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.
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BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
