It was probably no coincidence that Ford launched the Puma as the biggest competitor to an Opel called Tigra. A brand-new member of the kart family, in other words, ready to put its claws into the small cut market.
In the automotive world, there are plenty of names from the feline realm. The most striking example is Jaguar, with the Lynx, a D-type built under license, as a derivative. Famous are Peugeot’s lion, which prevented Subaru’s mid-sized car from being called Leone in Europe, and De Tomaso’s Pantera. Panhard’s Tigre stayed under the radar and so did a small Brazilian car brand with the melodious name… Puma!
By no means all felines are kartids, or compact throw-and-throws that are much more at home on a winding route than on the highway. The Ford Puma was one of those, built as it was on the chassis of the Fiesta. That was a recommendation, because the Fiesta from a few generations ago was also known as having an above-average fine driving experience. As a real coupé, no sober purchase argument was applicable to the Puma; 2+2 meant two people plus two pieces of luggage. Moreover, it was considerably more expensive, but for that you got a new, 125 hp strong 1.7-liter version of the Zetec SE 16-valve with variable valve timing.
The machine showed an enormous zest for life, while you could impose your will on it through the perfectly shifting five-speed gearbox. In addition, the chassis was tuned for sporty driving, as evidenced by the sharper steering geometry, thicker stabilizers, stiffer dampers, the enlarged track widths and the wider tires on larger wheels. Bottom line: a great package of fun that hardly knew its equal on a mountain pass. It was nice for the enthusiasts that they could easily cancel a loss of grip at the front by lifting the accelerator pedal, after which the sweet little coupe, relieved, swung his graceful ass to the outside of the bend, so that he worked diligently to get his sharp nose back in the desired direction. to bring. The success was great, but after four years the plug was pulled. The sequel is not bad, but the new Puma will never be able to put its cross-over claws in the asphalt as much as the feisty original.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl