Ford teases hotter Puma ST

Tuesday, 5 May 2020

Ford is working on a new, hotter Puma. It will wear the ST badge and should launch overseas later this year.

Teased on Twitter, the Puma ST will reportedly get the 147kW/290Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged triple from the Fiesta ST, which should be a noticeable upgrade over the standard 92kW/170Nm 1.0-litre turbo three.

Interestingly, the vehicle in the video sounds like it's being manually rowed through the gears. While the Fiesta ST has three pedals, SUVs are seldom seen with such an arrangement. It will be interesting to see how the Puma ST goes if it does indeed come with a manual transmission.

Bodywork tweaks will come in the form of a revised aero kit, included a new front bumper with wider air intakes and a lower front splitter. Around back will be two exhaust outlets, a redesigned rear bumper and a different spoiler.

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This is the standard Puma, which is due to land here this year with a starting price of $33,990 and $37,990 for the ST-Line version.

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The Focus ST is also due this year, essentially being a tweaked and facelifted version of the previous-generation Focus RS.

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Further under-the-skin changes involve sportier suspension with stiffer springs and more reactive dampers. Bigger brakes will help keep that extra performance in check while an optional limited-slip differential will improve traction.

Selectable drive modes and launch control like those on the Fiesta ST are also expected.

The Puma will join the likes of the Focus to get an ST variant this year, after news of the demise of the next-gen Focus RS broke last month.

At the beginning of April, Caradisiac has reported that the fourth generation of the Focus 'will not be entitled to an overpowered RS version' due to both emissions regulations and money.

The new RS was to get a 48-volt mild hybrid system to increase performance and lower emissions, but the focus (sorry) soon turned to a more radical plug-in hybrid solution to boost power while keeping emissions in check.

The plug-in powertrain was to be based on the one found in the Escape PHEV but heavily revised to boost output north of 300kW.

At least the upcoming Focus ST will keep the sporting gene alive in the larger hatch. It is set to use a 206kW/420Nm version of the RS's 2.3-litre engine, one that tuning company Mountune has already wound up to 234kW/515Nm.