The Ford Puma ST long ago gave up trying to hide. Spy photos back in February showed the sporty crossover without a lick of camouflage. It was just sitting there all exposed. Since then, we've published more spy photos, the Puma naked as ever, and Ford launched a teaser campaign for it earlier this month. We feel that its reveal is fast approaching, but that hasn't stopped Ford from further fine-tuning it before it goes on sale. New spy photos show the Puma ST at the Nürburgring.
These spy photos don't show us anything new because Ford doesn't have anything to hide. The Nürburgring spy photos have the Puma looking ready for production with its revised and sporty looks. That includes its reworked front fascia with its more aggressive styling, rugged fender extensions, and unique, asymmetrical wheels. That's not all – other sporty touches include the larger roof spoiler and its redesigned rear bumper. But you don't go to the Nürburgring to show off some flashy new sheet metal. You go there to perfect the mechanicals.
The Puma ST should borrow the turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine from the Fiesta ST. In the hot hatch, the mill makes 198 horsepower (148 kilowatts) and 213 pound-feet (290 Newton-meters) of torque, which should propel the Puma to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in the high six-second range. Power will route to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.
That sounds like a fun package, but don't get excited about it. Ford has no plans to ship the regular Puma, let alone the sportier Puma ST, to the United States. However, we do expect sales to begin before the end of the year. The company's first teaser only says the new Puma "is coming," though we can't help but think that that will be sooner rather than later.
