Ford Puma Gen-E - The Unofficial Fiesta Replacement Goes Electric
Petrol engine Puma gets a battery-powered stablemate
When Ford killed off the Fiesta in 2023, a lot of folk were surprised. It was still selling well and continues to remain a firm favourite on the used car market.
But something had to go as Ford began the move to electrification. Next for the chop is the Ford Focus, with the final model rolling off the assembly line earlier this month.
A simple solution, of course, would be to simply chuck out the internal combustion engine, replace the fuel tank with a battery, hitch up an electric motor or two and bingo, you have an electric car. Sadly, it never works very well when a company does that, and the car ends up feeling like a bit of a hatchet job.
Nope, the best thing to do is start all over again, which is generally the case. It’ll be cheaper in the long run.
Some bits can be retained, however, which is what happened when the Ford Puma came along. A lot of the underpinnings of the Puma are Fiesta-based based and of course, it fits in with the current trend for SUVs and crossovers as opposed to 3 and 5-door hatchbacks.
Does the Ford Puma Gen-E tick all the boxes?
So, here we have the electric version called the Ford Puma Gen-E.
Battery powered…tick. SUV / Crossover…tick. Compact…tick.
We’re off to a good start.
Even though it’s battery-powered and might be something of a cut and paste car, it’s still good to drive. The heavy battery gives the car a low centre of gravity and helps make the car feel seriously secure if you decide to push on through some corners. Granted, the ride is a tad firm at town speeds, where, of course, this sort of car will spend a lot of time, but once you get moving on the quicker stuff, it’s fine.
The Range Issue
The problem I had with it was its overall available mileage. Ford gives you an estimated mileage from a full battery in the region of 259 miles. I was unlucky to have the Puma Gen-E in the North East when we had six inches of snow and minus 3 conditions. A full charge gave me 162 miles, and it seemed to drop like a stone when on the move.
To be fair to the Puma, this is a problem affecting every electric car, but what it means is that the Puma Gen-E will be ideal for those who don’t travel long distances on a regular basis and, even better, can charge the car overnight at home. Batteries and cold weather are a poor mix, and longer journeys will need a bit of slack built in. Thankfully, the Puma charges quickly, with a 0-80 per cent charge taking just over 20 minutes on a rapid charger. You can adjust the amount of regeneration, and one pedal driving makes town driving simple.
Ford is something of a rarity in that the company also gives an estimated total mileage if you drive at motorway speeds, so the 259 miles suddenly becomes 192 miles.
Trim Levels, Interior & Tech
There’s only one model in terms of power. The power output is 166bhp, which gives you a 0-60mph time of 8 seconds and a top speed of 99mph.
There are two levels of trim - Select and Premium. Select kicks off everything at £26,295. You get goodies such as sat nav, front and rear parking sensors, 17-inch alloys, LED headlights, intelligent cruise control, wireless mobile phone charging, and auto wipers. There’s a squared-off steering wheel (you get used to it) so that it’s easier to read the 12.8-inch driver display. It works.
Add a couple of grand if you want to move up to Premium trim, which adds stuff like a powered tailgate, Bang & Olufsen audio, rear view camera, keyless entry, powered and heated door mirrors, matrix headlights and 18-inch wheels. I’d probably go for the higher trim. Just about everything is controlled via the 12-inch central touchscreen, including climate and driving modes.
There’s loads of legroom up front and the space in the back is good, although the floor is quite high as it’s got the battery underneath it. The boot is surprisingly large at 523 litres. There’s also a ‘frunk’ under the bonnet for charging cables.
Ford offers electric incentives
It's also worth pointing out that Ford has a special package for buyers of their electric vehicles. The ‘Power Promise’ currently runs until the end of December 2025, but it may yet be extended. You get a free home charger, 10,000 paid-for mileage credit, and a 5-year warranty which includes getting you home if you run out of battery power. That’s an impressive incentive which Ford quite rightly promotes as being peace of mind ownership.
The Ford Puma is the UK’s top-selling car. It was the winner last year and it looks like it will retain its title in 2025. I’m not surprised. It looks good, drives well, has a surprising amount of interior space and is decently equipped. The pricing is also competitive.
The arrival of the Gen-E version merely adds to the choice facing buyers who like this type and size of car and it is, without doubt, a welcome addition to the range.
Just a heads up if you plan to buy a Ford Puma Gen-E and do regular long journeys on faster roads, you’ll find owning one requires plenty of forward planning. However, if you mainly drive on urban roads, which I suspect most of these cars will, and have access to a charger at home and/or at work, you’ll find that the Ford Puma Gen-E becomes a seriously good friend.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Ford
