The Ford Puma Gen-E: It's Electric!
Image Credit: Ford.
Oh boy, here we go again. Another day, another car company dipping its toes into the electrifying waters of the EV world. This time, it's Ford, with their new Puma Gen-E. And quite surprisingly, this one has a few tricks up its sleeve. And no, it's not the fact that it can go from 0 to 62 mph in a respectable 8 seconds.
The big surprise? There's a battery under the back seat. Ford decided to get a wee bit creative with the Puma's battery. Instead of hiding under the floor as is the norm, it's tucked away beneath the rear seats. It turns out that Puma's platform wasn't exactly designed with electrification in mind. Who knew?
Image Credit: Ford.
Hang on a minute, doesn't that mean it's a small battery? That means terrible range, right? Well, not exactly. Ford claims the Puma Gen-E can go 234 miles on a single charge. Okay, I know that's not enough for a decent road trip, but it's more than enough for your daily commute and a quick trip to the grocery store. Plus, with a 100kW DC rapid charger, you can juice up the battery from 10% to 80% in just 23 minutes. That's faster than I can order a latte at my favorite coffee shop.
But the real reason we're all here is to talk about the Gigabox. Yes, Gigabox. It's like a Megabox, but bigger. And trust me, it's big. With a whopping 574 liters of space, the Puma Gen-E's trunk is practically cavernous. You could fit a small family of clowns in there, or, you know, a week's worth of groceries. And in case you forgot - Puma is a small crossover; it's not even a half-size SUV!
Image Credit: Ford.
All these batteries and trunks, but what about the car itself? The Puma Gen-E is actually a pretty stylish little number. Ford has given it a gentle facelift, and smoothed out the front end for better aerodynamics. Thankfully, it's not completely faceless. There's still a ghost of the grille there, so it doesn't look like it lost a fight with a stapler.
Inside, the Puma Gen-E is just as impressive. The cabin is spacious and comfortable, with plenty of room for both passengers and cargo. The tech is taken care of by a 12.0-inch touchscreen, a 12.8-inch digital gauge cluster, and a square-ish steering wheel. Because, you know, round steering wheels are so last year.
But here's the real nugget. Ford is hinting at a possible ST version of the Puma Gen-E. That's right, a sporty electric Puma. Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds like a recipe for fun. Zipping around town in a little electric hot hatch, leaving all those gas-guzzling dinosaurs in the dust, is my kinda thing.
Of course, there are a few things about the Puma Gen-E that make me raise an eyebrow. There's that small battery. Really, Ford? You couldn't have squeezed in just a few more kilowatt-hours? But the biggest issue by far is the price. The Puma Gen-E starts at around $40,000 which isn't exactly what I could call cheap.
Image Credit: Ford.
I have to say, I'm quite impressed with the new Ford Puma Gen-E. It's a stylish, practical, and fun little electric car. A bit pricey but with a possible ST version on the horizon, the future looks bright for this electrifying feline.
