Ford has confirmed that the crossover SUV, the Puma, is making its way to South Africa in 2023 – with a starting price of R570,000 attached. It’s most likely going to replace Ford’s EcoSport in the market, which has now been discontinued.

If you’ve been to Europe before, you’ve probably seen one of these rolling ‘round the streets. The Puma has been on the market in certain countries since as far back as 2019. South Africa will see two derivatives come October: the Puma Titanium and Puma ST-Line Vignale.

A Puma for both sides

To lay your hands on Ford’s Puma Titanium, you’ll need that R570,000 we mentioned earlier. Things start to look pricier with the ST-Line Vignale, which asks buyers to dig deep with a starting price of R614,000. Ford’s not including the cost of a service plan in that, meaning buyers will “have the option of purchasing” one if they wish.

It won’t be going to waste, though. South Africa’s models will launch with the turbocharged 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder EcoBoost petrol engine, which Ford reckons will deliver 92kW and 170Nm of torque at peak output. Both models will turn up with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard.

David Guetta’s favourite car

If it’s the Titanium you’re after, you’ll have to put up with 17in alloy wheels (the horror!) and chrome embellishments on the grille, fog lamps and skirts. There’s no keyless entry on the Titanium model to get inside, which has been affixed with leather and “wood-like appliques” to everything that’s nailed down. That means leather-clad steering wheel and seats, with the cluster bezel getting all the fake wood Ford could find space for.

The ST-Line Vignale differs from its entry-level counterpart with 18in alloy wheels and a sport suspension. The chrome embellishments get the boot in favour of a classier matte-black option. It’s sporting a larger spoiler, too with glossy surrounds on the fog lamps. Inside you’ll find the flat-bottomed steering wheel, alloy pedals and an aluminium gear shifter.

The ST-Line tries to justify its price with the inclusion of a 12.3in fully configurable digital instrument cluster, a “high-end” Bang & Olufsen sound system, keyless entry and start, and wireless charging.

Sharing favourites

Ford’s SYNC3 OS, together with an 8in touchscreen, make up the infotainment system to keep you connected to the vehicle. That’s slightly disappointing, considering how much better the SYNC 4A system found in the brand’s newer cars is. Maybe that can be fixed with an over-the-air update further down the road.

If you’ve got the dough to spend on the optional ‘Driver Assistance Pack’ which is available for both the Titanium and ST-Line Vignale, Ford will include adaptive cruise control, a blind-spot information system, sensors galore, a rearview camera, parking assist and something called a driver impairment monitor. Ford doesn’t mention how much that’ll cost, but we can guess it won’t be cheap.

It’s still pretty early in the launch cycle, so if you’re interested in the Puma, you can sign up for ‘Insider updates‘ on Ford’s SA site.