• 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, and now presents a more streamlined, stripped back design. While the build quality is reasonably good, the aesthetic has fallen to within the realms of quite dreary. It’s a symphony in black plastics, some harder and scratchier than others, but all inspiring very little. 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 We’re also not convinced by the enormous steering wheel. It’s simply too large, and awkward in shape to shuffle easily. We were left more often than not keeping our hands at nine and three. which felt like steering the car with the grab handles of a dinner tray.  steering wheel

Infotainment and tech

The Puma now features an 12-inch infotainment system running on Ford Sync 4 software. The screen is bright and easy to read, at least, while the interface is based around just a few main pages, so it’s easy to navigate through, too.

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.

153

Wireless charging is available as an optional extra, along with massaging seats and 12.3-inch digital dials, all of which lend the Puma a more technologically advanced and luxurious feel than the Fiesta. Also available as an option is a B&O sound system with plenty of power across its 10-speaker range and a commendable 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. 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 scalp-scraping altitude.