You guys are most definitely the best motoring show in SA! Could teach the guys on Ignition TV a thing or 5. Personally, I would have some of the cheaper competitors. I like spare money! An H6 for R60k less!!! Even the Tiggo7Pro and the Mahindra!
When I watch this - its a reality check. I bought a new Mustang Bullitt in 2019 for R995k. I was at Ford the other day and looked at this Puma. it looked great. Until i saw the price. your review further adds detail to what is compromised here. Mustang has averaged 10,5l/100km over 60,000km. so 7,5l/100km for a 3 cyl isn't great consumption. There are so many things missing here. Pity. Ford normally get it right. I don't think they did with this one.
I absolutely loved this review guys. You guys nail it with every single one of your reviews. I like this car but unfortunately it costs to much for the size of this car, I mean this car costs more than a Chery Tiggo 7 Pro Max. But nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed this review especially after a long day of work. You guys reviews calm me. Please do more budget car reviews this year guys when you get budget test cars as it's a very overlooked segment and not many people review them as thoroughly as you guys. I enjoyed that grand i10 review last year and I'm looking forward to more budget car reviews from this channel as well as times are tough. I trust you guys reviews with my life ❤😊
Glad you guys added sound system checks, it's a big thing for many South Africans and basically no car reviewers do it. I only realised how crap the jimny's sound system was when I sat in it.
I drive a 2013 Fiesta ST with the 1.6 EcoBoost motor. It has about 140 000km on it in over 10 years, and I've had zero issues. However... I service it more regularly than what Ford recommends. Sadly, despite how much I love my Fiesta, wouldn't buy another Ford in SA. Not because of the cars, but their customer service.
My 2013 Fiesta ST's 1.6 Ecoboom ate a spark plug at 145k km. Then 6 months after that it started drinking coolant. Ford discontinued the 1.6 for a reason, and never revised the block. Currently rebuilding my engine and looking at various options for reliability. But since I couldn't wait that long to get back on the road, got a Honda Jazz(Fit) as a daily.
@@MHBGT Did you replace the cambelt in that time? The lubricated belt doesn't last longer in EcoBoosts like Ford claims. They cause all sorts of issues if left the claimed 160k km. If you did replace it.. I should not drive that final 5000km and leave it in the garage as a display :P
@@LeRouxEnslin Like you, I did many additional oil changes, as I did not believe 20k km was reasonable. So every 6 months/10k km I did an additional oil change. That might have helped the belt reach 145k km. I did the water pump, tensioner and timing belt when the cylinder head came off for the spark plug job. Curiously, I've always experienced my spark plugs starting to "go" after about 40-50k km. Which is 10k km short of Ford's 60k km service interval. I should have remembered that to avoid the drama of a seized plug.
😂really enjoyed your test👍 Currently owner myself of Ford fiesta ecoboost dsg 2017 and odo now on 220000 still running like a watch with no breakdowns of any kind. Also my first Ford and what a good buy.
I’ve got this car in the UK, and love it. The facelift has just been released - fortunately the outside is virtually identical, but the inside has been overhauled. A bigger screen, but a lot less buttons, which I don’t like. Glad I’ve got this version. A great review, with a good mix of information and humour!
That price is crazy! Here in Australia, this has been on sale for 4 years and prices start at $30, 840 AUD currently (R383,051) which is considered to be on the higher end of the market compared to its rivals. Hasn't exactly done well here as well, due to that higher price and Ford AU's reputation for poorly marketing anything other than its Ranger/Everest models.
Cars on average are much more cheaper in Australia than in South Africa. It’s cheaper to buy and import a Corolla to SA than to buy one here (albeit illegal,hence the higher prices)
Favourite part of this video - Ciro belting out his ‘tunez’ 😂 Great video. I want to like this car. But the value proposition is killing it for me. Interested to see what the Territory will offer!
A couple of things: -Great review! -Overpriced -How did they sell so many in their first month at that price??? -Ford service levels in SA are horrible. That is why I sold my Ranger. -Is this engine not like 10 years old? How is the car still so expensive with no additional engine development costs? -Car looks cool, but pricey.
I actually own one of these. Vignale in Grey Matter. Yes, it is expensive but it also feels and drives like an expensive car. It replaced a 2018 Polo TSI. Fuel consumption is around 5.2 litres/100km. Happy with the car. Mine has massage function on the front seats and traffic jam assist. It takes the sting out of sitting in traffic because of load shedding.
@@Mondochiwan you can't help idiot's. It's not a BMW it's a ford a 5 year old ford that just got a update overseas that we are not getting. Id rather buy a Everest or a kia sonet of the same size.
