Our man embraces his inner hot hatch hooligan with the 200hp Ford Puma ST.

List price (BiK): £30,270 (34%) CO2: 148g/km MPG: 42.8mpg Test efficiency: 39.3mpg

Our Puma ST rests up inbetween some “enthusiastic enjoyment”

Monday

There was a part of me that was a bit disappointed the Ford Puma ST that arrived this morning was not finished in the £525 optional Mean Green metallic Kermit hue. Still, the sparkly Grey Matter colour that costs the same as the green shade is probably an easier one to live with long-term, and certainly saves my neighbours’ view when the car is parked on the driveway.

Tuesday

If the Puma ST’s grey paint is a bit on the subtle side for my inner hot hatch hooligan, there’s nothing lacking about its performance. From a standstill to 62mph is claimed in 6.7 seconds and my very accurate seat-of-the-pants-ometer says it’s a bit quicker than that. It may not have all-wheel drive, but the Puma has excellent traction off the mark and pulls hard and fast through the snicky six-speed manual gearbox.

Wednesday

If hot hatches are now to be based on small SUVs, such as the Puma and Hyundai Kona N, it’s not such a bad thing in my book. For starters, the Puma comes with these excellent front seats that have loads of adjustment, support and top-drawer comfort on a long trip today. The extendable front portion of the base keeps thighs from aching, while the suede-like centre offers a good grip on your torso during spirited driving.

The Ford Performance front splitter sits rather close to speed bumps. It’s also become a bug cemetery during our tests

Thursday

The bluff front of the Puma gives the car a bit of attitude, but it’s also proving to be an irresistible splatting surface for every fly and bug in the car’s vicinity as you drive. Keeping it clean would be an ongoing battle in longer-term ownership, and maybe that Mean Green would prove a bit troublesome on this front. Also, the Ford Performance front splitter is perilously close to speed bumps.

Friday

You’ve got to hand it to Ford, they have come up trumps with the Puma’s boot. The additional load space under the standard floor is enormous and the waterproof plastic tray makes it ideal for throwing in my son’s soggy football kit this evening. This picture was taken beforehand, but the boot was also easy to wipe clean of the mud and grass deposited by muddy sports kit.

Saturday

The 19-inch alloy wheels of the Puma ST contribute to the car’s firmer ride than other Pumas. It doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but giving a friend a lift today and they remarked the car felt “very sporty”. This wasn’t meant as a criticism, I think, and they weren’t aware of the ST’s hot hatch credentials, so it looks like Ford has managed to project the right sensations with this car’s set-up.

The Puma crossover is hugely practical, helped by extra under the standard floor

Sunday

One week with the Ford Puma ST and it’s pretty much my ideal everyday car. The official combined economy of 42.8mpg was not too distant from the measured 39.3mpg. With a bit less of my enthusiastic enjoyment of the car on local back roads, I reckon it could match the official number. The BiK of 34% is a bit steeper to deal with, but the Puma ST is a rewarding driver’s car for the cash.