Bucket Seat: Ford Puma

The Ford Puma started its life as a compact coupé back in 1997. Available only in Europe, sales weren’t the greatest and it never really caught on apart from the UK, hence it was retired in 2001. Fast forward to 2019 and the badge was revived by Ford and spawned into a compact crossover. Based on the Ford Fiesta platform, the revived Puma became quite a hit, offering a different take on the crossover from everyone else with it being almost like a raised sporty hatchback. Now I know what you’re thinking, if the Ford Puma was launched in 2019, why the hell did we only get it in 2023? Well, there were a number of factors for this, biggest being Ford South Africa still had a lot of Eco Sports to sell. While there is big difference between the two as I soon found out after testing the Puma, the price point would have had the EcoSport killing its own sibling in the market. So what Ford decide to do? Kill the EcoSport for the sake of the Puma. Will this pay off though? That is the question.

DESIGN

The Ford Puma styling is really top notch, even with it arriving in SA a whole 4 years later it doesn’t seem dated at all because it’s so unique. The sport lines and curves with its bulging headlamps give it that feline look of it ready to pounce. I don’t think there is a bad angle on the particular car and it’s so easily recognisable that I could spot it a mile away in a parking lot. The detail on the front of the car is quite cool, from the chrome border grille to the silver accents on the bottom diffuser. The way the nose is sculptured from the grille up to the pronounce headlights and which then transcend to the windscreen following the curves of the wheel arch really give the car a higher look that what it really is. Everything about it is bold and funky, which adds to the appeal to the youth but as I noticed while spending time with it, it was often the old folk that I would catch staring. The rear is well rounded off with winged tail lights that extend a bit over the side and this particular model being the ST Line, featured a nice rear wing to add to the sporty nature. The bottom diffuser is finished off with more silver accents with borders around the dual tail pipes. The interior follows the standard Ford design guidelines, and I did mention it looked similar to the EcoSport, which wasn’t completely wrong but there are some big differences, biggest being the quality of materials used in the Puma, these are much more high end that the EcoSport.

PERFORMANCE

So how does this 1.0-litre 3 cylinder Ecoboost engine perform in the Puma? Look at the brochure and it will give you the power output of 92kW and 170Nm of torque, not a lot you might think for a car that’s asking price is north of 600K. The big question is how does it drive? Well, I have to be honest it goes rather well, that 7-speed auto gearbox works like a charm in both city driving and on the highway. One must remember this car is made for Europe so the key factors were for small commutes and city driving, it serves those two purposes like a charm. On the open road it can reach a cruising speed of 120km/h without it breaking too much of a sweat and can maintain it on uphills as well. The car feels solid and the ride quality is pretty decent, there’s a big difference between driving this and the Ecosport so one could say that this does deserve its higher price tag. I like taking the car cars through some twistys and the Puma navigated whatever I threw at it rather well with its punchy acceleration and well mannered cornering. With my heavy foot and aggressive driving nature, it did not bode well for the fuel average but Ford claim it can do 5.3L per 100km.

COMFORT

So it’s described as a “compact crossover” but it is still rather spacious. Look, it won’t fit a family of 7 but 4 adults can go along comfortably. I must commend the quality of the seats though, not sure if it’s specific to the ST Line but the quilted leather styling was not only great to look at but extremely comfortable too. There wasn’t a heating function for the seats, and don’t see if it’s available as an extra on the website but it’s not a deal breaker for me. The car does have single zone climate control which was a let down for me, I expected minimum dual zone for it. The Puma comes with a nice 8-inch TFT touch screen with but it still has SYNC 3, because it’s still an old model. This means it has mobile applications built in but your device needs to be plugged in for use. The car came with an impressive 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen premium audio system that wasn’t listed on the extras sheet so I’m guessing it’s standard. Other notable standard features include keyless entry and push button start, tyre pressure monitoring two USB ports and wireless phone charging tray. Safety features include lane keeping assist, 6 airbags, ABS and cruise control with adjustable speed limiter.

