Ford Puma - five stars but no comet for NZ

Sorry Puma fans – we’re only getting the tame versions, not the wildcat flagship.

GOOD news about the new Ford compact crossover soon on sale here if you’re interested in safety – not so much if sizzle is more your turn-on.

The positive is a top marks safety score for the Puma, decided by an independent crash testing agency whose opinion is most relevant to New Zealand drivers as it is the only organisation that has our Government’s sanction and to be fuelled by NZ tax funding.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Programme’s decision to give the new five-seater a five-star rating has thrilled Ford New Zealand.

It’s a positive for potential buyers, too. ANCAP says the car’s inclusion of autobraking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning and lane keeping, traffic sign recognition, driver impairment monitoring, rear parking sensors, TPM, Isofix and provision of six airbags across the range all weighed into the result.

That kit is available to all versions of the Puma – including one that was announced within a day of the ANCAP score being publicly shared.

The Puma ST, the green car pictured today, is set to stand as the family’s performance flagship, offering a peppier alternate to the one litre model that lands within weeks in two forms.

To refresh your memory, there’s a standard edition going for $29,990 plus ORCs as a launch special. The full RRP is $33,990. The higher specified Puma ST-Line (the blue car) adds adaptive cruise control, sports suspension, seats and body kit, hands-free tailgate, paddle shifters and other gear besides. It will go for $37,990 plus ORCs.

The ST obviously sits above that, being a taller-standing equivalent of the Fiesta ST and Focus ST, which have become popular here though are currently subject to supply disruption.

No good asking about the potential premium, though. As much as it might seem like good addition to the ST push, the performance Puma won’t be coming here any time soon.

The reason why comes down to the transmission. For now the Puma ST only comes with an orthodox, three-pedal manual. Ford NZ doesn’t see it finding it sufficient favour with that choice – they’d prefer it to have the two-pedal automated manual that is solely offered with the Focus ST now. There’s no sign of that happening, sadly.

The decision might leave ST fans a bit confused, given that the Fiesta ST is only available with an orthodox manual and seems to do just fine, regardless.

Ford New Zealand’s comms man, Tom Clancy, steered clear of going into the issue, instead simply stating: “….. no plans for the Puma ST for NZ.”

In respect to Fiesta ST and Focus ST supply, he said both had been affected “initially and again due to hurricanes delaying boats. However, supply is getting back online.

“More Fiesta STs are arriving next month, and dealers have Focus STs available. All of our initial stock of Fiesta ST sold out.”

Focus ST sales ramped up in August, with the type account for more than 30 percent of Focus sales. 

“We’ve seen the hot hatch faithful come in as customers but also new customers.”

The Puma versions signed up for duty here run a 1.0 litre three pot turbo petrol, good for 92kW and 170Nm from 1400rpm and in marriage to a seven-speed auto.

The ST, meantime, has a 1.5-litre three-pot engine with radial-axle turbo and the same 147kW as the Fiesta ST, but with an even beefier 320Nm – up 30Nm.

The extra shove in grunt gives the Puma ST the same 6.7 seconds 0-100kmh time of the Fiesta version, despite a more portly curb mass. 

Power is sent to the front wheels via a six-speed manual. It has a mechanical LSD and torque vectoring to reduce understeer and the same force-vectoring springs of the Fiesta ST. The steering rack is also 25 percent quicker, and the brakes larger than standard. Oh yes, and it sits on 19-inch black alloys with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.

On offer for the driving experience are Normal, Eco, and Sport driving modes and a new Track mode which disables traction control while limited stability control.  Optional is a launch control function. ST Recaro sports seats make their way inside alongside a flat-bottomed steering wheel and ST gearknob.

Surely it looks worthy of a petition, right? 

Meantime, back to the Puma’s ANCAP score. One interesting aspect is that it is was based on the latest examination standard, the barometer the Isuzu D-Max (for example) faced up so well.

Because? Well, while the Puma is only arriving now, the car launched in Europe in 2019 and subsequently went through Euro NCAP crash testing in December that year. 

That same five-star rating has carried over to the Puma here despite ANCAP changing its testing criteria this year to include a more stringent frontal offset crash, side impact crash and far-side impact crash tests.

ANCAP says the ‘Euro’ rating has carried over because it is still applicable to the Puma despite the tweak in local testing.

Mustang: Black Shadow yes, Mach 1 ... maybe not

Good news and bad seems set to arrive in respect to Fords’ latest Mustang ‘special edition’ news.

Latest talk from Detroit has downplayed NZ opportunity for the MACH 1 (above), but we do get the GT in a Black Shadow edition (below)

PREPARE to meet the Black Shadow … but perhaps don’t get your hopes up about the Mach 1.

 That seems to be the situation in respect to two special edition Mustangs, both of which pay homage – albeit to differing degree - to range-topping Mustangs from the late 19670s’ to early 70s’ muscle car era, whose announcements have synched.

In the same period Ford New Zealand chose to divulge information about a cosmetic package for the GT, called the Black Shadow, the parent in Detroit has finally fully unveiled a far more macho rendition of the V8 coupe, the new-era Mach 1 set to go into production soon for sale in 2021.

Like the original, the new-gen Mach 1 bridges the gap between the a standard GT and the Shelby Mustang, so packs visual upgrades alongside chassis and performance revisions, all intended to enhance its track feel.

A new intake manifold, oil filter adapter and a reflashed engine management system enhance power and torque to 352kW and 569Nm. Like the standard car, the engine sends its power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox, although a ten-speed automatic is offered as an optional extra.

