FAMILY CAR REVIEW: 2022 Ford Puma ST-Line V

How big is the boot of the 2022 Ford Puma?

The boot of the 2022 Ford Puma seems at first glance to be quite small and shallow HOWEVER it has a trick up its sleeve!

The boot floor of the Ford Puma ST-Line V drops down about 15cm…

… and this increase in depth makes it much more practical for families wanting to carry their family dog.

It's especially helpful when fitting big prams in the boot.

The boot of the Ford Puma holds ten shopping bags when empty, which is comparable to the Peugeot 2008, VW T-Roc, Hyundai i30 and Kia Stonic which all hold ten shopping bags as well.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as the kids lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

A twin stroller fits in the boot on its side with five shopping bags.

A tandem stroller will also fit in the boot of the Ford Puma with two shopping bags.

A single pram fits with four shopping bags beside it.

The compact stroller fits in the boot with seven shopping bags beside it.

Or you could fit a small-size dog in the boot of the Ford Puma.

How good is the storage throughout the 2022 Ford Puma for families?

Storage in the cabin of the Ford Puma is compact. In the front there are two cup holders in the central console, that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup.

In front of the gear lever is a phone charging shelf with USB and 12V sockets below on either side too.

There is no glasses case in the ceiling and the central console box in the Ford Puma is very small.

The glove box is a really generous size in the 2022 Ford Puma and my wallet and iPad would fit easily in the glove box. There is a shelf in the top of it too which is great for separating items.

The front door bins will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad and wallet behind it.

Door bins in the back are smaller but they will also hold a reusable water bottle.

There are net map pockets on the back of both the Ford Puma's front seats, they will hold an iPad but not conceal it and there is also a little phone shelf in the back of the central console box.

How noisy is the 2022 Ford Puma?

The 2022 Ford Puma is not an especially noisy car at all. The media touch screen is quite small for a modern car.

It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is great for connecting your phone easily and accessing your communication, navigation and listening apps.

The inbuilt media system is very basic and minimal, making it easy to navigate.

The reversing camera image in the Ford Puma is big but really milky, making it harder to see clearly when reversing.

The parking sensors could be turned off easily with a button down in the central console. As could the auto engine cut out which I did not find particularly disturbing in the Puma.

The cruise control is on the left of the steering wheel and I found it very easy to use while driving. It stayed within about 3km of the set speed.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The doors and windows of the Ford Puma were not loud to open and close and did not disturb my sleeping baby. You can lock the doors and windows separately from the front driver's door panel.

Road noise was quite tiring in the Ford Puma and I found on motorways I needed to turn the stereo up to compensate for it.

How many child seats fit in the 2022 Ford Puma?

The 2022 Ford Puma is a small five-seater family car, it has three top tether anchorages clearly labelled and within plastic guides in the back of the second-row seat backrests, which are easily accessible through the boot.

There are ISOFix anchorages in the two outer rear seats and they are clearly labelled and easy to connect to.

I was able to fit two Infasecure Attain More child seats in the second row of the Ford Puma, really comfortably.

With those child seats installed we could fit a 180cm passenger or driver in the front.

We found for our family of four we needed more legroom and with an Infasecure Aspire More forward-facing for our six-year-old and Attain More for our one-year-old we had room for my 186cm hubby to fit in both the driver and passenger seats in the front.

The 2022 Ford Puma is a good car for a family of four. There is no room for a third child seat in the centre and I could not squeeze in between the two child seats either but you don't really expect it of a small car of this size either.

Posting Bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car is a little tight in the Ford Puma. Being a small car the space is more compact than in a larger or boxier model but it is enough and it is comfortable for day to day life.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

There is room to feed Bub in the second row if you only have one child seat installed. The seats in the Ford Puma are my favourite thing! They are very comfortable and I really liked the black leather upholstery. They reminded me of a really good pair of leather boots!

How comfortable is the 2022 Ford Puma? And how good is the 2022 Ford Puma to drive?

The Ford Puma has a neat interior, and the front seats are very comfortable and look good too.

I found can have a ponytail in the front seat which is fantastic!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the rear seats are comfortable but you do have to straddle the hump in the central footwell if you sit in the middle. There is ample room to comfortably sit and feed Bub in the back with only one child seat installed.

For the first year of our Bub's life when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel in the Ford Puma is fully adjustable in/out and up/down.

The cruise control is on the left of the steering wheel and is easy to adjust. I found the cruise control quite accurate on motorways and on slower more undulating roads.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard of the Puma; two central ones below the media screen and one at either end.

They are controlled easily using the controls on the dash. There are no air-con vents in the back of the Ford Puma, which did make it a bit hot and stuffy back there for rear passengers and we had to angle our front vents so they would reach the back.

There are no handles in the ceiling in the back of the Ford Puma above both rear doors so we could not hang a child's toy like we do in most cars.

Visibility out of the Ford Puma is pretty good down the sides and being a small SUV it is easy to park and manoeuvre. When you have two child seats in the back visibility out of the rear window is compromised.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Ford Puma was simple to park being a small, agile car.

The Ford Puma ST-Line V I tested has keyless entry and a powered tailgate which made going to and from the car with my children nice and easy, especially when I was carrying the baby and their bags.

I found the Ford Puma a nice car to drive. It is compact and nippy, great around town and easy to park in school and supermarket carparks and then to work.

How safe is the 2022 Ford Puma?

Six airbags come as standard; there are dual frontal airbags and front side airbags and curtain head airbags for both rows of passengers of the Ford Puma.

The Ford Puma scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2019. Scoring 94% for adult occupant protection, 86% for child occupant protection, 77% for pedestrian protection and 74% for safety assist.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!