‘Impressive, Well-Designed and Stylish’ - What Car? Readers Rate Puma Gen-E

Ron Hammond, 92, Retired Engineer: “I never owned a Ford, but quite a few of my family members do, including my daughter, who swears by the brand. The Puma Gen-E is an attractive-looking car; I like its overall shape and exterior design. It's more spacious inside than l'd expected and it seems practical. I'm especially impressed with the boot. Although the main load area doesn't look as big as that of my Honda Jazz, it's still spacious, and it's useful that it has a height-adjustable floor. However, the best thing about the Gen-E is its ergonomics. The front doors open wide and the driver's seat is positioned fairly high up, so getting in or out is easy. What's more, the front seats are extremely comfortable and supportive. The driving environment is extremely well designed, with all the controls just where you'd expect them. It usually takes me a while to get used to a new car, but the Puma felt familiar straightaway. I don’t think l'd have any trouble adjusting to driving it after my Jazz. My only criticism is that the Puma's rear window wiper is fairly small, so it clears only a small part of the back screen. This is something I've found quite common on many new cars, and it is a concern, because it means the sides of the rear window aren't cleared, and that can hamper visibility. Four stars out of Five.”

David Hammond, 59, Heating Manager: “I'm looking to make the move to a hybrid or fully electric model and I'm a fan of Ford having started my car ownership experience with a Mark 4 Cortina. The Puma Gen-E looks really stylish and sporty especially with the black trim. I'm not sure about the yellow paint of the car we saw but you would have no trouble finding the Gen-E in a car park, I would probably go for range-topping premium trim because I'm a fan of the larger wheels it gets. My main concern is range anxiety, but the Puma Gen-E’s 233-mile official figure sounds good. My commute is about a 50-mile round trip so the Gen-E would cover most of my driving I often travel with my family including my dad and my granddaughter. The Puma is high enough that it's easy to get in and out of and it looks like I would have no trouble accommodating child car seats. There aren't too many shiny interior plastics which I find can mark easily over time and there are no tinny sounds when you shut the doors. The fact that you can preheat the car via a phone app is great. I'm 6 foot 2 inches tall and found the rear seat a bit cramped, but other than that it seems like the Gen-E would do everything my Mazda CX-5 does, so I'm impressed. Four stars out of Five.”

David McCann, 63, Retired Civil Servant: “My wife and I will be consolidating our two cars into one soon, and we're likely to go for a small electric SUV like the Puma Gen-E. I'm really impressed with what I've seen. Ford has hit a great price point here, and it's the first time I've been excited about transitioning to electric power. The Gen-E’s resemblance to the petrol Puma is a plus; it'll encourage people familiar with the brand to make the switch to electric power Entry-level Select trim looks like good value for money. It has smaller wheels than the Premium version, and that should make it comfier to drive. There aren't any hard-to-clean nooks and crannies in the wheels, so I'Il only need a sponge to clean them. My expectations for interior quality were low but they have been exceeded. That said, there are some cheap-looking plastics in the rear seat area, and the floor is relatively high, so it can feel cramped back there. The fact that the bonnet release lever is on the passenger's side might be annoying: you're likely to want regular access if the charging cables are stored up front. Otherwise, I think Ford has got it right with the Puma Gen-E; it's certainly not a compromise on the original car. Five stars out of Five.”

Mark Candler, 64, Financial Advisor: “I’ve already made the plunge and gone electric with my Jaguar I-Pace, and the arrival of the Puma Gen-E makes the Ford brand more appealing to me. Despite being a smaller car, the Puma Gen-Eis a more practical proposition than my l-Pace and our previous Volkswagen Golf. The boot is really well designed. The boot floor has two heights and there's a drainplug in the bottom of the underfloor storage bin, so you can hose it down if it gets muddy. The front storage space is also a really clever piece of design. It's so sensible that it's slim and deep, so it will hold the charging lead securely in place. Some of the interior trim looks a bit cheap, such as the plastic around the light switch, but I think the optional panoramic glass roof isa great feature, especially because it opens, unlike the one on my I-Pace. And it's not too pricey at £1,000. "Overall, I think the Puma Gen-E is good value. l'd go for the higher-spec Premium version because I prefer its interior trim and the extra equipment you get, such as Matrix LED headlights and a B&O sound system. That said, it's disappointing that you have to pay extra for heated seats and some of the driver aids.  If the Puma Gen-E drives as well as the best petrol and diesel-engine Ford models, I'll raise my rating to the full five stars. Four Stars out of Five.”

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