FORD is keeping alive its Commonwealth connections by bringing the Indian-built EcoSport to Britain.

As the official vehicle supplier to the recent Commonwealth Games a fleet of Fords ferried athletes and VIPs around the Glasgow sporting venues.

And to continue the sporting theme its new compact SUV looks good enough to be a medal winner in its own right.

Higher than a normal hatchback, the EcoSport is a family-friendly five seater with trendy looks.

It is available either with a 1.0-litre petrol engine or a 1.5-litre diesel, both of which are nicely economical. There's also a 1.5-litre petrol version which from next year will have the option of an auto box but is not as fuel efficient.

In a drive around Glasgow during the games we saw 54 to the gallon from the diesel and 39.8mpg from the 1.0-litre petrol version.

Inside and underneath the EcoSport is similar to the top-selling Ford Fiesta and the diesel model we tried cost from £16,495.

All EcoSports are fitted out in high specification Titanium trim and standard kit includes a chilled glovebox, 16-inch alloys and LED running lights as well as automatic air conditioning and keyless entry.

There's also a tyre pressure monitoring system and a full set of driving aids including stability and traction control as well as the option of Ford's latest SYNC system which allows downloaded apps to be integrated into the car's systems from a smartphone and operated by voice control.

For a vehicle with slightly raised suspension it drives exceptionally well and there is virtually no body roll through corners.

The cabin is roomy, functional and comfortable with plenty of onboard storage including an underseat drawer. The rear seats are also adjustable for rake making it a genuine family car.

With its tailgate mounted spare wheel, chunky bumpers, silver roof rails, protective strips along the sills and skid plates front and rear it has plenty of presence and looks like an adventurous off-roader.

However, it is purely front-wheel-drive and utterly conventional to drive with good visibility all round. It is also nicely manoeuvrable with a good turning circle which means it's easier than most to park.

The diesel develops 90ps which gives the EcoSport a top speed of 99mph and a 0 to 60 time of 14 seconds with Ford claiming an official mpg figure of 61.4 and emissions of 120g/km.

The petrol version is fitted with Ford's award winning three-cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine turbo charged up to 125ps.

It is slightly livelier than the diesel with a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 12.7 seconds, topping out at 112mph. Economy is rated at 53.3mpg with a CO2 output of 125g/km which means both versions will cost £110 in road tax after the first 12 months when no tax is payable.

The EcoBoost version costs from £15,995 while the range itself kicks off at £14,995 for the 1.5-litre, 112ps petrol model although with an emissions of 149g/km for the five-speed manual and a combined fuel figure of 44.8mpg it is more expensive to run.

Ford is bringing the EcoSport to Britain to tap into the growing crossover market and it is priced to be competitive against the likes of the Nissan Juke, Vauxhall Mokka and Renault Captur.

In the compact SUV market it is set to fare well as a roomy all rounder although the side opening tailgate which swings towards the kerb can leave you feeling exposed if loading up in the road.

Luggage space is 373 litres increasing to more than 1,200 litres with the rear seats folded which is on the large side for this type of vehicle and big enough to be useful, as is its good ground clearance of seven inches.

If you do want to venture into the wild in the EcoSport it can wade through water almost two feet deep and can tackle moderate slopes in the soft-road category.

For £1,000 more the EcoSport is available with what Ford calls a Titanium X pack which includes leather trim, 17-inch alloys and cruise control.

Although new to Britain the EcoSport has been around since 2003 when it was launched in Brazil.

It's now in its second generation and as part of Ford's global strategy is also built in Thailand and at Chennai in the south east of India where our right hand drive models are produced.