Ford Puma 1.7

FORD PUMA 1.7 16v

=== Exterior ===

On first impressions the ford puma looks like a sleek coupe, and that is exactly what it is. The shape is curvy and stylish and the body sits close to the ground. My Puma is Medium Steel Blue in colour which can be seen in the attached images, and is a 1.7 standard car. However Ford made 4 different types of Puma and they can all be found on the road.

The standard 1.6 ...
...1000 in production, whilst the Ford Racing Puma, 1.7 was also limited but to just 500 with 160bhp, it has a greatly enhanced specification which can be researched if you are interested in buying one. Finally the Puma Thunder was introduced to mark the end of Puma production; it too has the 1.7 litre engine but also comes with added extras and come in a metallic grey/silver. I have found that externally my car polishes up well and sparkles when clean. ... more

FORD PUMA 1.7 16v

Exterior

On first impressions the ford puma looks like a sleek coupe, and that is exactly what it is. The shape is curvy and stylish and the body sits close to the ground. My Puma is Medium Steel Blue in colour which can be seen in the attached images, and is a 1.7 standard car. However Ford made 4 different types of Puma and they can all be found on the road.

The standard 1.6 16v (which replaced the 1.4) or 1.7 16v range were produced between 1997 and 2002. They are available in the following colours; Moondust Silver, Colorado/Radiant Red, Panther Black, Medium Steel Blue, Melina Blue, State Blue and Jewel/Pacific Green. The special edition Puma Black was produced in 2000, the Millennium Yellow Puma was introduced in 2000 for the Millennium and limited to 1000 in production, whilst the Ford Racing Puma, 1.7 was also limited but to just 500 with 160bhp, it has a greatly enhanced specification which can be researched if you are interested in buying one. Finally the Puma Thunder was introduced to mark the end of Puma production; it too has the 1.7 litre engine but also comes with added extras and come in a metallic grey/silver. I have found that externally my car polishes up well and sparkles when clean. It's a beautiful style which appears to glide across the road.

The car as I have said is very low, when looking at it from the side you will see that the rear end appears to be higher than the front and some, though not standard will have been fitted with spoilers which tends to increase the height of the rear end.

Interior

The interior of the Ford Puma is very plain and the materials used tend to be a blue/grey colour and fairly standard. There is plenty of space for me in the front, though I have to repeatedly advise passengers to mind their head as the door sits quite low and you generally have to duck to enter the car. Once in the front seats I find that it is very comfortable, but I haven't got long legs. If you are carrying passengers then there is a lack of space in the rear seats and most adult's passengers will find they are unable to stretch their legs out, especially in my car where the passengers front seat is set back so far to accommodate my partners legs comfortably.

The car is a 3 door 4 seat. There is no middle rear seat, thus no middle rear seatbelt. This makes it impractical if you have more than two children and/or are playing taxi regularly.

The dash board is in a navy blue colour and match the door and door cards. The carpet throughout the car is black and I have fitted mats in all foot wells because I find that it can be quite a tricky material to hoover as dirt and crumbs tend to stick to the carpet.

What the Puma lacks in legroom for passengers it makes up in boot space for their shopping. I have found that the boot space is more than adequate and I managed to put the seats down and move all my belongings from my student accommodation in one trip. There is plenty of space for lots of bags and you can still manage to put the parcel shelf in place infact it probably fits better when the boot is full (more about that later). The parcel shelf is grey and fits well with the rest of the interior.

This Puma is my second, it's a 51 plate whereas my previous was a 1997 registration and I love it. The dials (speedometer and rev counter) have a white background which automatically illuminates when you go through a dark area, very handy.

All of the key signals such as petrol light, engine light, oil light etc illuminate very brightly when necessary and cannot be missed. The car has twin airbags which is excellent but must be removed if putting a child's car seat in the front of the car. I would advice this is down with instruction and not on a whim. The Steering wheel unit has the indicator stalk on the left hand side and a washer/wiper stalk on the right. The car has front and rear wipers and the speed can be set for the front wipers when on the occasional mode.

The car has very poor dipped headlights but very good full beams. I would say that the poor lighting available is the main issue with the car. I have had to buy brighter bulbs but am yet to fit them so I am unable to say whether they enhance the car or not. As with the sidelights, they are pretty pointless.

