Is a lower-power, mild-hybrid and automatic version of the Puma ST worthy of Ford’s high-performance badge? Al Suttie tests it out.

Ford Puma ST 1.0 Powershift

List price (BiK): £31,435 (32%) CO2: 136g/km Economy: 44.8mpg Test efficiency: 41.1mpg

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Monday

Kids in a sweet shop, pig in muck – take your pick of analogies, but this is how I felt at the thought of a Ford Puma ST arriving for a week. I envisaged plenty of fun driving and taking the longer, twistier route on any possible journey. Then I read the small print and found this Puma ST was the Powershift automatic version with a smaller 1.0-litre engine, mild hybrid assistance and only 170hp. Could it live up to the bar set by its 200hp manual sibling?

Tuesday

At first sight, there is nothing about the automatic version to give the game away from the outside. Ford has not cheaped-out here. If anything, you get the Powershift auto ’box for free as this version costs exactly the same as the six-speed manual car, albeit with that 30hp deficit in power. Still, mild hybrid assistance lowers emissions by 12g/km to 136g/km, which should save you between £10 and £20 per month on Benefit-in-Kind.

Wednesday

After a couple of days of short drives, this morning is the first chance to stretch the legs of the Puma ST Powershift. Ford claims 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds, which is 0.7 seconds behind the manual. However, it feels slower and more sluggish in real life – perhaps as the 1.0-litre engine doesn’t deliver the same bark from the exhaust as the full-house model. On the move, shifts are smooth in the seven-speed transmission.

Thursday

On a cross-country trot into town today, the Puma ST Powershift handles every bit as well as its manual transmission counterpart, but the ride feels a touch stiffer. As a result, it picks up on more nicks in the road surface and doesn’t flow as effortlessly. However, the steering is still superbly full of feel and feedback, so you can push through corners as well as in any hot hatch.

Friday

It’s been nagging away at me for the past few days, and I thought it might be me. Yet, no matter how hard or what I try, I find the Puma ST’s auto ’box just won’t allow the car to pull away gently. Even allowing it to move off with no throttle input, as soon as I touch the throttle there’s a surge. It makes smooth, easy driving difficult and is doubly annoying when driving in town with its endless stop-start traffic.

Saturday

The mild hybrid assistance, coupled with the lower power output, means this Puma ST is turning in very decent fuel economy for a hot hatch. So far, it’s recorded around 41.1mpg compared to the official 44.8mpg, and I have not been easy on the accelerator pedal whenever the chance has opened up. Incidentally, the claimed combined economy of the auto model is 2mpg better than the more powerful manual ST.

Sunday

It brings no pleasure to write this, but Ford has made a rare misstep with the Puma ST Powershift. Where the manual car is one of the great hot hatches of the current crop, regardless of it being a compact SUV, the Powershift is hamstrung by its gearbox. Too snatchy off the line and not as swift on the road, the small economy and emissions savings are not enough to outweigh the far greater attractions of the Puma ST with six-speed manual gearbox.