Ford gave the Puma ST proper coilovers, which is more than most brands bother with
The Fiesta ST is gone, so this is what is left
Ford's ST Edition badge always meant one specific thing: take an ST, fit serious adjustable suspension, and hand enthusiasts a car that was genuinely sharper rather than just louder. The Fiesta and Focus that carried it are both gone, so the badge has moved to the Puma. Encouragingly, the recipe came with it.
The suspension is the point
The Handling Pack fits coilover suspension developed with KW Automotive, the motorsport specialist, with stiffer springs that lower the ride height by 10 mm. The dampers use what Ford calls sophisticated valve technology for superior response, and the whole set-up is aimed at capability on road and track rather than just a lower stance. Getting a genuine KW coilover installation as a factory option on a mainstream crossover is not a small thing.
What has not changed
The ST Edition builds on the Puma ST Powershift, and the powertrain carries over untouched: the EcoBoost Hybrid producing 170 PS, driving through the automatic gearbox. There is no power increase and no manual option, because neither exists in the current Puma range. Anyone hoping the Edition badge would unlock something extra under the bonnet will be disappointed.
How it looks
Every ST Edition wears Azura Blue paint with a contrasting black-painted roof, and inside there are illuminated scuff plates and a sports steering wheel. Restrained by the standards of this sort of thing, which is no criticism.
The rest of the Puma range moved on too
The ST Edition arrives alongside a broader set of updates. BlueCruise hands-free highway driving came to the Puma for the first time earlier this year, covering more than 135,000 km of designated Blue Zones across 16 European markets including Belgium and the Netherlands, available on automatic EcoBoost models and the ST Powershift. There is also a Puma BlueCruise Edition in Vapor Blue with BlueCruise unlocked outright rather than by subscription, the B&O audio system has grown to 650 W with higher-specification front midwoofers, and Electric Yellow joins the colour palette as a no-cost option.
What we still do not know
Ford has not published pricing or full market specification for the ST Edition, so how much the Handling Pack adds remains open. Given KW hardware is involved, it will not be free.
AutoNext Take
Spending the budget on suspension instead of a power bump is the correct decision, and it is rarer than it should be. Most special editions in this class amount to a colour, a badge and some stitching, whereas a KW coilover set genuinely changes how a car behaves on a Belgian back road. Ford clearly still employs engineers who understand what made the ST badge worth something.
What it is bolted to is the problem. An automatic-only 170 PS crossover is not the car people who loved the Fiesta ST are asking for, and no amount of damper valving fixes that. This is the best possible version of what Ford is still allowed to sell, which is a different thing from being what anyone wanted.