Ford has also fitted a few extra mechanical upgrades that are designed to keep the car’s drivetrain cool on the track. There’s a pair of new heat exchangers – one for the engine oil and one for the gearbox oil – along with a cooling system for the differential.

As with the original Mach 1, Ford has worked on the Mustang’s handling, adding stiffer anti-roll bars, front springs and subframe bushes, as well as a set of tweaked adaptive dampers, a sharper steering rack and an improved brake servo. Buyers also get a new set of 19-inch alloy wheels, which are styled to look like the original Mach 1’s.

So exciting, right?

And now the bad news. In pulling the covers off the latter, Detroit has dampened hope about export potentials or even right-hand-drive development, having immediately indicated to media in the United Kingdom – a key RHD Mustang market - that it won’t be available there.

So, perhaps, the Ford NZ hope of seeing the Mach 1 is also ruined; though it says it will continue to hold out hope until being absolutely told otherwise by head office.

Meantime, the Auckland-centred operation is spruiking the Black Shadow, which is an interesting format on two counts.

First, the car is a reprisal of one of several specials first developed in celebration of Mustang’s 55th year of production, a milestone that was reached in 2019. Secondly, it is a variant Mustang’s home audience doesn’t experience.

Black Shadows are for export only and, from the information available, only New Zealand – which is taking 30 initially though more can be ordered if need-be - Australia and Brazil achieve this dress-up at the moment.

Based on the $82,990 5.0-litre V8 GT fastback, but with a $5000 premium (so, the same price as a GT convertible) the … erm …. ‘BS’ is all about kerbside attitude.

A Black Shadow is best identified by its boot mount spoiler and a set of unique alloy wheels, but the package also includes a lot of black accents, including on the roof, bonnet and side stripes, there’s a grille-mounted pony badge and some 5.0 wheel arch badges.

The body colour choices are limited to blue, a metallic grey, red and ‘Grabber Lime’, which is from Ford’s heritage palette – so-called because it’s inspired by a hue offered in North America on early 1970s’ Mustangs, including the Mach 1. Grabber Blue and Dark Highland Green, previously offered in NZ, are also from that collection.

The interior features various unique goodies and picks up the as standard the Recaro seat that is a cost-extra option for the standard GT.

Mach 1 not completely out of NZ’s reach

Ford NZ is among those getting revved up for a Mach 1 Mustang.

“IF we can get it for New Zealand we will definitely have to think about it – I mean, it’s such a legend, right?”

This from Ford New Zealand’s communications manager today in response to the latest and ultimate iteration of its popular Mustang muscle car, the Mach 1.

The parent brand has shared teaser images- but no video, unfortunately - of a kingpin mode which revives the legendary nameplate first used in 1969 and ushers in specific performance and handling upgrades designed, the brand boasts, to make it “the most track-ready 5.0-litre Mustang ever.”

Can Kiwis access this beast? One way or the other, yes: Because if it doesn’t achieve as a factory car for local release, buyers could always ship in a US-spec car as a private import.

Ford New Zealand, of course, would like nothing better than to represent the car in the showroom – there’s obvious potential to further spark up Mustang sales that, until Covid-19, were rolling along at 40 to 50 units a month, with V8 versions snaring the bulk of sales.

For Mach 1 to be ‘official’ requires it to be produced in right hand drive.

Is that possible? According to our neighbour, the answer is no. Ford Australia seems adamant variant is a US-based initiative, telling a news outlet there “the Mach 1 news is specific to the US.”

Ford NZ’s Tom Clancy, though, is more optimistic, in that he says there is no specific news from Detroit about who gets the car, when and how. Until all that it spelled out, it’s impossible to say one way or the other.

“It hasn’t been confirmed for right-hand-drive markets as yet,” he acknowledged. But that’s not to say it might not be. “It hasn’t been confirmed either way. 

“If it is, we will certainly look at it. We’re definitely excited. I mean, who wouldn’t be? There are a lot of enthusiastic Mustang customers in New Zealand so if it is conformed for right hand drive, we’d certainly want to know about it. 

“It would be very good for New Zealand. As soon as we  have news we will share it, but I don’t have any timing for when that might be.”

The highest-performance right-hand-drive Mustangs available at present are Roush and Shelby GT editions, which are in both case after-market enhancements performed locally on regular NZ-new 339kW V8 GTs. 

The ultimate Roush version is the supercharged V8, generally making around 510kW, whereas the top Shelby, the Super Snake, promises around 600kW. Ford Australia has concocted – but purely for home market consumption - a Mustang R-Spec, also supercharged, has 522kW and 830Nm.

Mach 1 will be naturally-aspirated and while Ford US has yet to announce outputs, it has promised it’ll be up to performance fans’ expectations. It also has dropped hints that the model is, in any event, about much more than a bad-ass engine.

The focus on transmission, brake, suspension and handling enhancements has been considerable as well. Ford has also treated it to track-rated Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber.

Visually, the Mach 1 is distinguished by styling cues that reference past editions. The front has a dual-headlight design with a second set of lights set inside the centre grille – a signature of the famous 1969 original.

The model is also expected to achieve a new front bumper and air inlet design, will take quad-exit exhaust pipes and a unique spoiler. The 19-inch black alloy wheels are in a spindle design to evoke historic association and it is sure to take ‘Mach 1’ decals and a two-tone paint colour scheme. BTW, the last time the Mach 1 designation was seen on a Mustang was in 2004. 

As much as Ford is rekindling its performance past, it is also taking Mustang into the future with another ‘Mach’, the Mach-E fully electric car. Which is also expected to hit New Zealand at some point.