Hatchback

Ford builds some of the most popular cars in the UK, including the Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks.

This success is partly down to longevity and the fact that there’s a Ford dealer around every corner. However, it’s also because Fords tend to offer good value and be among the best cars in their respective classes to drive.

The company’s huge range also helps; it offers everything from the small – but surprisingly practical – Ka+ to the large and lavishly equipped Edge SUV.

Meanwhile, other highlights of the range include the S-Max and Galaxy people carriers, the Mondeo executive car and the Ranger pick-up.

FORD

Puma ST

The Puma ST is&nbsp;sharp and aggressive, but in turn intoxicatingly entertaining. Used examples are good value.&nbsp;

Used Ford Puma ST 2020-present

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Strong performance</li> <li>Precise, feelsome steering</li> <li>Agile, entertaining handling</li> <li>Reasonable ride comfort</li> <li>Smart and practical interior</li></ul>

Needing a&nbsp;practical load-lugger doesn't mean you need to scrimp on power and sporting prowess. In fact, most sporty manufacturers now have dedicated sports SUVs in their line-up with 0-62mph times to rival cars half their size.

Sports SUV

Meet George and Georgia, two used car buyers&nbsp;eyeing&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n22293">Ford Puma ST</a>. George enjoys performance in his SUVs, but prefers it delivered in an effortless, grown-up, comfy&nbsp;manner – he should look elsewhere. Georgia prioritises&nbsp;driver engagement and playful handling. She wants&nbsp;an effervescent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/sports-suvs/n20200">sports SUV</a>&nbsp;and that's exactly what the Puma ST is.&nbsp;

It shares many parts&nbsp;with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/fiesta-st/hatchback/used-review/n19133">2018-2023 Ford Fiesta ST</a>&nbsp;and, if you've encountered&nbsp;that class-leading&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/hot-hatches/n17005">hot hatch</a>&nbsp;before, you'll have a sense of what we're dealing with. Sure, the Puma ST isn't&nbsp;quite as nimble – after all, it's larger and around 100kg heavier – but it gets surprisingly&nbsp;close.&nbsp;

Under the bonnet is essentially&nbsp;the same 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine as you'll find inside the Fiesta ST, putting out&nbsp;197bhp and allowing for 0-60mph in 6.7sec. Being a three-cylinder, it can feel&nbsp;coarse below 2000rpm, but other&nbsp;from that, it's thoroughly strong and lively:&nbsp;you have great shove available at a motorway cruise, yet it still pulls keenly nearer the redline.

The engine plays&nbsp;a suitably butch tune, often including exhaust pops and crackles as you let&nbsp;off the accelerator and change gear. The six-speed manual gearbox super sweet to use, offering&nbsp;short, sharp, satisfying&nbsp;shifts, even if the gear lever itself is&nbsp;positioned too far down and back to suit most people's driving positions.&nbsp;

There's a touch of rubber regarding its feel, but the steering is quick&nbsp;and precise. That, aided by the Performance Pack's grip-enhancing limited-slip differential (LSD),&nbsp;gives&nbsp;the Puma ST an incredibly&nbsp;darty front end.&nbsp;With the Performance Pack, you also get&nbsp;sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres and launch control – the vast majority of&nbsp;used Puma ST's have this pack fitted.&nbsp;

The car's rear&nbsp;isn't glued to the ground, although that's no bad thing.&nbsp;A&nbsp;simple lift of you right foot during a bend can easily make the back end swing around (in a controlled fashion), adding another satisfying layer to its driving experience.

Comfort isn't stellar, as you might expect. The ride is firm and busy, especially at town speeds. Some people&nbsp;might find it too jiggly, but we believe most people – those aware of what they're getting into – will find it&nbsp;bearable. In fact, there are stiffer sports SUVs out there, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/hyundai/kona/hatchback/review/n23382">Hyundai Kona N</a> to name one.&nbsp;

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/small-suvs/n17050">small SUV</a>&nbsp;body style tends to grant its driver&nbsp;a higher seating position than your average small hatchback –&nbsp;the Puma ST is no different. This grants you improved visibility, although it's then&nbsp;hindered in this case by thick front and rear pillars.&nbsp;Thankfully, all models have auto LED headlights, auto wipers and&nbsp;front and rear parking sensors,&nbsp;with a rear camera being part of the driver assistance pack when new.

Key touch points inside the Puma ST, such as the steering wheel and gear lever,&nbsp;are wrapped in soft leather, plus the seats are finished in a grippy suede-like material. Given the&nbsp;price point, the interior doesn't feel far from premium.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The front seats are quite a bit beefier than the standard&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n20838">Ford Puma</a>&nbsp;ones, but there's still plenty of space to stretch out in the back, unlike in the&nbsp;Kona N. That said, if you’re going to be carrying tall passengers regularly, you might want to consider the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/volkswagen/t-roc/hatchback/review/n20444">VW T-Roc R</a>&nbsp;– it&nbsp;has a touch more head room in the back.

The ST, like all Pumas, can accommodate six carry-on suitcases in the main boot compartment and two under the boot floor. That's&nbsp;thanks to the fantastic&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/make/ford">Ford</a>&nbsp;MegaBox system – an 80-litre storage area that has a plug hole in the bottom so it can be easily hosed down.&nbsp;

We should mention that, as of writing, a new version of the Puma ST has just been launched. Dubbed the 'Powershift', it bridges the gap between the everyday ST-Line trim and the focal point of this review, the 1.5-litre ST.

