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Ford Puma ST-Line Vignale Review

Sam Worth
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What's good?

– Smart looking
– A lot of standard tech

What's bad?

– A fully spec’d Vignale hits Puma ST price tag

What's the score?

7/10

Overview

Like the Ford Puma’s younger sibling, the Fiesta, the Puma can also get dressed up with a posh trim as well. It’s called the ST-Line Vignale. Why it’s got a slightly confusing name and isn’t just called ‘Vignale Edition’, like the Fiesta, I’ve got absolutely no idea. So, let’s just call it the Vignale for old times’ sake.

Anyway, the Vignale gets brushed chrome on the outside and leather trims and seats on the inside, to make it feel more premium. Does it work? Well, yes. But it’s not like you get inside and think for a split second you’ve accidentally sat in a baby Range Rover. However, the difference between the ST-Line and Vignale is noticeable, let me put it that way.

Starting at £25,745, which is over £3,500 more than the Titanium base model, the Vignale does feel a nicer car to sit in, or even look at from the outside if I’m honest. The cosmetic changes to the exterior do make the Puma look smarter, a lot smarter in fact, compared to the Titanium. I can’t say I’m a fan of the Titanium look, with those cheap-looking outer plastic wheel arches, which I can only see them fading away into a dreary pale grey colour in 15 years’ time. So, it’s good to know that you can see where your £3.5k has gone.

As for the exterior, the Vignale gets exclusive 18-inch alloys, fixed LED headlights, a unique front grille and rear bumper, gloss black and chrome inserts on the fog lights, side door mouldings, and a strip of chrome along the bottom of the windows. There’s also front parking sensors and keyless entry.

Drive

It handles brilliantly for a crossover and feels keen to tackle twisty British B-roads without an issue. The engine feels punchy and eager to push out power. It feels like taking a dog for a walk to the park. It’s presentable and does as it’s told, and when you let it loose off the leash, it wants to play and muck about. Not all crossovers, cars even, feel like they’re able to do both. That’s not to say it turns from a crossover into a hot hatch, but it’s certainly capable of putting a smile on your face.

The main ingredient for it being so playful to drive is because underneath the skin, is a Fiesta chassis. So, like the Fiesta, it feels agile at the corners. Now, although it does drive pretty much the same as a Fiesta, you do sit higher up, so there is a slight, and I mean only slight, amount of body roll. Is it enough to ruin the handling? Of course not. I’m being picky here, and that’s under hard cornering.

Although the Puma is comfortable, this Vignale is spec’d with the optional 19-inch wheels, so the ride feels firmer compared to the ST-Line X I reviewed a few months back. Yes, the bigger wheels do look dapper, but unless you want your mother in-law complaining about feeling almost every pothole and bump each time you take her to the garden centre, I’d stick to the 18s.

Like the ST-Line X, this Vignale has the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost engine with 153bhp. It feels torquey, with 177lb-ft sent through the front wheels. And being a three-cylinder, it doesn’t sound too rumbly either – like some three-pots do. The six-speed manual gearbox feels great, too. I’d go as far as to say it’s one of the best manual gearboxes on the market.

Interior

As you might have guessed, the inside looks almost identical to the Fiesta Vignale Edition. Although with the Puma, it gets a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster instead of traditional analogue dials. And when you compare the inside of the two of them, the Puma suits the posh Vignale trim, because it’s a crossover SUV, not a supermini.

Kids and OAP’s… do I have your attention? The Vignale also has lumbar massage. Although sadly, not in the back seats. I guess the kids will have to take it in turns sitting in the front passenger seat. Looks like you’re in the back, Mum (or Dad). Front seats are also heated, and so is the steering wheel.

The 8-inch infotainment touch screen uses the Ford Sync 3 system with DAB, USB, Bluetooth, Sat Nav, and is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The system has a clear display and is responsive. I can’t fault it really. It’s easy as pie to use and has a good amount of configuration settings.

The back of the Puma, as you might have guessed, looks virtually like the Fiesta Vignale. The seats have a different pattern and there is slightly more room, but apart from that, it’s almost the same.

You still of course get the mini swimming pool in the boot (the Megabox). Chuck your wellies, boots, and, basically, whatever will go in there. The box is waterproof and drainable, which is extremely handy. The Puma can now be spec’d with a mini spare wheel, as it wasn’t before. So, when your tyre is flat, you can chuck the spare on, or even better than that, put the massage feature on and wait for the breakdown service to turn up.

Verdict

I will admit, I wasn’t sure on the Puma Vignale to begin with, as I thought it would be the same as the Fiesta Vignale, which I wasn’t keen on. But, because the Puma is a bigger car, and is more like an SUV, the Vignale works better on the Puma than it does on the Fiesta. I mean, it does make sense, because a lot of people are wanting SUV nowadays, so having a fancy trim on the Puma is going to make it feel a bit more up market.

However, put the leather and chrome bits to one side, and get yourself a cheaper ST-Line, which is still a great looker. Plus, it still gets a load of tech. Yes, the Vignale looks smart, has lots more tech, and without adding on any extras, it’s not too badly priced either. But the ST-Line models are still the best buy.