Been out and bought a 2021 Ford Puma ST in Metallic Agate Black.. Looks stunning and drives.. Ahem. Fast! Went to showroom to look at a Merc A35 and came out with a Puma ST.... Im not even disappointed. Can't get the Stop/Start to work but it's not a showstopper.

Its my first Ford in 40yrs of driving so bit nervous as to what to expect. Any advice and what to look out for will be appreciated.

Take care out there!

Welcome to the forum.

Stop/start not working ? I would consider that a bonus !

Car has to 'see' certain parameter for S/S to operate, these may vary by model but generally; doors/bonnet closed, seatbelt on, power hungry items (air-con, Htd screens etc) off. If all good, then check battery status.

Good luck.

1 hour ago, Russ3376 said:

Been out and bought a 2021 Ford Puma ST in Metallic Agate Black.. Looks stunning and drives.. Ahem. Fast! Went to showroom to look at a Merc A35 and came out with a Puma ST.... Im not even disappointed. Can't get the Stop/Start to work but it's not a showstopper.

Its my first Ford in 40yrs of driving so bit nervous as to what to expect. Any advice and what to look out for will be appreciated.

Take care out there!

Hi welcome

Thanks for the welcome and heads up!

1 hour ago, Russ3376 said:

Can't get the Stop/Start to work but it's not a showstopper.

Hi Russ, welcome.

You will find hours of reading on stop/start (and battery issues generally) in the Puma, Fiesta and Focus forums. If you don't have them already, a multimeter and "smart" battery charger (eg Maypole, C-tek, or Noco) are handy things to have.

Similarly a very common question is: "do I have a wet belt?" Yes - cam drive on the 1.5 is chain but the oil pump drive is by wet belt which must be changed at 10 years max. and is an expensive job.

Regular oil changes with the correct oil are crucial on these engines. The Puma 1.5 ST has an annual/12,500 mile (whichever first) service interval anyway, but you may get an "oil change needed" message before that from the oil monitoring system, depending on use.

Hi Russ, welcome to the forum 😁

Nothing to be nervous about driving it. Just enjoy. Mine has been a pleasure to drive.

Check if your battery is in good condition and if it is of type AGM. My C-Max had trouble with the start/stop for 4 years until i figured that the Varta factory battery is a piece of S, after replacing it with Duracell AGM it works like a charm.

On 4/18/2026 at 3:28 AM, Russ3376 said:

Been out and bought a 2021 Ford Puma ST in Metallic Agate Black.. Looks stunning and drives.. Ahem. Fast! Went to showroom to look at a Merc A35 and came out with a Puma ST.... Im not even disappointed. Can't get the Stop/Start to work but it's not a showstopper.

Its my first Ford in 40yrs of driving so bit nervous as to what to expect. Any advice and what to look out for will be appreciated.

Take care out there!

Congratulations on the new ride! Switching from a Mercedes shortlist to a Puma ST is a huge compliment to the Ford Performance team, the ST is widely considered one of the best-handling "fun" cars on the market right now.

Welcome aboard.