It’s a Fiesta double as crossover and ST hot hatch prices revealed

IT’s a Fiesta on the double from Ford. They’ve just announced their new Fiesta Active crossover will cost from €21,900 when it goes on sale here for the July 182-reg period.

And their new Fiesta ST hot hatch will cost from €28,120 — it too is due quite soon.

The marque has revealed more details of both cars, including spec levels.

These latest pictures show how hard they’ve tried to make the Fiesta Active look more like a small SUV.

It is the car Ford are banking on giving them a crossover to a new market.

The Active gets what Ford describe as “rugged exterior design features”, some additional cladding, its own set of alloys, roof rails and so on.

More importantly, they have raised the ride height (by 18mm), and track is increased by 10mm, while the suspension has been tuned to accommodate “rough road” driving.

They have Normal, Eco and Slippery Drive modes – the latter is no doubt to prove that it can handle surfaces other than tarmac.

I can’t see too many people taking it off road, but people want SUV everything these days.

If you do decide to risk it, Ford say they’re prepared not just technically but practically.

They claim the cabin is designed to cope with muddy boots, sandy beach towels and soggy passengers.

Seat materials and carpets have been tested in the brand’s upgraded materials laboratory based in Dunton, England.

Seat bolsters, for example, undergo 60,000 test cycles for wear resistance.

The colour of fabrics is analysed for fade, and even leather steering wheels are tested for resistance to sunscreen lotion.

The big seller here will be the 1-litre EcoBoost petrol 100PS (114 g/km CO2) with 6spd manual gearbox.

Inside there is SYNC 3 connectivity with touchscreens (up to 8ins) and B&O PLAY premium audio.

Standard spec also includes 17ins alloys, rear LED lights, rear privacy glass and a spread of safety equipment.

The Active 2 model has black roof rails, B&O Play premium audio system with 360° sound system (10 speakers), 8ins touchscreen, cruise control, auto high beam, driver alert and traffic

sign recognition, rain-sensing wipers, The Fiesta Active costs from €21,900, and the Active 2 from €23,200. The Active will be followed by a new KA+ Active and Focus Active 5dr and wagon later in the year.

The 200PS 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine in the new ST zips it from a standing start to 100kmh in 6.5 seconds. That’s lively from the first 3cyl engine to power a Ford performance model.

The new pocket rocket also gets mechanical limited-slip differential, for the first time, to improve cornering traction. There are drive modes for road and track – with launch control for those exhilarating standing starts. There will be two versions – ST 2 and ST 3. Standard spec includes 17ins alloys, LED daytime running lights, ST-design full body-styling kit, large rear spoiler, dual chrome exhaust, selectable drive mode, ST suspension, Recaro seats, cruise control, SYNC 3 with 8ins touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, B&O Play premium audio system with 360° sound.

The ST 3 version adds power/folding mirrors, partial leather Recaro seats, navigation, rear view camera/parking sensors etc.

The ST 2 costs from €28,120, and the ST 3 from €30,270.