2022 Ford Puma ST no closer to Australia, despite Fiesta ST axing

There are still no plans to sell the 2022 Ford Puma ST – the taller version of the Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch – despite the axing of its hatchback sibling in Australia by the end of this year.

Ford Australia made the shock announcement late last week it would be pulling its smallest hot hatchback, the Fiesta ST, from local showrooms by the end of this year – alongside the larger Focus ST – amid production constraints in Europe, and a shift to SUVs.

Ford's European arm sells the Fiesta ST's engine, gearbox and mechanicals in the city car's SUV twin, the Puma – but a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Drive there remain "no plans" to sell the Puma ST in Australia, despite the departure of its hatchback donor.

It's believed the Puma ST's standard six-speed manual transmission, and lack of an automatic option – which dominates sales in the small SUV category – is behind the decision.

Instead, the Puma range in Australia will continue to be limited to a trio of regular variants, all powered by a smaller 1.0-litre turbo engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Under the skin, the Puma ST and Fiesta ST are closely related; the Puma rides on a stretched version of the Fiesta's front-wheel-drive platform, and they share a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine with 147kW and 320Nm.

The Fiesta's six-speed manual gearbox, launch control mode and limited-slip front differential carry over, as do tech highlights such as its 8.0-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10-speaker B&O Play sound system, and heated seats.

In the UK, a Puma ST with all options bar a sunroof costs £32,470 drive-away – 15 per cent more than a similarly-equipped Fiesta ST, which costs £28,220 drive-away.

While £32,470 converts to $AU56,500, higher taxes in the UK – among other factors – mean a more accurate indication of how much a Puma ST would cost in Australia can be gained by applying its 15 per cent price premium over the Fiesta.

The Fiesta ST is priced from $33,490 plus on-road costs in Australia – suggesting the Puma ST would cost about $38,500 plus on-road costs here, or beyond $42,000 drive-away.

The Puma ST has few direct rivals; other small performance SUVs such as the $49,200 plus on-road costs Hyundai Kona N and $59,300 plus on-road costs Volkswagen T-Roc R are larger and considerably more powerful.