Ford should bring back the focus or Fiesta .500k plus is way to expensive, which is more expensive than the starting price of single cab ranger.500k can also get you mazda cx5 which looks way better and much bigger.
Facts!✅️ There are lot better options with 500K ... You can get into a 50 000 km 2020 Fortuner with that price. Ford Puma is not going to survive for longer in this country.
Remember when manufacturers used to make decent budget cars at a good price. I dont understand how they think we can afford these type of prices when inflation is at a record high with salaries decreasing rather than increasing.
Ford SA can go kick rocks. R614K for a 1L 3 cylinder engine found in the departed Fiesta and EcoSport plus a maintenance plan or service plan is optional? Insanity. Bring the Focus back. Question how much ís that Ford Territory going to cost given the price of this hatchback on stilts? I'm done SA motor industry.
But everyone knows a Polo Vivo is the best off-road car in ZA? Also a "crossover" is a marketing term. The car is mechanically a sedan with a different shape. There is absolutely no SUV mechanicals.
Went to car dealer a few years ago, I was looking at a B-Max, was quite keen actually. Sales person wanted to show me another car, so pressed him for a reason, he just spoke soflty saying stay away. Nothing more. A rubber belt in Hot Oil .... mmmmmm .... This car, the Puma, has the same engine and similar mechanical layout to a Fiesta, B-max etc. Basically its late, very late to our market. Expensive and really not competitive. Haven't seen one on the road, other than the demo units.
Hi Ciro. I love the style of your reviews as well as your very useful insights. Your accent also makes me miss home. I moved to Auz 9 years ago, and at that time prices in SA and Auz were almost identical. Fast forward 9 years and Saffers seem to be getting fleeced when purchasing a car. The Puma ST line is R475,000 in Auz. (at todays exchange rate). This would not include a maintenance plan. A few months ago my wife and were shopping for 2 small SUV's. We tested the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross (1.4 turbo, CVT), Mazda CX30 (2 L naturally aspirated, Torque converter), Suzuki Vitara (1.4 turbo auto), Ford Puma as per your test, VW T-Cross (1L turbo, DCT), VW T-Roc (1.4 with torque converter), Skoda Kamiq (1L turbo, DCT) , Kia Seltos (2L CVT). All in the Puma's price range. My wife and I put the Puma at the bottom of our list. My wife chose the Kia Seltos Sport + that has every conceivable comfort and safety feature available. She liked the styling, real SUV looks (not pumped up hatch back), high stance, effortless ride and low price. Only real downside is the higher than average fuel consumption, but it uses the cheapest 91 Octane fuel. I went for the Skoda Kamiq which is not available in SA. It's a more spacious, slightly better handling/performance, more premium interior, more goodies and at a better price than it's VW T-Cross cousin. After I bought the car, a saw a site called Chasing Cars. They compared about 12 small SUV's and they crowned the Skoda Kamiq "king of the heap". The Kamiq has about double the rear leg and headroom of the PUMA and the NVH is much lower to. The Kamiq also beat the Puma in the Moose and breaking test. The Kamiq has things like dual zone climate control, 4 usb ports, wireless phone charging, digital dash, Android Auto, Apple Carplay, all the safety features, adaptive cruise control and 18" rims. BUT here is the kicker. I bought the Kamiq new 6 months ago for R 452,0000 and it came with a 7 year warrantee and a 7 year service plan (free car loan when servicing). Given Australia's proximity to China we have all the Chinese vehicles and they are starting to make in roads due to their competitive price (For most traditional Azzie's, Chinese cars are taboo, but they are popular with immigrants from non European countries and the budget conscious. Having said that, the MG small SUV is a top selling vehicle. MG electric cars are very popular too). For me the price difference is not enough to switch from a European brand, but if I was in SA, buying Chinese would be a no brainer given the high prices of the traditional brands.
Car prices are simply ridiculous. In 2022, I bought a Nissan Navara 4x4 with 1500km on the clock for the same price as this Ford Puma. I simply can't get my head around the fact that this little hot wheels car costs the same as my bakkie 2 years ago.
I feel like this misses the mark. I had the 2018 ecosport (pre facelift) and paid just under R300k for the titanium. This car is double the price and you’re just getting fancy tech like electric tail gates and what what but it’s basically the same car. Same engine, similar size. For this price, you can pick up a second hand suv with more creature comforts, you could even get a bakkie (that’s what I did). I get that the ecosport doesn’t exist anymore but imagine ford trying to tell an ecosport owner that need to spend double to get a slightly fancy version of the same car?!
I admittedly typed this while still watching your video so I know you’ve addressed this with the handbag comment, but I can’t see why on earth someone would buy this.
Just an FYI, Ciro, the 1L Ecoboom has just been recalled in the US and UK for various issues related to it cannabilising its own timing belt and clogging up the oil pump. But you know Ford won't give us that recall treatment until we get a few "accidents".
