Ford Puma Owners - living with opinions/advice!
Ford Puma Owners - living with opinions/advice!
Author
Discussion

90johnhenry

Original Poster:

34 posts

167 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Evening

After a search a few days ago for suggestions on for my next more economical and less expensive to run car;

i have been to see a couple of avensis' (rather a reality check from a leather seated forester frown ) - i ended up looking around and stumbled on a ford puma, which seems to have a fair old following on here! It fits the criteria, so im looking biggrin This is where you owners (past and present come in!

What rpm does it do at 70 & 80??

What sort of mpg do they return in daily driving?

whats it like comfort wise on bumpy roads?
the roads round us, which i mainly drive are littered with potholes & bumps, cant be dealing with a stiff sharp ride, but neither massively wallowy

thats basically it really
I know there are engine variations 1.4, 1.6 & the 1.7, if you could put what you have that would be great as well smile
cheers
John

petrolsniffer

2,554 posts

204 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Rpm at 70? I can't exactly remember what mine did I think it was around 3200?

Mpg wise 30-40

The ride is a little stiff its very simular to a hot peugeot a niceish ride but still has great handling

Mine was wrote off last year 62k full ford history air con etc gutted

So this weekend im hopefully buying another

Easily the best all round hatch I've ever owned.

davepoth

29,395 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
1.7 is the one to have - the engine is unique to the Puma. The other motors are the same as an equivalent age Fiesta, and since the Fiesta has the same floor pan but is a bit more practical I might consider one of those as well.

Chrisw666

22,655 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
1.7 is a peach, 30-35 mpg round town more on a run.

70 is about 3500 rpm, 80 is just after 4000 so the car gets a bit thirstier due to the VCT.

Great fun to drive and fairly reliable, mines been a daily that's done everything asked including a trip to France without skipping a beat.

It isn't a waft-mobile but can hold its own on the motorway, practical too if you don't need to put full sized adults in the back. Ride comfort is fine, a bit stiff but nowhere near as stiff as modern sporty stuff.

sicarumba

440 posts

193 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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We have a 2001 1.7 Puma, I'd say it's a good balance between handling and ride quality. Certainly not wallowy but can be chucked around all day without breaking your back. 80mph sits just below 4k RPM. We get around 40ish MPG driving normally, mixture of town and motorway work.

I recently had a brand new VW Polo 1.0 hire car and after stepping back into the Puma I was amazed at how nice and tight the gear change and steering felt in comparison.

MrBrightSi

2,926 posts

200 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
petrolsniffer said:
Rpm at 70? I can't exactly remember what mine did I think it was around 3200?

Mpg wise 30-40

The ride is a little stiff its very simular to a hot peugeot a niceish ride but still has great handling

Mine was wrote off last year 62k full ford history air con etc gutted

So this weekend im hopefully buying another

Easily the best all round hatch I've ever owned.
1 of 2 hatches you owned.

I agree theyve got a peach of an engine.

You sit far too high and the overall looks are a bit girlie.

petrolsniffer

2,554 posts

204 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
MrBrightSi said:
1 of 2 hatches you owned.

I agree theyve got a peach of an engine.

You sit far too high and the overall looks are a bit girlie.
Erm one of three actually

The seating was never a problem for me and I'd say they look handsome

Edited by petrolsniffer on Thursday 7th February 20:10

Chrisw666

22,655 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
If I had to nit pick the seating is a tad high but not uncomfortably so.

For a small car based on a shopping hatch, with a fairly low powered motor it offers a great package if you enjoy driving. The steering, gearchange, handling and throttle response are all much better than they probably have any right to be at the price it was new and they are available for now.

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

258 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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Can a 6ft 4in person comfortably drive one of these? smile

Chrisw666

22,655 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Maybe, it depends if your all legs or all body.

I'm 6ft and not slim and am comfortable behind the wheels.

FWDRacer

3,565 posts

254 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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36mpg - cruise at 80mph. One of the best FWD chassis ever - benign, chuckable and loads of fun. Owned a 1.7 for 9 years. Ageing very gracefully IMHO. 'Nuff said.

350nick

65 posts

178 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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Loved mine apart from the rusting arches!

I used to get late 30's mpg

I'm 6'3" and fit alright, quite tight but no worse really than my 350z I have now.

Overall i'd really recommend a tidy 1.7

funkyrobot

18,789 posts

258 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Chrisw666 said:
Maybe, it depends if your all legs or all body.

I'm 6ft and not slim and am comfortable behind the wheels.
More legs than body. smile

wolfy1988

1,426 posts

193 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Hi

I sold mine about 6 months ago and I have regretted it nearly every day.

For inspiration smile


Motorway at 80mph is around 4k, yes it does use more fuel at that speed but it also picks up really well too due to it being right on the VCT.

I averaged 36mpg which at the time I thought was rubbish but now when I look back on it, it was actually remarkable considering how it was driven.

Every red light turns into a grand prix start, it absolutely begs to be driven, it has the most fantastic little gearchange on it and the chassis really does live up to the hype!

I sold mine to an old boy who said it was to be his last motoring fling before he hands in his license. He gave me €50 more than I had advertised it for and drove off with the handbrake on weeping


petrolsniffer

2,554 posts

204 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
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I LOVE that blue ^^^^ shame they're not so popular in it.

NiceCupOfTea

25,606 posts

281 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Agree with most so far.

Loads of fun, chuckable, nippy, great handling, cheap to run, great engine, fairly reliable, good ride.

On the downside, rust, crap interior, seating position too high, rust, leaks like a sieve, rust, Ford build quality, high 20s/low 30s economy around town. They also rust.

davepoth

29,395 posts

229 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
NiceCupOfTea said:
Agree with most so far.

Loads of fun, chuckable, nippy, great handling, cheap to run, great engine, fairly reliable, good ride.

On the downside, rust, crap interior, seating position too high, rust, leaks like a sieve, rust, Ford build quality, high 20s/low 30s economy around town. They also rust.
You forgot to mention the rust.

wolfy1988

1,426 posts

193 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Mine was completely free of it but it was the only one I have seen/heard of that rust free.

There are loads for sale so I if I was you I would definitely buy on condition as there are an awful lot of ropey one around.

Pumapeople.com is a decent forum for help and advise.



mikeyr

3,401 posts

223 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
The 1.7 is a fantastic engine, lovely pull from low revs and decent mpg, especially if you keep it below 80... Love driving it, fun but never twitchy. Suspectible to speed bumps which can knock tracking out. Watch for rusty rear arches, I was lucky to find one without! Gear knob is freezing in winter, but don't let that put you off. One if those rare cars I think is under priced for what you get. Oh, and boot is decent size but funny shape, have to drop stuff in

350nick

65 posts

178 months

Thursday 7th February 2013
quotequote all
Still miss mine and I sold it in 2008.

I would love another but I never seem to see a rust free one.

Also I sometimes think it might not be as good as I remember, but they are still quite highly regarded.