2019, our onboard videos of the Fiesta ST 200 (in the wet) and the Focus ST 280 (in the dry) are still getting thumbs up every day!

It remains to be seen if this crest did not go astray last year, when it was attached to the vertical tailgate of an urban SUV. The Puma ST thus welcomed the small three-cylinder of the eponymous Fiesta (1.5 turbo of 200 hp), making it run from 0 to 100 km / h in 6.7 s and reach 220 km / h in top speed. The existence of a Performance pack combining stationary start aid, optimal gearshift indicator and mechanical differential on the front axle finished arousing our curiosity. What if this city SUV was just as fun as the other Ford STs? Answer in four acts.

Engine: 15/20

The engine at a glance. Taken from the restyled Fiesta ST, whose platform it uses, the Puma’s 1.5 turbo petrol is a known friend. 200 hp are reached at 6,000 rpm, and 320 Nm remain constant from 2,500 to 3,500 rpm thanks to the Continental turbo blowing up to 1.5 bar (relative pressure read on the on-board computer) . Techno side, this small block combines variable camshaft timing and cylinder deactivation system (only one of the three!), Noticeable at low steady speed when a tiny hum is invited on board. On the unrestricted German motorway, this phase was obviously rare …

Our opinion. Very lively in the city car Fiesta ST, the 1.5 EcoBoost must here take an additional 80 kg, but also wider (225 mm instead of 205 mm) and heavier wheels (19 inches instead of 17 or 18 inches as an option) . The shortened final report allows however to limit the consequences, while the less talkative exhaust does not alter too much the sound environment, discreet in normal mode, nicer in Sport and Circuit modes. Starting aid activated, we press the clutch and accelerator pedals to the floor. The speed then stabilizes automatically at a precise 4,200 rpm. All that remains is to release the clutch unceremoniously… and let the electronics do its work.

In a clever mix between light slippage (so as not to stall the regime) and subtle braking (so as not to see the power go up in smoke), the Puma ST takes off effectively and connects the reports without giving the impression of forcing. The bar of 200 km / h is crossed in less than 30 seconds, before a nice descent allows to hang the 246 km / h on the clock. This confirms the good health of the engine, as well as its frank and linear thrust up to 6000 rpm. Beyond that, the gearshift indicator light flashes and confirms that it is unnecessary to look for the red zone located 500 rpm further. A small common frustration with turbocharged engines.

Box: 15/20

The box in brief. Still of the six-speed mechanical type, the Puma ST’s box receives a final report shortened by 5.8% to preserve acceleration despite the overweight and less aerodynamic profile of the SUV (0 to 100 km / h announced in 6.7 s here, against 6.5 s for the Fiesta ST). Unlike the Focus ST or the Mustang Mach 1, on the other hand, the Puma does not have an automatic double clutch system when downshifting. The mechanical self-locking differential is optional and supplied by English Quaife.

Our opinion. Identical to that of the Fiesta, the gear tiering continues to appeal. Top speeds do not prove to be excessively long (as is often the case with modern cars), although our maximum speed downhill was reached at 5800 rpm, which is 200 rpm before maximum power. . Not a fault on a winding road or even on a circuit, where the Puma ST takes advantage of its generous torque to boost the revivals without the need to downshift at any cost.

If the control is quick and smooth in dynamic driving, its shortened lever sometimes prevents it from being manipulated without hooking the armrest with the back of the arm, forcing a slight break in the wrist. The other small ergonomic concern concerns the crankset, equipped with an accelerator too far from the brake to make the heel-toe exercise safe when downshifting.

Chassis: 16/20

The chassis at a glance. To contain its body movements despite being 4.6 cm higher than the Fiesta ST, the Puma had to stiffen its suspension. The front anti-roll bar goes from 22.5 to 24 mm in diameter, a rear of 28 mm is introduced, and the stiffness of the deformable cross member increases by 40%. The rate even reaches 50% compared to classic Ford Puma, whose ST is also differentiated by a more direct steering of 25% and a new Sport mode of its ESP antiskid. Ford has finally remained loyal to Michelin to develop specific tires from the Pilot Sport 4S family in 225/45 R19.

Our opinion. It didn’t take long, riding the Puma ST, to realize that our tour of the Nürburgring was going to be fun. The entry of the first curves in cold tires resulted in generous commas of the rear axle, caught up with the help of clear counter-steers in the absence of electronic stand (ESP off). The balance certainly settles down when the tires heat up, but it remains playful enough to bring back happy memories to former owners of Peugeot 205 GTI and 206 S16.

The direct steering / incisive front axle / cooperative rear axle trio therefore requires a little time to adapt, possibly aided by the ESP Sport mode which tolerates nice drift angles while acting jerkily so as not to exceed the point of no comeback. This natural tendency to oversteer when letting go of the accelerator simply requires not making an error in fast curves, where hesitation in full support is not recommended… In extreme situations, moreover, the anti-skidding ends up reactivating. (even in Off mode), which gave us a nice break on the brakes after a call / counter call that was supposed to turn the car into the tightest left on the circuit.

In more academic driving, the Puma ST can however hold a fast or even astonishing pace for this type of model. The front axle bites the ropes with gusto, the generous ground clearance allows certain vibrators to be climbed, and the authentic reactions of the locking mechanism in the steering (alas a little “silent”) even make you imagine yourself at the wheel of a small rally moth. The future Puma WRC will therefore not be blasphemy!

Let’s close this chapter by discussing the damping, which is rather brittle at low speed on the road but works much better when under stress. The shock absorber stoppers have never been reached on large compressions, and the small detachments of the wheels on the load shifts do not create a large loss of grip when cornering or parasitic reactions of the ABS when braking.

Braking: 15/20

Braking in brief. A bit tight on the Fiesta ST, the braking system has been increased on the heavier 80 kg Puma. If the floating single-piston calipers remain, the ventilated front discs evolve from 278 to 325 mm in diameter and the rear (still full), from 253 to 271 mm. The mechanical handbrake remains in the game.

Our opinion. Possibly at fault on a small circuit with intense and repeated slowing down, the braking of the Puma ST did not worry on a north loop that was not very demanding on this point. The long cooling zones and the relatively low top speeds (the Puma ST reached a maximum of 220 km / h on the Schwedenkreuz hump, when the last Porsche 911 GT3 was rolling there at 280 km / h!) Did not affect endurance. braking, clearly sufficient on this track. As on the classic Puma, however, the pedal suffers from a small dead stroke before a very marked bite which alters the progressiveness and complicates the dosage, even in sporty driving.

Find the results of the test, the technical sheet and the prices of the Puma ST 2021 on the following page …