1998 Ford Puma 1.7 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A distillation of pure (economical)l fun

Faults:

Rear parcel shelf kept falling from mounting (dealer modified FOC).

Water pours into boot when opened in wet.

Infra-red remote locking/alarm packed up.

Leather trim on steering wheel disintegrating.

General Comments:

Incredibly good fun, with a reasonable degree of practicality.

I can't fault the handling, it has got me out of one or two nasty situations (particularly in the wet).

In the four years I've had the car nothing major has gone wrong, although it does get through front tyres pretty quickly.

Although the engine's not particularly powerful, it still pulls well on inclines when heavily loaded & with aircon/heated windscreen on.

I'm pleased that the overall design is different from most cars on the road, and it doesn't seem to have dated badly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 2nd October, 2002

1998 Ford Puma 1.7i VCT from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The best performance sport coupe which is also practical

Faults:

1. Front windon wipers are not working.

2. Air con light goes off.

3. Remote central locking is not working.

4. Engine sometimes cracks.

5. Cannot turn on engine in cold days.

6. Water drops into the boot.

7. Rocks damaged the paint.

8. Door and trim shocks in high speed.

9. Boot open button do not work.

10. Front seats adjustment cannot operate.

General Comments:

I have got Ford Puma Black in for a couple of months from a trade.

Basically throughout these months, I have to say this is a very good car to drive.

Well done handing, superb gear box and excellent steering. You feel stable when swtching lanes in high speed and run well in either town or motorways.

Not super fast in straight line, but stays good in bends keeping the car steady and well speed.

Electrical gearbox certainly helps and change gear from one to another never be easier. My girlfriend loves this car all because of the gearbox and the clutch.

Engine doesn't sound out loud comparing with other sport coupe, but certainly a very stylish sound.

Interior is not so good, but the side feels comfortable. Easy control and sport dials, but looks poor for the price of the car.

Front seats are bit higher than they should for a sport car and guess it might be the reason explaining there are so many female Puma drivers on the road. I am 6 foot and find it's bit hard to squeeze into the car, but once you are in, you feel OK. One more thing is that if you set the driver seat to the lowest position, you will soon realize it would be bit hard to push down the clutch due to the design of the seat. It goes bit upward close to your knee. But when you set it higher for a taller driver, people might find it a bit pressure well closing to the roof and the front window.

Boot space is fine, but it doesn't open till the top mechanically and not close smoothly when you push down. Even worse design than Ford Ka. The rear seat need to push forward for a bigger boot require. 1 piece design is very silly and I would prefer 2 pieces saying you can fit more stuff and fit 2 adults and one child. Certainly a more clever idea!

Overall, I would have to admit you cannot find a better car for sub £12K.

It well controls, fast and certainly the most practical small sport coupe in the world now. Where can you find a small coupe can really fit 4 adults in the car for short ride!! (I do say short ride!!!)

It certainly the best you can get if you can afford to damage to the pain, and bit more expensive insurance than it should be considering its speed!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd September, 2002

1998 Ford Puma 1.7 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Cheap car, good handling, poorly built

Faults:

Door handle cable snapped.

Huge stone-chips on bonnet

Aircon has never worked properly

Wipers are the worst I have seen on ANY car.

Front tyres look like they will only last 8000 miles at most.

Rattles so much I have given up trying to cure them.

Badly designed read parcel shelf/boot.

General Comments:

Try the car on speedbumps before you buy one! Feels like a major collision every time.

Space inside is VERY cramped, if you are over 6ft, you will have problems, and 2 people over 6ft in the car is similar to sardines in a can.

Stereo is awful, sound insulation is also poor, so if it is raining you probably won't hear it anyway!

Non-adjustable steering wheel makes things even tighter inside, as do the very small, close-together pedals

Handling is great, but doesn't drive anywhere near as well when it is wet.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd July, 2002