Facelifted Ford Puma arrives with fewer buttons, but more tech

• Updated styling
• Ford’s latest SYNC4 infotainment system
• Fewer physical buttons

The Ford Puma topped the charts as the UK’s best-selling car of 2023, but the Blue Oval is not resting on its laurels. The brand has facelifted the Puma for 2024 in the hopes of continuing its success in the years to come.

The car doesn’t look all that different from the outgoing model in terms of styling, but the eagle-eyed will notice a new headlight signature at the front, and the Ford badge has moved from just above the front grille to the centre of it.

An all-electric version of the Puma, called the Puma Gen-E is also confirmed to be on the way, but this version will be revealed later this year.

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What’s new about the facelifted Ford Puma?

While the exterior tweaks may not be all that major, the interior has had a heavy redesign to bring it up to date. Up front, Ford describes the cabin as a ‘sports car-style cockpit’, with high-mounted screens angled towards the driver, but the brand has removed many of the physical buttons from the outgoing car, resulting in a more minimalist look.

Ford has replaced the outgoing Puma’s SYNC3 infotainment with its SYNC4 system, which has twice the computing power and has been tweaked for easier driver-usability. The screen’s size has also been increased from eight inches to 12. Many more of the car’s functions will now be operated via this screen, including climate control and seat heating. It’s a move that could divide opinion, with many drivers preferring the tactile feedback offered by physical knobs and controls, but Ford believes the removal of these switches makes for a more calming environment.

What other equipment does the facelifted Ford Puma get?

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The car’s infotainment system is now compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and also includes Alexa Built-in: Amazon’s virtual assistant that can control the in-car music, navigation and check calendar events among other functions via voice commands.

Aside from the new light signature, the headlights will also benefit from the option of Matrix LED tech with a feature Ford calls Predictive Dynamic Bending Light. The brand says this system assesses the road up ahead and shifts its pattern as you go into corners to help you see around them.

The new Puma also gets driver assistance tech such as Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control which tracks the speed of the car in front of you and can come to a complete stop and start again when caught in traffic. There’s also Lane Centring tech and a 360-degree parking camera, which Ford is hoping will make the Puma even easier to drive.

Which engines will the new Ford Puma be available with?

The standard Ford Puma range is powered by the same mild-hybrid-assisted 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with either 123bhp or 153bhp. While the former is offered with a choice between a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission, the higher-output variant is only offered with the latter.

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The hot Puma ST Powershift is also available, offered with the mild-hybrid 1.0-litre engine tuned up to 168bhp and paired solely with the seven-speed automatic – sadly, the 1.5-litre manual ST from the outgoing model range appears to have been discontinued. The ST Powershift also gets chassis upgrades for a sportier drive as well as racier styling compared to the standard Puma.

A fully-electric Puma Gen-E variant is incoming, though this will not launch with the facelift, and is instead due to arrive later in 2024.

How much will the facelifted Ford Puma cost?

The standard Ford Puma will be offered in Titanium, ST-Line and ST-Line X trim levels, with the cheapest model starting from £25,790 in Titanium trim with the manual gearbox. That’s roughly on par with the price of the outgoing model, and we’d only expect a marginal price increase, if any, on the ST-Line and ST-Line X models. The outgoing ST Powershift variant currently costs £31,770. With the current Puma having become the best-selling car of 2023, Ford will likely stick to a similar pricing structure to further its success.