Ford Puma ST-line Ecoboost Hybrid – long-term review

So. The question we asked ourselves at the start of our long-term test of the Ford Puma is if it's truly regal. I hate to leave you in suspense, so I’ll answer straight away – yup, it’s still the king of small crossovers. Nothing else has come along to depose it. Ford remains supremely adept at creating these small, usefully capacious cars with surprisingly good fuel economy and a playful enough nature to allow the driver to enjoy themselves without causing the rest of the travellers to reach for a sick bag.

Let’s look at the evidence. Point one: capacious. Look no further than the photograph of the baby Ford accommodating an exercise bike, a welder, a welding helmet (with fancy auto-dimming glass), several large blue (Swedish) bags of stuff and much clothing and bedding. OK, you can’t see the last bit because it covered the rest, so you’ll just have to imagine it. Suffice it to say, this thing has the room to swallow even more than that, I just didn’t need it to. Point proved.

Point two: good fuel economy. I regularly see 44–45mpg. That is not far off the stated economy and though I am not a ‘wheelsmith’ (eurgh), I am also not a gentle driver... show me someone who enjoys being behind the wheel who is. The point is, if I can achieve within 10 per cent of what Ford says the car can, you can definitely do better. Point proved.

Point three: a playful nature. This is an unassailable truth. The feedback is sufficient to allow you to enjoy corners, the suspension is compliant enough to keep your recently consumed coffee and cake down where it should be. The engine is small, yes, but keep it on song and it just keeps giving. Commuting can be fun. Point proved.

Point four: no sick bags. I absolutely guarantee that not one sick bag was deployed in the Puma. Ever. Meaning the suspension must be more than up to the job of coping with my forays along the kind of roads that make the heart sing. I acknowledge there is no actual evidence of this, but how can you prove what doesn’t exist? One for Descartes.

To sum up, then... though (unlike Jack) I may not be putting my own money down to secure the Puma forever, it is obvious to me why plenty of others would. After all, who wouldn’t want a small, super-capable, fun baby crossover? Long live the king!