A YEAR AND 12,000 MILES AFTER WE took delivery, time is up for the Fast Fleet Puma ST. During that time Ford's performance crossover has been an intriguing presence in our line-up of long-termers, which is exactly why we wanted to run one: to find out how much appeal a car of this kind has for people like us.
To get as many different opinions as possible, our Puma changed hands a fair number of times in the year we had it, but it started in mine. With the Jenkins household also in possession of a Mk8 Fiesta ST at the time, it made for a fascinating comparison. Based on the same underpinnings as its hatchback sibling, the Puma's numbers are near-identical, but a 78kg weight disadvantage, higher centre of gravity and tweaked chassis set-up remove some of the Fiesta's playful edge. Nevertheless, a more practical crossover that can offer at least some of the Fiesta ST's thrills is surely a proposition worth exploring.
Open the door, slide into the well-bolstered Ford Performance seat and it's Fiesta all over. While positive in some aspects, the increase in cabin space you'd anticipate from the crossover over its hatchback relative proved not quite as pronounced as we'd hoped. What the Puma does gain is a larger boot and a nifty 80-litre 'MegaBox' compartment under its floor, offering useful storage capacity the Fiesta simply can't muster.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2023 من Evo UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2023 من Evo UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Maserati GranCabrio Trofeo - The latest, V6-powered GranTurismo is now available in open-top form. Is its combination of performance, comfort and style a winning one?
How appropriate for a car that includes a variant called 'Folgore' ('Lightning' in Italian) in its line-up that giant forks of the stuff are straddling the road ahead. It's almost as if Maserati has a direct line to the big man upstairs. Then again, giant hailstones are clattering against the fabric roof as well, and then turn to a deluge of water so heavy that to top 15mph feels reckless. Possibly not the environment the Italian firm had in mind when they chose to launch the new GranCabrio Trofeo around the Italian Lakes. Still, if nothing else it's a stern test of the canvas above my head and one that it passes with ease: there are no puddles forming inside, as you would expect of a £169,585 convertible, and it feels as quiet and snug as if I was driving the GranTurismo coupe.
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