VERDICT

The Ford Puma is a disrupter to the segment, it’s a wild kind of car that is a cross over but could easily pass as a hatchback. There are few things that didn’t sit overly well with me, one was why did Ford decide to bring this model in now when there’s a facelift due very soon and secondly, I know I said the car did warrant to cost more than the EcoSport but it is A LOT more than the EcoSport which makes me wonder of the market would take to it. I got it on test a good 5 months after it was launched and haven’t seen a single one on the roads of Durban but mind you, spending the beginning of the month in Cape Town, I saw quite a few! So I’m guessing it would take some time to see them filter through the various spots but it’s nice to see such a refreshing option in the segment and even better seeing Ford bring something new, other than 20 variants of the Ranger.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine	1.0 -litre turbo, 3 cylinder
Gear Box	7-speed automatic
Torque	170Nm
Power	92kW
Fuel consumption	5.3 liters per 100km
Price	R615,440*

*base price

 

Bucket Style: PUMA x F1

PUMA and Formula 1 have signed an agreement which will make PUMA the official supplier at Formula 1 races, granting the brand the right to produce F1 branded apparel, footwear and accessories.

PUMA will also equip Formula 1 staff and at track and create Formula 1 fanwear that targets the sport’s different audiences with exciting lifestyle and motorsport collections. The contract includes exclusive rights to sell F1 fanwear and fanwear of all ten teams around the race circuit starting 2024.

PUMA has a long and successful history in motorsport, developing fireproof overalls, race shoes and other high-performance racing gear for F1 drivers since the mid 80s as well as teamwear, fanwear and lifestyle collections for some of the sport’s most successful teams. Today, PUMA is one of the leading providers of race gear and lifestyle collections in Motorsport with partners such as Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, Scuderia Ferrari, Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake, BMW M Motorsport and Porsche Motorsport.

The partnership provides PUMA with the opportunity to augment its established dominance in the sport by appealing to a broader fan base, tap into more diverse consumer groups and bring the inspiration of on-track gear to off-track fashion.

PUMA’s subsidiary stichd, a company for licensed fanwear as well as legwear, bodywear and swimwear, will exclusively operate the fan retail stores during race weekends. These shops will sell Formula 1 licensed products as well as replica teamwear, fanwear, and special edition collections from all ten teams on the Formula 1 grid and F1 legends. stichd will operate up to 65 mobile stores at more than 20 races in 19 different countries.

Bucket Style: Puma Running with Mercedes AMG Petronas F1

Sports company PUMA and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 have teamed up to create PUMA’s fastest, lightest and most propulsive Track & Field spike to date. Together with Mercedes AMG Petronas F1, PUMA applied engineering insights from the world of Formula 1 and automotive to design the EVOSPEED TOKYO FUTURE FASTER+ and the EVOSPEED TOKYO FUTURE NITRO FASTER+ for its athletes, including Karsten Warholm, Norwegian hurdler, World Record holder, World Champion and European Champion, and André De Grasse, Canadian sprinter and Olympic silver medalist. 

“To make the best spikes for our athletes, that comply with the regulations, we connected the engineers of Mercedes AGM Petronas F1 with our best footwear people,” said PUMA CEO Bjørn Gulden. “With the input from our athletes and their coaches, the team developed the best spikes PUMA has ever made.” 

Learnings and technological advances from the FASTER+ program were also passed down and integrated into other track and field spikes for athletes such as Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh, Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and Swiss sprinter Ajla Del Ponte

 “The FASTER+ program is about creating elite products for our elite athletes to help them excel in their sport” said Erin Longin, Global Director Run/Train at PUMA. “We believe that together with Mercedes AMG Petronas, we have created unique, innovation-led Track and Field spikes that will help our athletes run faster, jump farther and soar higher.”

“This collaboration with PUMA has been a natural alignment – track spikes need to run fast, and racing cars need to drive fast,” said Toto Wolff, CEO of Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Formula One Team. “Whether you’re designing a great racing car or the perfect track spike, it comes down to engineering and putting as much performance as possible into the product. We have drawn on our experience and expertise in carbon fibre with the design, and along the way we learned that making an innovative track spike involves the same kind of complexity as a Formula One car – and it has been an exciting challenge to tackle together. Working closely with a trusted partner like PUMA, I believe this FASTER+ track and field spike is just the beginning of the collaboration between the two companies when it comes to innovation.”

The EVOSPEED TOKYO FUTURE FASTER+ was designed with 400m hurdles World Record holder Karsten Warholm and his coach. The spike’s upper is infused with carbon fiber threads and its sole has a carbon plate, engineered by Mercedes AMG Petronas, with permanent titanium pins. It weighs 135 grams. 

“What’s important for me is that I run very much on my forefoot,“ said Karsten. “This is why you want the carbon fiber plate to push you in the right direction, so when you land you want the plate to bend in the right way and return the energy. When you sprint, you have a very short amount of contact time with the ground, only 1 second, so you want the plate to answer very quickly. Therefore, I want the carbon to be stiff enough that I get the return before I leave the ground. That helps me run even faster.”

