Test drive: Puma ST Gold Edition: plenty of sportiness with a touch of exclusivity

In mid-summer 2021, Ford first introduced us to its Ford Puma ST Gold Edition. A special edition announced as a limited run, which had been created by more than 250,000 fans of the brand through a series of social media polls.

With this unusual origin, the Puma ST Gold Edition, the spiciest and most exclusive version of Ford’s compact SUV, has finally reached our hands, undoubtedly becoming one of the most tempting road tests we have had in recent months, to see whether the sporty version of Ford’s best-selling model in Europe was as good as they said.

The answer to that question must wait, as we will take things one step at a time. First of all, in its conception, the Ford Puma ST in its Gold Edition special edition has everything a sporty SUV should have: an attractive, sporty look, greater ease when getting in and out of the vehicle, a large-capacity boot and excellent handling when driving spiritedly, bearing in mind the touch of exclusivity that is so appealing about a numbered edition limited to 999 units.

With all this, the Ford Puma ST Gold Edition seems to be the perfect compact sporty SUV, but, however, it is not perfect.

Starting with its design, our protagonist today boasts black metallic paint across its entire bodywork, which looks perfect alongside the two longitudinal stripes running over the bonnet and roof in matte black, flanked by two thin lines in gold. A detail that, although it may seem rather flashy at first, turns out to be quite discreet.

Combined with the black colour with gold details, Ford has fitted 19-inch wheels in satin gold identical to those on the standard Puma ST, which stand out perfectly alongside the red brake calipers and which are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres in size 225/40-19.

Once we step inside, the first thing that catches our attention are the sports seats signed by Ford Performance, seats that we found sublime, as they offer great comfort, exceptional lateral grip in sporty driving and, no less important, a very rugged look, as their combination of leather and Alcantara with gold stitching and two stripes running across the entire backrest and cushion, also in gold, are simply the best.

Another of our favourite parts of the interior is the identification plate showing the number of our vehicle, since, as we have already mentioned, this edition is limited to 999 units. There is also a multifunction sports steering wheel trimmed in leather, very comfortable and attractive, aluminium sports pedals and a gear knob for the fantastic six-speed manual gearbox, with the top also in aluminium.

The quality of the cabin is decent, although perhaps the doors have an excess of hard plastic from the middle down, but with the Recaro seats, the door sills with the Puma logo in gold, the 12.3-inch TFT instrument cluster, the 8-inch infotainment touchscreen compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and the 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system, this is easily overlooked.

To finish with its interior, we cannot forget its boot capacity, which places it among the best in its segment in terms of figures, with no less than 456 litres of capacity. However, when opening the electric tailgate, you will not get quite the same sense of spaciousness, but under its floor there is a compartment called Megabox that adds an extra 80 litres of capacity.

Three cylinders with plenty of grip

Under its bonnet we find the turbocharged 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine that develops 200 CV sent to the front axle through a six-speed manual transmission that has a very mechanical and sporty feel, without ceasing to be comfortable and suitable for daily use.

At the wheel, we notice that the engine response is simply perfect, with strong pulling power from low revs right up to the top of the rev counter, and best of all, a throaty sound that wins you over and even surprises you with the occasional crackle on downshifts and gear changes.

As for consumption, despite having 200 CV under the pedal, we were pleasantly surprised, managing to drop slightly below 7 litres/100 km on the motorway with cruise control engaged. When driving more sportingly, it is quite easy to exceed the 9-litre barrier, so in mixed driving, and as we confirmed over the more than 900 kilometres of testing, figures of around 7.8 litres/100 km can be achieved, which is very reasonable.

In sporty driving, the Ford Puma ST Gold Edition feels agile and very comfortable, with cornering ability that surprises for an SUV and a truly direct steering that lets you place the car exactly where you want. The main reason this Ford Puma ST handles so well in corners is its limited-slip differential LSD, which delivers torque perfectly depending on the situation and which is included in the Performance Pack that comes as standard on this special edition.

The braking system with 325 mm discs on the front axle and 271 mm on the rear also performs very well, with very effective bite and tireless performance, which, after several demanding braking sections, continued to deliver 100% without fading in the slightest.

Not everything was going to be perfect

One negative point we encountered for everyday use is the suspension tuning, which, although it offers great stability when having fun at the wheel, is admittedly too firm when driving over cobblestone roads, crossing a speed bump or filtering out road imperfections.

After this review, it is time to talk about the price of this special Gold Edition, which starts at 37,602 euros, and which, compared with the 36,563 euros of the standard ST, is not bad considering that this is a special edition with greater appreciation in value and a large amount of standard equipment included. It is true that its price is not at all affordable given the segment it is in, but, however, given the current state of the market, it is a very worthwhile option if you are looking for a sporty SUV in every sense, with a cool design and versatility of use.

Technical specifications of this car

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