Ford has finally peeled all the camouflage
tape off its Puma ST performance crossover and we can now show it to you in all
its glory. Our photographers managed to snap the 2021 Puma ST at a gas station
in Sweden where the driver of this completely undisguised prototype stopped to
refuel before carrying on with his cold weather testing duties.
Ford probably thought that removing the ST
badges from this prototype would allow it to fly under the radar as a regular
Puma ST-Line but obviously that didn’t happen. Speaking of the Puma ST-Line,
the ST version looks very similar except for the deeper front spoiler with a
black lip, uprated brakes, twin exhaust pipes and a slightly bigger roof
spoiler.
More subtle differences include a big
intercooler lurking behind the lower grille, Recaro sports seats, sports
steering wheel and some carbon fiber-like trim on the center console. As for
the things that can’t be seen, Carscoops photographer says the engine sound of the
Puma ST is deeper and sportier.
Credit for that goes both to the upgraded
exhaust system and the 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine that likely
delivers the same power and torque as in the Fiesta ST. We’re talking 200 PS and 290 Nm of torque, channeled to the front wheels via a
six-speed manual transmission.
We expect a 0 to 100 km/h sprint
of under 7 seconds, given that the lighter Fiesta ST covers the same benchmark
in 6.5 seconds. Ford will officially reveal the Puma ST later this year, but it
might not happen at the Geneva Motor Show because the Blue Oval has yet to
confirm its presence at the Swiss event.
