When you step inside the Ford Puma ST-Line Vignale, the sporty seats, digital instrument cluster, and the premium touches will elicit an ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’. But the multimedia system is perhaps one area you’d overlook as the first steps for what Ford offers today.
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The Puma uses what’s known as Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system. At first glance, users will notice a clear 8-inch touchscreen which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and allows voice control. It’s responsive and easy to use, especially for everyday tasks like changing radio stations, taking phone calls, or navigating with your smartphone maps. However, in 2025, the SYNC 3 system may feel outdated compared to the newer systems found in Ford’s more recently launched vehicles, and that is because it played a crucial role in shaping the more advanced multimedia platforms in vehicles like the Ranger bakkie and Everest SUV.
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The Ford Puma is built on a slightly older foundation – that of the erstwhile Fiesta – having first gone on sale globally in 2019. By the time it arrived in Mazansi in November 2023, it was already established in other markets. That’s why it uses SYNC 3 – a system that was Ford’s flagship infotainment offering not too long ago. But SYNC 3 was the starting point of a design philosophy that favoured usability, smartphone integration, and voice control. And the interface? It is fuss-free and devoid of extensive menus and submenus.
Ford Evolved, Infotainment Too
However, as automotive technologies and multimedia integration evolved, so did driver expectations. Car owners wanted bigger screens, faster response times, integrated cloud navigation, and voice assistants that actually understood full sentences. That’s where SYNC 4 and SYNC 4A came in. And yes, these systems’ existence is owed to the lessons learned from SYNC 3.
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But back to the Puma. The absence of these newer features reminds you that the crossover was developed in an earlier digital era and that SYNC 3 was a turning point for how Ford would one day alter and implement its way of bringing user and multimedia together. You can even say that the Puma’s multimedia system is a time capsule that showcases the start of Ford’s transition to fully connected, software-driven cockpits.
Yes, it does without the clever personalisation features, large portrait-style displays, or the advanced voice assistant in newer Ford vehicles. Still, SYNC 3 is a reliable and proven system – fast enough for daily use but minus the bugs or growing pains that can sometimes affect newer software. In some ways, simplicity is also a strength.
