Alex Unleashed on Cars- Ford Puma (Why there will never be another)

 

The original Ford Puma is a very interesting car. With humble Fiesta running gear and a small 1.7 litre engine, on paper it wasn’t going to be too much to squawk about especially compared to the exotic looking Alfa Romeo GTV and ballsy Nissan 200SX and yet it was a massive success. 

The Puma had been conceived as a driver’s car, manual only, low weight and a punchy but small engine meant it was agile and a hoot drive according to almost anyone who drove/owned one. What’s more, build quality was leaps and bounds ahead of other cars in the Ford range and the sleek New Edge styling gave it an almost spaceship like design, and above all else, it was good value, it was just as much fun as a Fiat Coupe or Nissan 200SX but at halve the price of either.

Then in 1999 the Racing Puma was unveiled. Limited to 350 units it was a smash hit, featuring mild upgrades to the engine and suspension which only cemented how fun the car was. Nothing this side of a BMW M3 or Nissan Skyline was as enjoyable.

But in 2001, Ford announced the end of its breakthrough coupe, and since the death of both it and the unloved and now rare Cougar, Ford has never made another coupe since.

Today, the Puma name is on a soft-roader crossover hatch which despite being available as an ST model and having rallying pedigree along with being the likely replacement for the Fiesta simply isn’t the same as the old one. There’s no visual wow factor not to mention the compromises in essentially making it a mainstream hatch rather than a focussed driving machine.

The Ford Puma coupe as we know it won’t be coming back simply because, with the need to protect the environment and save ourselves from ever approaching doom, sporty coupes aren’t as profitable as they were in the 90s so manufacturers won’t risk losing money on them (even if a new Puma coupe would make far more sense than a 40k Explorer SUV). Along with the fact that drivers want more from a car than they used to, a theoretical new Puma coupe would be far more compromised and heavy, and arguably not worth it.

If you do want a taste of the old Puma, they’re readily available for less than £4000, and if you’re a keen driver, then it’s worth checking out.

Year produced: 1997-2002 

Engine: 1.4 -1.7 Litre 4 Cylinder  

Power: 90 - 153 BHP

Torque: 90 - 119 Ib/ft

0-60: 11.9 - 7.6 Seconds

Top Speed: 111- 126 MPH

Weight: 1009 - 1174 KG

Price: £12,280 - £22,750

Rivals: Vauxhall Tigra, Toyota Paseo, Peugeot 306 GTi, Honda Integra-R

 

 

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