To respond to the needs of Canadian 100m and 200m sprinter Andre De Grasse, the EVOSPEED TOKYO FUTURE NITRO FASTER+ includes PUMA’s proprietary NITRO Foam in addition to the Mercedes AMG Petronas engineered carbon plate for added rebound. It weighs 199 grams.

“I believe that the partnership between PUMA and Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 is excellent for the brand. It’s pretty cool that I actually have the carbon fiber in my spikes that’s going into the F1 cars that Lewis Hamilton races in," said Andre. "The stiffness of the plate is just amazing because I’m able to get off the ground as quickly as possible. Having this propulsion forward at the start of the race and being able to rebound and get off the ground as quickly as possible make these spikes just perfect for my 100m race."

PUMA’s FASTER+ program applies engineering insights from every corner of sport culture to our PUMA sports products. Benefits are focused on helping our athletes excel in their sport by looking beyond their typical field of play to make them better, faster, stronger.

“What I feel is very unique about this project is that it combines the best of all the worlds,” added Karsten. “It combines what PUMA knows about how to make a shoe that’s comfortable and fits your foot. It combines what Mercedes knows about carbon fiber through their Formula 1 work and it combines what my coach and I know about running and the biomechanics for running. This is very unique and it has given us the perfect product for us to work on the track - a spike that is really aggressive, with a really good forward propulsion, and it gives me all the tools I need to be the best version of myself.”

FASTER+ is part of PUMA’s Only See Great’ campaign – launched in the spring of 2021 - to convey a spirit of optimism, hope and self-belief – following a difficult year and leading up to major sports moments.

F1 2017

The first free practice sessions got under way early this morning in Melbourne and with it ushers in the new Formula One season. Many enthusiasts were waiting for this day ever since the checkered flag was waved in Abu Dhabi last year, I was one of them. While some were a bit disappointed by the dominance of the Mercedes team last year, I thought the drivers battle for the championship between Lewis and Nico was pretty intense and made for fascinating viewing. Both drivers had their own style and brought 110% to every race, and while there was no love lost for most of the season, in the end even when the German managed to pip his team mate, they both displayed great sportsmanship. That for me is what racing is all about. 

There is a reason F1 is one of the most richest sports in the world, the glamour attached to it will never fade, it is the rock-star in the sporting world and will remain so in the foreseeable future even with the sale of it late last year which saw long time CEO of the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone relinquish his title. Even though he was loathed by many, Bernie was the man that put F1 back on the map and gave it the prestige it deserved and while there were many controversial moments in his tenure, and boy were there a lot, there is no denying he played a pivotal role in the sport. 

Getting back to the action this year, one still feels that the rest of the teams have a lot catch up to play to the Silver Arrows, but while some teams may still be just shy off the pace, it doesn't mean they won't play a major role in being deciders this year. Ferrari is one of the teams that invested a lot of time during the off season to get their car ready for the start of this one, unlike last year where they were left scratching their heads and went back to the drawing board after the first few races. With the hungry German, Sebastian Vettel still unofficially leading the way for the Italian team, you can be sure that the fight is very well on with the leaders. The ever charismatic Kimi Raikkonen doesn't really care what number driver he is, he just gets the job done and prefers not to be disturbed while doing it. It's a solid partnership that should collect a handy amount of points for Scuderia Ferrari.

The next real team I see challenging has to be Red Bull Racing, for so long they were the leaders in recent season with Vettel leading the way to back to back championships for the team you can't help feel that their bubble of bad luck is waiting to pop. With the Aussie driver Daniel Ricciardo leading from the front, he will want to make a mark at his home GP this weekend. His co driver Max Verstappen isn't too shabby either with him taking his first win last season and showing he has what it takes to handle the pressure and get the results. So far in the free practice it was RBR that showed the most resilience against Mercedes so this weekend will be interesting. 

While the other teams are a lot to discuss, they aren't there to merely make up the numbers. There's been some good improvements in most of the teams and some great drivers that are making their mark with them as well as some experienced drivers. Williams see's Felipe Massa return in what must be the shortest retirement ever recorded and Fernando Alonso is back to try and propel Mclaren Honda back to the top where they once were so used to being. With new aerodynamics and engine changes to the cars, as well as bigger tyres, this should make for more  over takings and closer racing for the lower lying teams which will have a major impact this years championship. So you can be sure that the pink Force India car isn't the most exciting thing on the track. 

