How to have fun on your daily commute (Ford Puma 1.7i 3dr)

Member Name: alysonfreeman

Product:	Ford Puma 1.7i 3dr
Date:	01/09/01 (2042 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast and sexy

Disadvantages: Just ignore them!

Help, help, I’ve fallen in love with a Ford!

When I was very young, I used to drive a Ford Anglia Estate (remember them? Like the slanty-back ones, but the really boring version – sorry, Anglia fans!). It had a huge steering wheel and rattled and banged and slid around when it was icy. I looked at other manufacturers for my next car, and didn’t consider Ford again………..UNTIL NOW!

I saw a beautiful, sexy car on my way to work. No name on the back, but it was a Ford, so I did a little research. It turned out to be a Puma – based on the Fiesta chassis, but with what they describe as a coupe body, and with a generous 1.7 litre engine.

My Peugeot 306 was getting on for 4 years old and 80000 miles – was that enough of an excuse to replace it? After all, there was nothing wrong with it – it was a very reliable, economical, safe car to drive. But I spend at least 2 hours a day in the car – shouldn’t I be having some fun?

I was now on the JUST THINKING ABOUT A NEW CAR slippery slope. I saw Pumas everywhere! I had to have one!

Snag – a Puma is more expensive than many cars of its size. I wasn’t going to get much for the Peugeot, with so many miles on the clock. What to do?

Time spent on the Internet was a good investment. I could get an imported Puma with UK specification, for less money than a year-old model from a Ford dealer. What a bargain!

I took delivery in February 2001 and have never been so happy with a car. There were no problems with the importing (from Germany), and the car is identical to those bought here, as far as I can tell.

The engine starts well and the car accelerates quickly – a good pressed-back-in-your-seat feeling. The petrol consumption isn’t especially good – I get about 32 miles to the gallon (can’t think in litres!), but this is hardly surprising as I’m driving it hard. I&
#8217;ve only had one small problem, about 2 days after I got the car – the driver’s window stuck open. This was quickly fixed by the local main dealer.

I’m not going to give the technical specs for the car – you can get them from the Ford website. I will tell you what the car is like to drive. FUN!

The interior is smart, with lots of cool brushed aluminium. And cool really is the word in winter – the gear knob is freezing! All the instruments are clearly visible except the rear screen heater switch. This does not turn off automatically, so I often find I’ve left it on for the whole journey. There’s a front screen heater as well, which is great on frosty mornings. For the summer, there’s air conditioning.

Visibility is not too good – the front pillars make it difficult to see when making a turn, and the rear screen is small. However, you soon get used to it. You have to remember that the front skirt is very low when parking up to a kerb.

Driving is a dream. The car handles well in all conditions – it has nice wide tyres and sits down well when cornering. You can overtake with confidence and pull away from the lights smoothly. In traffic, the car can fit through quite small gaps.

The driver’s seat is comfortable and the suspension is firm, which suits my preference. You can feel the bumps, though! For entertainment (if any more is needed) there’s a good radio and single CD player. I wouldn’t like to use the back seat for passengers for very long – it looks very cramped! My husband, who has long legs, looks silly driving this car, as his knees stick out to either side, but it’s ideal for me at 5 ft 7 in. He’s fine as a passenger with the seat right back. The boot is actually a lot bigger than it looks – it is very deep, so it’s hard to lift heavy bags out of it. I can easily fit a week’s shopping in there.


I know people say that the Puma is a woman’s car, but I think it is a driver’s car – on the small side, so not for tall people.

After 8 months, I still love the look of the car and it stands out from the crowd, getting admiring glances. It will be due for its first service soon, at 10000 miles, and there are no little niggly problems to fix. I’m so pleased I made the decision to try a Ford again!

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