@@TheDarkSibAah awesome. Thanks for the info, Read up on the new "Fox" engine and it looks interesting. Turbo moved to the rear. But it does not change the fact that we did not get a recall on the all the 1L Ecoboosts that are just waiting to fail.
This is meerly a stop-gap replacement car. It has at the most, another 3 years left in Europe and we are just an after-thaught for Ford. It also indicates the financial outlook Ford expects for sales in SA. 😅
Finally!!! This is a really nice car, the price point is definitely insane considering Cherry and Haval's offerings these days. Hopefully this car will also price down like the Fiat 500x did!
Trust me that 1.0 is problematic. Uber drivers tried that engine and it kept on breaking down. There is a lot about that engine notwithstanding the very many awards it won.
Far too expensive for what you get. Your second hand car site offers a lot and have many features the other sites don't have wich you obviously looked at . But it is too complicated.
As a software dev this is pretty funny, it's basically a meme rivaling "but it works on my machine". "You have lots of features" "It's too complicated" Turns out adding features complicates things 🤯. Agree with you on the car though.
Recently bought a new Renault captur intens for R370k low mileage 113kw and 270nm - 7sp dual clutch gearbox Wonder why Ciro never took it for a review?
Before purchasing any Ford with the 3 cylinder ecoboost motor, you should research the issues with the degradation of the the internal rubber timing belts that run in oil. There is currently a class action on the go in Canada. I for one would not purchase any vehicle with this engine. The life of this engine beyond ten years seems to be an issue. These belts are very expensive to replace. You should check your drained oil for rubber debris. These debris can block the oil pickup and cause oil starvation with catastrophic results. Comments from Ford SA on this potential issue would be welcome.
The day I saw this car at a Ford branch I questioned an individual's sanity for buying it due to having owned ford for a while. Just dealing with their services brings instant ticks and eye twitching. Notwithstanding the price? How do they justify that other than inflation and customs charges? But then again, I tend to purchase vehicles with an intent and not look.
613k 😢 you can get a base model new ranger 😂 Not to mention other closer companions such as Cherry, Haval and VW that are way better on that 613k . I wanna drive it just to experience the switching off 3rd cylinder 😅 Great Review Ciro 💯
Ford wholeheartedly priced themselves out of the the South African market on this one. They have lost the plot completely after discontinuing the Fiesta, Figo and Focus.
Ford SA are smoking Tik if they think that this car is good value for money at that price... These things are everywhere you look in the UK and you can pick them up for silly money on the 1000`s of finance deals available here...
In about 10 years, most of the big brands wont be in SA anymore. The way our economy is going, the Chinese and Indian brands will be the majority on the roads. Sad…
My 2L GTi was 600k and comes with more features with a bulletproof engine and gearbox..just can’t imagine paying that much for a pap 1litre from Ford. Especially since it’s not exactly spacious in terms of practicality.
Juliet stopped singing, and you started 😂 Hard pass on the car. The price is eye watering for what you get. For that I’d rather but a second hand BMW X3.
I had a full engine replacement at 56000. I think Ford has lost the plot on the pricing. I can get a Chery Tiggo 8 ProMax with 187 Kw and 390nm torque for about R660000.
No 1 in sales in UK😂 ...shows you that a lot of people in UK can be completely wrong... But then... grandpa drove a Ford... Pa drove a Ford... I drive a Ford... son will drive a Ford... even if Ford suck
I thoroughly enjoy all the content you produce and especially the buying advice, I will never use your website for purchases though. There is no option to report the dodgy dealers who are advertising on your website, do you not have a team that is checking that all the listings are valid and not false advertising or is your company only interested in the revenue it gets from dealers posting listing on your site? there really needs to be some sort of verification process to protect the buyers using your website to look for vehicles
Utter madnes, Ford South Africa are mad!! I was also looking at but decided against, the government needs to look into the price of new cars something isn't right here.
So basically, the near sell by date stock they trying to get rid off in SA before new stock arrives. Would love to see how this compares to the VW T-Cross 1.5 Rline
If I may add something left field. I always stated the best Fords are the European made ones, traditionally. Mondeo Mk3 - you could not beat it. The Puma is made in Romania, almost Eastern block, almost Europe, but it qualifies. So it will be made better that an Indian Ford for example. The one other plus point Mr. De Siena did not touch, where I believe the Puma will have the upper hand over the chinian cars will be fun factor and good handling characteristics. After all, it runs on the famously brilliant Fiesta platform. And that in itself in my opinion makes it worth the extra rhinos. My 2004 2.0 Mondeo still gets less that 7 l/100km on the open road with 350k on the clock. I am sure the Puma will easily trump that. Keep in mind also the chinian cars are not renowned for frugality and we do not really know how they will last either. The upcoming Territory may be the the nail in the coffin for the Puma in South Africa, so if you want one, get it now.
