This week, our road test man heads behind the wheel of UK best-seller, the Ford Puma.

Ford Puma 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 125 Titanium

List price (BiK): £24,685 (29%) CO2: 122g/km Economy: 52.3mpg Test efficiency: 59.1mpg

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Monday

It’s fair to say I like the Ford Puma. I’ve yet to drive a version I don’t like and I’ve recommended it to several family members and friends. High praise, indeed, and better still everyone who has followed this advice has been very happy. So, it’s a good day as this Puma mild hybrid 125hp Ecoboost model arrived in Titanium spec. Better still, it even has a manual gearbox.

Tuesday

There’s a lot to like about the Puma in this specification, but my highlight is the 1.0-litre petrol motor. It may be the least potent in the range, but it packs more than enough oomph for overtaking cruising, and plastering a smile on my face on some favourite back roads this afternoon. Returning from a meeting, I decided to take the long way home and the decision was rewarded handsomely by the Ford.

Wednesday

I have been guilty of approaching mild hybrids with a deal of suspicion. Little or no EV driving range combined with no appreciable uptick in economy or performance mark out most in my experience. The Puma, however, is showing a good deal better average consumption than the claimed 52.3mpg. Is this my driving style, despite yesterday’s enthusiastic dash, or is the Ford just very efficient? More to come on this.

Thursday

While I’m doling out the praise for this Ford Puma, it’s worth reserving a special mention for the gearbox. A lot of you will automatically err towards an automatic transmission nowadays, but the six-speed manual in this Ford is an absolute delight. Accurate, well-weighted changes coupled to ratios that offer an ideal balance of acceleration and quiet cruising – this is how a manual ’box should be.

Friday

With the weather turning very much to winter in the past couple of days, it was a frosty start this morning for the Puma and me. Still, the Quickclear windscreen sorted that easily and we were on our way while it was still dark. There were a couple of moments when pulling out of side roads that all-wheel drive would have been handy, but otherwise the Ford didn’t put a wheel wrong.

Saturday

Piling the kids into the car for the road tester cliché trip to the supermarket this morning – no football match due to the weather – and the Puma breezes it. Loads of space in the cabin, simple infotainment to keep the young ’uns amused, and a huge boot for the comestibles. The more time I spend with this car, the more I think the Puma is all you will ever need.

Sunday

Coming back to the question of economy that I touched on earlier in the week, we now have a final score. And, it’s (cue drum roll)… 59.1mpg. That’s against a claimed combined consumption of 52.3mpg, so the Puma has managed around 7mpg better than the official number with zero effort from me. If that’s not a reason to choose this superb compact SUV, I don’t know what is.