Ford Puma review

Prices start from £27,145, which gets you an entry-level Puma in Titanium trim with the peppy 1.0-litre 123bhp mild hybrid engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, or £28,945 if you want the seven-speed auto gearbox.

The more powerful version of the same engine is only unlocked once you go past the ST-Line and ST-Line Black Package trims and tick the box for ST-Line X. That'll then cost you £32,245 and you can only have it with an automatic gearbox.

Above that is the Puma BlueCruise Edition, which starts from a hefty £33,995 for the 123bhp engine and auto gearbox, but adds Ford's hands-off self-driving tech for UK motorways. It also gets 'Vapour Blue' paint as standard and some blue interior trim. Sensing a theme here?

The full fat ST, which got a 1.5-litre turbo petrol producing 197bhp and a six-speed manual, is now gone. Sad times. You can still get a 'Puma ST' but it's the 1.0-litre mild hybrid and only gets a mite more power (168bhp). That starts from £34,000. Not worth the money.

In general the Puma is a couple of grand more expensive than its major rivals, including the Nissan Juke, Peugeot 2008, Renault Captur, Seat Arona, and VW T-Cross (among others), but it’s easily the best to drive, which, this being TopGear.com, matters.

What's the difference between trims?

Base spec Titanium gets 17in alloys, LED lights, Ford's impressive Quickclear heated windscreen and door mirrors, keyless start, all of the available driver assist systems (good for insurance), a rear parking camera, cruise control and wireless phone mirroring for its 12in touchscreen. 

The biggest difference between Titanium and ST-Line trim is that where Titanium trim has black plastic arch extensions, the ST-Line's outfit is entirely body coloured. It also adds sport (firmer) suspension and a touch more style (in and out).

ST-Line X meanwhile adds 18in alloys, wireless phone charging, keyless entry and a powered tailgate.

What's the best spec?

We reckon peak Puma is now the ST-Line with the 123bhp engine and the ace manual gearbox, which starts at just over £28k. Makes a mockery of all these expensive electric SUVs, really.

If you can cough up £3k for a deposit, monthly repayments over four years amount to £390 through Ford's in-house finance scheme, at 2.9 per cent APR. That's a lot more than you'll pay for, say, the equivalent Peugeot 2008 manual, although the French brand charges way more on interest. Worth getting the bean counter out.

Warranty is 60,000 miles and three years.