FORD PUMA GEN-E
Rating
★★★☆☆
Price
from €32,916 - €40,165 as tested
Power
it’s a pure EV with 166bhp Range claiming 400km but reality differs
The Spec
well kitted out and immensely practical
Verdict
disappointing
FORD, it seems right now, is like the old gunslinger that can no longer get his pistol out of the holster quick enough and consequently keeps shooting himself in the foot.
We talked recently about the company’s decision to stop development and production of two of its best-selling models — the Fiesta and the Focus — because it planned to go all-in on a new generation of EVs that would revolutionise the automotive sector like the Model T did all those years ago.
It didn’t happen and there have been a lot of wet wipes necessary in the upper echelons of the Dearborn management recently to wipe the egg from senior management’s collective face.
Aside from shutting down the Fiesta and Focus production lines, it also had to stop manufacturing an electric version of its best-selling F150 pick-up truck — largely because few in the US wanted such a thing.
That the company has been reduced to the motoring equivalent of a lend-lease deal with Renault to use its technology to build a new series of small cars for Europe, including, apparently, a new Fiesta — which has been miraculously resurrected at the altar of necessity — is a shocking capitulation for an outfit with the power, wealth, and resources Ford has.
The fact it is already heavily indebted to Volkswagen for providing the tech necessary to power their seriously ill-advised Capri reinvention, and various other cars which have proved to be singularly unsuccessful wherever they’re sold, is indicative of a company making a lot of expensive mistakes.
The cost of all this is now running somewhere in the region of $18bn (€15.45bn) and mounting. It is not
irreversible but you’d expect that, as is so often the case in American corporate culture, heads will roll. Many of them.
That Ford’s smallest product here in Europe is now the mini-SUV Puma is an indication of the many false steps Ford’s senior management has taken in the past two to three years; even if the car is a very acceptable contender in its segment — if flawed in many ways.
With EV technology coming along apace and previous norms for range in particular being shattered on a week-by-week basis, it is very necessary for the electric Puma to be close to the top of the pile.
After all, the car is Ford’s best-selling car in Britain, as it is here in Ireland. Somewhat shockingly, though, it lay only in 24th place in the Irish sales charts, which is markedly less in performance terms than the company is used to here in the Republic.
A traditional powerhouse in Ireland, Ford has slipped back notably — to the point where it sat in ninth place in the 2025 results, in between Peugeot and Dacia. The late Eddie Nolan, who presided over many of Ford’s glory years here, would be spinning in his grave.
Anyway, back to the Puma. The regular ICE versions of the car have proved popular — to a point and Ford really needed to see the EV version being a hit in the same way. I doubt that is going to happen.
The Puma Gen-E looks familiar — aside from the blanked-off grille — and that will certainly help with sales. It does have unique lights, as well as having a longer and lower front spoiler, as well as new air vents and curtains incorporated into the front bumper. Otherwise, it’s identical to the regular versions.
On the inside, the car is much the same as the facelifted Puma introduced in 2024, although it does have a different centre console with more storage. Also familiar will be the storage box in the boot which the designers have contrived to make ever more useful than it originally was.
While other Ford EVs have, as we’ve pointed out, utilised Volkswagen running gear — future ones will come with Renault workings —this one is all Ford’s own work. To be honest, its not really at the races.
There is only one choice of power source and it comes in the shape of a 53kWh battery pack, of which only 43kWh is useable. That means a claimed range of over 400km, but the reality is rather different.
My initial run in the car took me from Cork City to home in West Cork. I started with an indicated range of 409km to allow for a 125km journey. When I arrived, I had just 70km left. Go figure. I can assure you I did not thrash the Puma during the trip — it doesn’t generally do thrashing because it’s not built for it.
Simply the range vanished into the ether the further west I got. It was a similar story on the return journey, except there was only 55km left when I got to Cork after starting once again with an indicated range of 415km.
To say this was disappointing was to understate matters considerably and it does not suggest Ford is anywhere near being at the races here. Not at all in fact. Not only is it nowhere near its European rivals, it cannot even see the dust of the Chinese.
If there was one major plus point to be found here, it was in the handling department. The Puma has always had a good reputation in this regard and the EV version is no different. It corners with considerable elan and is a really nice companion on Irish roads. The ride quality is not at the same level, but the handling certainly makes it enjoyable to drive.
Well, it would be if you could get very far. But that was certainly not my experience and I have to say I was left scratching my head here. The why-did-they-bother question was pre-eminent in my mind.
Sure, stuffing the EV doings into a car designed for ICE products was always going to be something of a challenge and that’s partly the reason for the small battery pack, but Ford has not covered itself in glory here.
Just as a by-the-way, there’s 166bhp on offer here, the 0-100km/h time is eight seconds and top speed is just shy of 160km/h — all of which is acceptable enough, as is the 10%-80% charging time of just 23 minutes.
The interior is a nice place to be and the seating is comfortable. For a smaller car, the Puma is pretty roomy too, even for the punters in the rear. That storage box in the boot is also really handy.
It’s a nice car in many regards, to be fair, but it is sadly let down by its capabilities. Frankly, on this evidence, it is not a surprise that Ford has turned to Renault for the power sources for its future small cars.
If you’re city-based driver and like your Fords, then this might be an option for you, but if you’re not, there’s load of better things out there.
Back to the drawing board for the Blue Oval, then.
Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner.
Try unlimited access from only €1.50 a week
Already a subscriber? Sign in