Maybe they just build the 1.0 eco boost properly for SA. The engine in the EU, UK and USA got the nickname the "ecoboom" because of how unreliable it is. Something about poorly designed oil feed lines clogging up, and a timing belt (or guide, I forget which) which is soluble in oil...
@@MHBGT Ah I guess I should have been a bit clearer, I'm watching from the UK and I don't think I know anyone who has had a perfectly reliable ecoboom. Those I know in SA drive Japanese for a reason 😂
Great useable review Ciro covering all important aspects. This car doesn't make sense and yet it costs so much with no basic features. How can a car that costs over R600 000 have no rest USB ports and Air vents. Ford has lost the plot here and yet someone out there will buy this car.
Sad fact @fordsa got this so wrong that the Puma would properly quietly disappear from our market. Due to lack of sales and they just created another problem for themselves. The new Territory needs to be priced higher than the Puma so it doesn't steal sales. So the Territory will complete with the Chery 8Pro and Haval H9. But again once when the Puma is off the market they can introduce a budget Territory to fill the gap. Its not like we need a armrest, usb ports, vents, electric windows or seats at the back 😂. Puma is a great car just R150 000 - R180 000 over priced.
I m driving an EcoSport. Tried to trade in my Eco for this Puma. I didn't like the Puma. Even with the seat in the lowest position i couldn't see the instrument cluster clearly, to see the suspended traffic lights i was forced to look at it in a awkward position. I am a 1.9 m tall person so I quit on trading in our EcoSport ( yob 2019). Bigger/deeper boot than on the EcoSport, which by the way is not eco nor sport, especially with automatic gearbox. The puma (at least with a manual gearbox) is more agile compared with the EcoSport.
My mother bought a B Max brand new. One service in the engine went bang. As in Ford had to replace the engine. Other than that nothing out of the ordinary has failed. But an engine going kaput while the car is quite new is rather something.
@@benriefourie115Ford SA betrayed their loyal customers. They neglected to recall their cars for various issues that were fixed outside of warranty in the US and Europe. So no, it's not a good brand, but they do make some nice cars if you plan on rebuilding or replacing the engine every 5-7 years.
@@MHBGT true, but my mom's car had a DSG problem, also fixed under recall outside SA. She was never informed about it, only now she has problems I discovered there was a recall elseware. My family has owned many many Fords, all with litte to no problem. But I do get what you are saying. Ill still be a Ford loyal supporter ( even tho I am driving a Toyota at the moment. Hehe)
@@benriefourie115 I have a Fiesta ST, 1.6 ecoboost. Awesome little car. But it's been broken since December 2022. Hoping to finish the rebuild one day after correcting the defects in the block. Right now I drive a Honda :P
I broke on of the pistons in my Ecosport on 138000km. Needles to say, I had it fixed and traded it in. I don't really think the 1L ecoboost engine I'd that great.
Take the 2017 fiesta interior, add tacky fake carbon fibre accents and fake stitched leather everywhere to a ticking time bomb ecoboost with under 200nm torque, double the price the fiesta sold at 2 years ago and you have a "competitive" compact suv... That somehow has the same features, same fuel economy albeit the half the size car as a (basemodel) naturally aspirated Toyota RAV-4 GX-R AWD (double the size of it) at the same price "You may be asking, how is the puma better or different to the ecosport to justify the price?" It's not different or better by any significant means.
1.0l is not the greatest...had a focus sedan 1l sedan with 56000km just after 5 years. then cylinder 1 decided to pop. ford wanted me to pay R120k for a new engine but fought with ford customer care and they decided to replace the engine, waited 4 weeks for a new engine. sold the car 2 months later.
A brand new Ranger Double Cab starts at slightly less price than Puma, the issue is that more people can comfortably move around with Puma than with Ranger.
A person that buys one of these does so because the said person really wants this car . But for most of us this car doesn't make sense at all . The 1.0 Ecoboom engine is enough reason to avoid it ......
Saw an Omoda on display recently. R100k cheaper for the top end model, bigger in general (plenty knee room in the back), and has 1.5l engine. Haven't driven one, but it looked like a damn spaceship inside. Ford have missed the mark completely on this one I'm afraid. The Ford Puma is R250k more than it should be to be competitive
This thing is based on the fiesta platform, the Ecosport I always mocked as a fiesta on stilts was based on the same. The fact that they expect this dolled up fiesta on stilts to command half the price of some peoples houses is laughable and just shows how bad car prices are in our country.