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Ford Kuga ST-Line X

The five-door Fiesta Active is probably best described as an ‘ordinary’ Fiesta that’s even better. And that’s saying something.

Ford call it their ‘SUV inspired’ Fiesta and extol the virtues of its extra protective cladding, raised ride height, tweaked suspension and roof rails which are great for those who have “active lifestyles” but don’t want to go the whole hog and get expensive to buy and run SUV.

You don’ t need to be a mountain biker or a potholer to appreciate its attributes though. The optimised front shock absorberswith their hydraulic rebound stop per smooth over the bumps; the appalling state of Britain’s roads means that the ability to tackle potholes and unmade roads is worth having -eve nina small car such as this.

Other nods to its suitability for an outdoor lifestyle are the tough fabrics used for the seats and carpets which have been even more rigorously tested than usual. Ford claim they have even tested the leather steering wheel for resistance to sunscreen lotion, which is most impressive.

As it’s a Fiesta it is great to drive, nippy, responsive and very easy to park in even the tightest of spaces. The extra few mm of height mean getting in and out is easier too - especially for the elderly and those tasked with lifting children in and out of car seats.

Although there is no option to have four-wheel drive there are three drive modes covering most situations: normal, eco and slippery conditions: the last one is only available with the six-speed manual gearbox and our car came fitted with automatic transmission so wasn’t tested.

There are three trim models: entry-level Active 1, our test car the next in line, the Active B &O Play with premiumspeakers and an 8 in touch screen and top of the range Active X with a few extra touches such as a rearview camera pack (added to our B&O for £250).

There are two engines, a three-cylinder one-litre EcoBoost petrol in four power outputs 83 bhp,98 bhp, 120bhp and 135bhp and two variants of the 1.5-litre TDCI, 83bhp and 118bhp.

We drove the 98bhp EcoBoost petrol and found it to be quiet and very economical, returning 38mpg against an official 46.3mpg.

The list price of £20,795 was bolstered by £2,450 of optional extras including Ford’s brilliant door edge protectors that pop out when you open the door and worth every penny of the £100 and a £550 navigation system that proved easy to use and accurate.

Fiesta Active is fitted with technology to prevent and mitigate the severity of accidents by way of cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors. These can scan the road up to 130m ahead and the wideangle cameras detect people nearby who may cross into the vehicle’s path.

There are plenty of other high-end bits of kit available, many only usually available in executive models. These include traffic sign recognition, auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, blind spot information and lane keeping alert.

All this safety technology including side airbags that lifts occupants arms away from the impact zone - earned Fiesta a coveted five-star Euro NCAP rating.