Used Ford Puma ST-Line cars

The Ford Puma ST-Line is the sporty-looking one in the small SUV’s range of trim levels. It sits in the middle of the range, costing not-a-lot more than the entry-point trim level. Buy an ST-Line and you get similar styling to a high-performance model but without the higher running costs – a very appealing combination.

The Ford Puma is a compact SUV that’s a rival for cars such as the Nissan Juke and Renault Captur. It uses many of the same mechanical and electric parts as the Ford Fiesta (and has an almost-identical dashboard), yet it’s slightly longer and taller. It’s fun to drive and spacious enough that it can be used as a family car. The boot is large for a car of this size and if you lift up the boot floor you’ll find a huge extra storage compartment, which Ford calls MegaBox. It’s made from hard-wearing plastic and holds up to 80kg in weight. There’s also a plughole in the bottom so you can clean it out with a hose. 

Many of Ford’s high-performance models are called ST – Fiesta ST, Focus ST and so on. It stands for sport technologies. ST-Line models have sporty styling similar to that of the ST models, but they have the ‘regular’ engines that are available with other trim levels. That way, you get the look of a fast car but with lower running costs. It’s a formula that has proven to be really popular – the ST-Line trim level is available on most Ford cars.

Besides ST-Line, the Puma is available with two other trim levels – Titanium and ST. Titanium is the entry-point trim level and the Puma ST is the high-performance model. ST-Line sits between the two. It has more standard features than Titanium, but fewer than the ST. ST-Line is the most popular trim level in the Puma range because its sportier styling is more appealing and you get the extra features for less than £1,000 more than a Titanium when buying a new one. You’ll pay a similar premium for a used example.

You can easily spot a Puma ST-Line. Compared to the Titanium, it has a different design of alloy wheel, deeper bumpers and side ‘skirts’, a bigger rear spoiler, a black front-grille surround, a chrome exhaust tailpipe and body-colour (rather than grey plastic) trim around the wheel arches. You might also notice that the car sits a bit closer to the ground – it has lower sports suspension that makes it a bit more fun to drive, but at the expense of a slightly firmer ride. Though you’d have to try the Titanium and ST-Line back-to-back to notice the difference. 

Inside, you’ll find sports seats with red stitching and an aluminium gear knob. You also get a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display instead of the Titanium’s analogue dials. The display can show the usual speed and distance information, your phone book, entertainment selections and sat nav maps. 

So far, we’ve been describing the ‘standard’ ST-Line trim level. There are, in fact, a few variations on it. The one you’ll come across most often is ST-Line X. It gets lots of extra features including automatic climate control, a wireless phone charging pad and a Bang & Olufsen stereo that sounds fantastic. It also has bigger 18-inch wheels, privacy glass and different seat upholstery to differentiate the styling a little from the standard ST-Line.

There’s also the luxurious ST-Line Vignale which has full Sensico (artificial leather) upholstery, heated front seats with a lumbar-massaging function and a heated steering wheel. You can spot it by the different design of alloy wheels and the front grille with chrome details.