The Ford Puma Millennium is a special edition model of the Puma range that is immediately identifiable by the bright yellow paintwork that they sport. It was launched in late 1999 as part of Ford's Millennium celebrations along with similar editions of the Ka and Focus with limited numbers of each produced. There were 1000 Ford Puma Millennium editions produced and as of early 2016 there are now around 300 left. Each one was individually numbered, I own number Puma Millennium 186.
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| Ford Puma Millennium Review |
In addition to the yellow paintwork, the interior is also unique amongst Pumas in that the seats are all recaro leather sports seats. Although other Pumas such as the Thunder and Black editions have leather seats only the Millenium has Recaros meaning some cars get broken purely for the seats.
The Puma Millennium (or as the DVLA specify on the V5C document, the Puma Millenium) has exactly the same engine and mechanicals as the standard Puma so performance is no different. However the Millenium was only produced with the 1.7 16V engine so no genuine Millennium editions exist with the 1.4 or 1.6 engines.
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| Puma Millennium interior with leather recaro sports seats |
As a driver's car the Ford Puma is one of the most exceptional bargains at the moment. The drive and handling are superb even after this time although you want to make sure that all suspension components are still in good condition to get the best driving experience.
The 1.7 16V Zetec engine has variable cam technology and from around 4000rpm the engine just flies. The VCT Zetec engine is very flexible and pulls well all across the rev range which makes it a very popular donor engine for Fiestas giving another source of Pumas being broken for parts.
Unfortunately the Millennium edition suffers from the same rusting rear arches as the rest of the Ford Puma family although many of the ones I've seen seem to have less significant rust than other Pumas - maybe they were treated differently by owners as a special edition?
As with my standard Puma the fuel economy on the Millennium edition is very good and achieves 40mpg on average mixed driving. The fuel tank isn't massive so although you won't be spending a fortune to fill up you also won't have a massive range. I've only just managed to get over 300 miles from a tank up to now.
It's often suggested that the rear seats of the Puma aren't suitable for passengers but I've actually found them far more useful than expected. I previously drove a Porsche 911 and the Puma is much more comfortable than that!
