Goes without saying we’re massive fans of the Fiesta ST. It was our Car of The Year back in 2018, and to this day remains thoroughly excellent in almost every way. Whoever you are, whatever your budget, you should probably buy one.

Or you could wait a bit and get one of these instead. It’s the Ford Puma ST – the Fiesta’s high-riding, crossover-y cousin – and it’s due out sometime this year.

For now all we’ve got is this shadowy image – Ford hasn’t told us a damn thing about its forthcoming hot hatch-turned-crossover. But given they’re effectively the same car underneath, we’d put money on the new Puma sharing a significant amount of tech with the Fiesta ST. So philosophically objectionable as ‘performance’ SUVs/crossovers are, this one could end up being a bit of a giggle.

That means a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine with 197bhp and 290Nm and a six-speed manual ‘box. The Fiesta is good for 0-100kph in 6.5 seconds and 232kph, but physics mean the bigger, probably heavier Puma will be a little slower. Unless Ford ups the power or you pack it off to Mountune.

The standard Puma is our favourite small crossover for largely the same reasons the normal Fiesta remains our favourite hatchback – they’re the best to drive in their respective classes, but also the most well-rounded items. But will the Puma make as successful an ST as the Fiesta?

Watch this space…