Coming back to the title favourites, while I want to believe Ferrari and RedBull have managed to close the gap, early indications still say that the Germans are quite ahead of the pack and with Lewis Hamilton bitter for losing out on his 4th title last year, he will be ready for it this year. They have a strong team and with their new driver Valterri Bottas on board, he should be the perfect number two man to assist Lewis in his quest this year. While I say they are favourites, the first race of the season has always been tricky for them with a surprise winner most of the time. So I'm going again with that scenario and hoping Lewis is right and backing Ferrari to take home the first win of the 2017 Formula One race calendar. 

Day of the Dead with Daniel Ricciardo

F1 moves to Mexico this weekend and as the cars line up to take on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, the guys down at RedBull Racing decided to have some fun first. With the race weekend coinciding with the popular "Day Of The Dead" celebrations in Mexico, Daniel Ricciardo decided to join in on the festivities. On Wednesday night, the Red Bull Racing driver entertained a thousand people in a stunning celebration of the The Day of the Dead in Mexico City. The Australian switched the asphalt racing track for a big metallic dome with dancing skeletons and symbolic elements to fly through the air, challenging Death to complete the original altar.

F1 returns to Mexico for the second year running after a long absence in the sports and PUMA threw a huge party in a unique Red Bull Racing style. Daniel was joined by some special guests and symbolically set an offering through four big moments. The talented Mariana Echeverria personified as "The Catrina", hosted the even that included the versatile warrior Uriel del Toro, a flight through the air spreading Cempazuchitl flower petals by the beautiful model Gabi Graff, and some skeletons riding motorcycles. In the final act, the F1 driver lit up the fire inside the Offrendome, after defeating Death in a thrilling battle. 

Have thrilled the crowds in something other than a racing car, Daniel had this to say about his experience, "I love the day of the dead celebrations here in Mexico City and the way everyone is dressed up in skulls, it feels like we're in a movie. The Mexicans passion for life and their passion for remembering those who are no longer with us is also fascinating. It was a great event today and it was cool being a part of it. I want to thank PUMA for making it happen."

In closing, head of PUMA Mexico, Mario Olvera gave Daniel a skull lithography made by a Mexican artist as a gesture of appreciation for being part of the celebration of the The of the Dead with all the united talent, and as a homage for his bravery.

Puma BMW X-CAT-Disc

Starting today we're launching a new feature on the blog, under the label "STYLE", this will focus on some of the latest men casual fashion garments and footwear to hit the stores and what a great product we have for you today! Today we feature a new shoe from Puma, the company has been changing the game since 1948 and continues to do so with their great product range.

I'm a MASSIVE fan of the German clothing and footwear brand with all of my sneakers in my ever growing collection being Puma's. Not only are they're comfortable but for me I think they're leading the pack in terms of style, range and affordability. It's a big bonus that Puma's Motorsport range includes some of my favourite motoring brands, that is, BMW Motorsport, AMG Petronas and Ferrari. 

Today Puma launches their new ultra modern BMW X-CAT DISC inspired by the BMW Gina Light visionary concept. The shoe forms part of the DISC footwear franchise which is a futuristic looking but instead of laces or straps, the shoe has a disc system which when rotated, it pulls internal wires that tighten to adjust the fit. Puma says the reinvented DISC Technology provides ultimate comfort and a snug fit. It was originally launched in 1991 and since then has had vasts improvements which has made it lighter and smaller with only five parts. It is quicker to turn and the smoother internal wire system that wraps and secures the upper is faster to tighten. 

The shoe itself looks great, it's striking design and colour with a futuristic metallic silver which was designed in conjunction with Designworks, a BMW Group subsidiary. Puma developed special fabric which they applied over the metal chassis of the BMW Concept car Gina which main talking point was it's visionary light fabric skin. Through this collaboration, Designworks led the design process for ultramodern Puma X-CAR concept show inspired from the revolutionary concept car with seamless material outer shell. 

The outer of the shoe features a silver stretch fabric, resembling the metallic material used on the car and modified for footwear use. Finishing touches to the show include a laser cut upper across the front of the shoe, inspired by the gill like texture that appears on the car when its doors open. Puma's iconic formstripe runs on the outer of each shoe in reflactive print and BMW's logo features on the DISC.

You can find the BMW X-CAT DISC at Cross Trainer stores and selected retailers around the country with the recommenced retail price of R 2 699.