The Powershift has a 168bhp&nbsp;1.0-litre unit – with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/what-is-a-mild-hybrid-and-should-you-buy-one/n22776">mild-hybrid</a> assistance – and&nbsp;a seven-speed auto gearbox, weakening&nbsp;the 0-62mph time from 6.7sec to 7.4sec. From behind the wheel, the ST Powershift isn't as much of a giggle as the fully fledged Puma ST.&nbsp;

If you're interested in finding a used&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/puma/hatchback/review/n22293">Ford Puma ST</a>&nbsp;or any of the other cars mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at great prices.

Ford Puma ST Hatchback

Porsche is best known as the quintessential sports car maker, but its line-up is increasingly diverse, interesting and successful, from its SUV family to the Panamera hatchback and shooting brake and, in time, a planned family of electric vehicles.

Whatever your choice, What Car?’s testers rate the cars highly; Porsche has an unusually high percentage of five and four-star cars.

Without exception, its sports cars are class leaders or among the class leaders, standing out for combining driving thrills with surprising luxury and comfort. Likewise, its SUVs are among the sharpest handling, as well as offering high levels of practicality and quality. Meanwhile, the Panamera is a true rival to the very best large executive saloons.

Porsche also sees itself as an electric car pioneer and has already enjoyed sales success with its plug-in hybrid range. Its first all-electric sports car is imminent, signalling the firm’s intent to stay relevant for many years to come.

PORSCHE

MACAN

The Macan is stunning to drive and not just for an&nbsp;SUV.&nbsp;Just be aware it's still a bit pricey, even used

Used Porsche Macan 2014-present

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/large-suvs/n17006">SUV</a> is a naturally tall and heavy species – the&nbsp;antithesis of the light, nimble <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/best/sports-cars/n24412">sports car</a>. As a result,&nbsp;building&nbsp;a&nbsp;successful&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/sports-suv">sports SUV</a>&nbsp;is tricky, although not impossible&nbsp;as demonstrated by the marvellous&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/macan/4x4/review/n52">Porsche Macan</a>.&nbsp;

The larger <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/cayenne/estate/review/n17375">Porsche Cayenne</a> hinted that it was doable, of course, even if its sheer size and bulk held it back from being an out-and-out driver’s car. The smaller and lighter Macan, based as it is on the mechanical underpinnings of the splendid <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/q5/4x4/review/n41">Audi Q5</a>, then truly confirmed it.&nbsp;

Engines &amp; Performance:&nbsp;There’s a range of punchy engines – no Macan is left wanting&nbsp;for speed –&nbsp;starting with a lively 249bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and encompassing a delicious 335bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 unit in the S, before stepping up to the tweaked and even quicker GTS and finally on to the range-topping 394bhp 3.6-litre Turbo version.

Buyers with half an eye on economy can even opt for a surprisingly good 3.0-litre diesel that's potent enough to rocket the Macan from 0-62mph in just 6.3sec, yet abstemious with regards to fuel consumption.

Ride &amp; Handling:&nbsp;The Macan sits among the&nbsp;best of the sports SUV breed, with accurate and well-weighted steering and plenty of grip. It's even sharper and more nimble than the already impressive Cayenne – its smaller size and lower weight are largely to thank for this, of course.&nbsp;

It rides well, too, and even the sportiest versions are reasonably refined. For maximum comfort, you'll want to avoid cars sporting the larger wheel options, but, in saying that, they're still fairly compliant.&nbsp;

Interior &amp; Practicality:&nbsp;Inside is an interior that lives up to the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals/make/porsche">Porsche</a> badge, with plenty of high-quality materials. It’s plush, rich and luxurious. The switchgear is chunky and nicely finished, the leathers are attractive and the fascia is very handsomely trimmed. The driving position is spot-on, too, and the infotainment system and its controls are all of a high order.

If the Macan has one flaw in this department, it’s the surprising shortage of space for rear passengers, especially for their legs. In fact, sit behind a tall driver and there’s leg room fit only for the very smallest of small children.

Trims &amp; Equipment:&nbsp;Being a Porsche, you'll find plenty of features&nbsp;were optional extras from new. For instance, you aren't guaranteed heated front seats or a reversing camera with the 2.0-litre petrol Macan. Fortunately, original owners are rarely frugal with their specifications – even so, double check the example you're looking at has all the bells and whistles you're after.&nbsp;

Having&nbsp;been around since 2014, there are now quite a few examples on the used car market, although&nbsp;you won't be able to find a diesel model registered after 2018 since&nbsp;that model was curtailed then as part a rationalisation of the engine range.

In 2019, the Macan received&nbsp;a major facelift that updated&nbsp;the looks with a new full-width rear light bar, new bumpers and&nbsp;some new colours. Inside there's a bigger 10.9in infotainment system and there have been some tweaks under the bonnet, too. From here onwards there is a 242bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine,&nbsp;a 349bhp Macan S, and&nbsp;a mighty 434bhp Turbo model.&nbsp;

The Macan received more attention in 2021, with another minor facelift. It&nbsp;introduced tweaked exterior styling and a reworked interior with the aim of keeping the Macan competitive against rivals.

Interested in buying a used&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/porsche/macan/4x4/review/n52">Porsche Macan</a>? Visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Cars For Sale</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

NEW REVIEWS:

Sports SUV reviews

2 Sports SUV video car reviews

Ford Puma ST Hatchback

Used Ford Puma ST 2020-present

Porsche Macan 4x4

Used Porsche Macan 2014-present

Sports SUV

Sports SUV Links

Quick search

Tools & services

Legal bits

Information