The emergency lights (4 way flashers) button is on the top of the steering unit and it's a button which turns them on/off when pushed. When buying a Puma make sure that this isn't damaged as replacing the unit costs approximately £75 for the part alone. The gearstick has a silver gear knob which is either hot in the summer or freezing in the winter, but you can change this is you choose too as it just screws on and is replaceable. The glove compartment is very standard and is no larger or smaller than other cars.

Features

The car comes with a standard 6000 CD player/radio which can be upgraded should you choose to, however the fascia is very large so I don't know how compatible non-ford replacements are.
The car comes with air conditioning, power steering and ABS and my car comes with a full luxury (lux) pack, which includes electric windows, electrically operated and heated wing mirrors and a heated windscreen. It has a built in immobiliser, alarm, remote central locking, front driver seat adjustment and 15in alloys wheels as standard.

Official stats state that the Ford Puma does 0-60 in 9.2seconds with 123.3bhp and a maximum speed of 126mph.

Maintenance

I find that my Puma drinks fuel but I think that is because I drive for a living. I can get approximately 350miles to a tank of petrol and at the moment a tank of fuel is costing me approximately £40-£45.

The fuel tank has a capacity of 40 litres and takes Unleaded petrol.

The because the car is fairly small and the weight isnt that evenly balanced it is important to regularly check the tyre pressure. If carrying less that three people they should be as follows:

Size: 195/50 VR 15 - Front - 2.0 (29) - Rear - 1.9 (28)
Size: 165/65 R 14 - Front - 2.2 (32) - Rear - 1.8 (26)
(Winter Tyre)

For a car carrying more than 3 people (maximum 4 safely)

Size: 195/50 VR 15 - Front - 2.5 (37) - Rear - 2.8 (41)
Size: 195/65 R 14 - Front - 2.4 (35) - Rear - 2.8 (41)

I have Pirelli 6000's on my Puma, I had the on my last and I replaced the tyres on this one to Pirelli's because I have found that the car sticks to the road better with these rather than the cheaper alternative (though Pirelli's are not expensive).

The Puma can have a roof rack attached to it (though it looks daft) but it is recommended that it holds no more than 50kg of luggage so not to overload the car.

I have my Puma serviced annually. However there is a specific service guide available which tells you any non-standard work which needs doing at specific service intervals. For example the cambelt. A standard service at Ford costs £179 at the moment, thats quite expensive for what could just be an oil change and filter, so I think I may be taking to to a local garage this year.

Why Buy

Obviously nowadays you will not find a brand new Ford Puma. However you can find some pretty hot and well treated Pumas on the road. Look out for low mileage, good paintwork, lack of rust (especially on the wheel arches) and that it has had its cam-belt changed as this is something which tends not to be highlighted but is really important because Ford changed the specification.

I find that my puma handles excellently on the roads; sometimes it loses grip in the rain on sharp corners but as long as I use my gears to control the car its fine. I find that it's a nippy little car, I can if I choose to be well ahead of most other cars at the traffic lights when they go green and that it has a magnificent ability to get enough power behind it to overtake quick and easily.

I sold my first puma and replaced it with a MGF - big mistake I missed it so much that I kept the MGF for 4 months before replacing it with a newer Puma. It's a shame the production was so short lived, because these cars are great on the road and great fun to drive.
Prices for a Ford Puma now range between £1000 for a really rough version to £5000 maybe £6000 at a push for an exceptional car.

My first 97 plate cost just over £3000 in 2006 and my 51 plate cost £4500 in 2007, both from a dealer. There are some real bargains to be had on second had private sales at the moment, just make sure you know what to look out for when you buy as there are many "boy racers" out there who are more than happy to rip a car around the rounds and sell it on in poor condition.

Where To Go For Puma Advice?

I would recommend www.pumapeople.com - I joined this site prior to buying my first Puma and the members were very helpful in advising on what to look for. There is a knowledge area and several forums where you can ask any questions you may need answers to. There is also a gallery where you can view the members cars and those which have been modified and shown at rallies and fairs. 

...less