• Cabin layout redesigned for 2024
• Dashboard available with two large screens
• ST-Line models get sporty seats and trim

How is the quality and layout?

The Puma’s interior has been updated for 2024, although not for the better. It now has a more streamlined design, but Ford has sacrificed its physical heater controls to achieve it which makes the cabin more difficult to interact with on the road. The new infotainment system also looks like a total afterthought. It’s been plonked on top of the dash with little care for aesthetics.

Build quality is good overall, but the cabin atmosphere is woefully dreary. It’s a symphony of black plastics, some harder and scratchier than others, but all offering very little to interest the eye. They’re broken up by red stitching in the ST-Line trims, but still it isn’t quite enough.

Go for an ST-Line model and you get loads of sporty extras. Upgrades include a flat-bottomed steering wheel with red stitching, alloy pedals, an aluminium gear shifter and black headlining. ST-Line X Vignale models advance this further with additional leather on the steering wheel, a slightly nicer finish on the dashboard and upgraded leather seats with additional padding.

We’re also not convinced by the enormous new steering wheel. It’s simply too large and awkward. We were constantly tying our arms in knots as we wrestled with the wheel around town and, when we finally hit the open road, its massive dimensions made it feel like we were steering the car with the grab handles of a dinner tray. Not what you want in a fun small SUV.

Infotainment and tech

The Puma now features an 12.0-inch infotainment system running on Ford Sync 4 software and a 12.8-inch digital instrument cluster. The main screen is bright and easy to read, at least, while the interface is based around just a few main pages, so it’s easy enough to navigate through.

Ford’s built in sat-nav system is very good in particular. It’s intuitive to use when entering a destination and easy to cancel a route while on the move. However, if you don’t like the setup, the Puma comes as standard with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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Wireless charging is available as an optional extra, along with massaging seats. You can also have a powerful 10-speaker B&O sound system as an optional extra which offers a huge amount of bass thanks to a well-hidden subwoofer in the boot.

Comfort

• Entry-level car has comfortable seats
• ST-Line chairs are firmer and more snug
• Panoramic sunroof limits headroom

The Puma is a comfortable car. Its driving position is very good, which means it takes longer for fatigue to set in while cruising down the motorway. There’s loads of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel and the seat can be almost lowered to the floor, meaning taller drivers won’t brush their heads against the roof on undulating back roads.

We only have one complaint with the standard Puma’s driving position. The standard car’s seat base doesn’t tilt and it’s slightly too short to provide decent under-thigh support for taller drivers. You can get around that by opting for the ST-Line model, though, as that comes with extendable seat squabs.

The ST-Line seats have slightly heavier bolsters, too, which means you won’t be thrown out of them when corning enthusiastically. If you have a taste for the finer things in life, you can even specify your Puma with massaging seats by splashing the cash on Ford’s Vignale option pack.

You can also specify the Puma with a panoramic sunroof, which allows loads of light to flood into the cabin and helps to lift the gloomy atmosphere. If you’re tall, though, make sure you test drive a car with the panoramic roof equipped before handing over your money, because it brings the ceiling height down to a scalp-scraping altitude.