Ford New Zealand has announced a mild hybrid version of the Puma, coming in Q2 2022. There will be two MHEV variants; the Ford Puma EcoBoost MHEV and the Ford Puma EcoBoost ST-Line MHEV.

Ford’s EcoBoost Hybrid 48-volt technology will offer lower C02 for Puma MHEV customers, with the MHEV electrified powertrain integrating electric torque assistance with a low-friction, three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine to deliver up to 210 Nm.

“Our customers love their new Ford Pumas,” said Rachel White, Ford New Zealand Marketing Manager, Passenger and SUV. “We get fantastic feedback, particularly on its stylish design, clever interior and great driving characteristics.  Adding the Mild Hybrid next year will increase its appeal even further and give those looking for an electrified solution a fantastic choice.”

2022 FORD PUMA: Advanced powertrain technology

Ford New Zealand Puma customers will be among the first to benefit from Ford’s MHEV architecture – tailored to enhance fuel efficiency and C02 while complementing Ford’s fun to drive experience with more powerful and responsive performance.

EcoBoost Hybrid technology enhances Puma’s 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with an 11.5 kW belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG). Replacing the standard alternator, the BISG enables recovery and storage of energy usually lost during braking and coasting to charge a 48-volt lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack.

The BISG also acts as a motor, integrating with the engine and using the stored energy to provide torque assistance during normal driving and acceleration, as well as running the vehicle’s electrical ancillaries.

With 91kW of power, the intelligent, self-regulating MHEV system continuously monitors how the vehicle is being used to determine when and how intensively to charge the battery for optimal benefit, and when to utilise the stored battery charge using one of two strategies:

Torque substitution, which deploys the electric motor functionality of the BISG to provide up to 50 Nm of torque – reducing the amount of work required from the petrol engine for a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 9 per cent. Torque substitution contributes to lower CO2 emissions from 112 g/km WLTP3* and fuel efficiency from 5.4 l/100 km.

Torque supplementation, which deploys the electric motor functionality of the BISG to increase the total torque available from the powertrain by up to 20 Nm above the level available from the petrol engine alone at full load – and deliver up to 50 per cent more torque at lower rpm – for optimised performance

The BISG has also enabled Ford engineers to lower the 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine’s compression ratio and add a larger turbocharger for more power, by mitigating turbo-lag using torque supplementation that also rotates the engine faster for maintained turbocharger boost response.

Able to restart the engine in approximately 300 milliseconds – about the same as the blink of an eye – the BISG also enables the Puma EcoBoost Hybrid’s Auto Start-Stop technology to operate in a wider range of scenarios for even greater fuel savings, including when coasting to a stop below 15 km/h.

2022 FORD PUMA: Drive mode technologies

Ford’s selectable Drive Mode technology enables drivers to adjust throttle response, ESC, traction control, plus gearshift timings for automatic models, to match responses and performance to the driving scenarios.

Drive Modes including Normal, Eco, Sport, Slippery and Trail enable customers to tailor their drive experience to road, weather and terrain conditions on demand, with each Drive Mode featuring a unique graphical display in the instrument cluster. 

Puma further optimises Ford’s B-car architecture that also delivers driving dynamics for the Ford Fiesta. A new, stiffer twist-beam rear suspension, larger shock absorbers, stiffer suspension bushes and optimised suspension top mounts reduce friction and enhance stiffness throughout the chassis to support optimal driving dynamics, says Ford.

The new Puma Mild Hybrid will be available in New Zealand from Q2 2022 with pricing to be announced closer to arrival.

* WLTP3 Figures are based on EU WLTP4 data and final NZ figures to be released closer to launch

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How on earth to start this? I've been car/bike/truck crazy since I was a teen. Like John, I had the obligatory Countach poster on the wall. I guess I'm more officially into classic and muscle cars than anything else - I currently have a '65 Sunbeam Tiger that left the factory the same day as I left the hospital as a newborn with my mother. How could I not buy that car? In 2016 my wife and I drove across the USA in a brand-new Dodge Challenger, and then shipped it home. You can read more on www.usa2nz.co.nz. We did this again in 2019 in a 1990 Chev Corvette - you can read about that trip on DriveLife. I'm a driving instructor and an Observer for the Institute of Advanced Motorists - trying to do my bit to make our roads safer.

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