THE compact SUV crossover sector is one of the fastest growing in the UK, with more and more customers wanting a car with the high-riding position of a 4x4 but still small enough to cope with life in the city.

Which is why Ford, under its 'One Ford' policy has brought their five-door EcoSport to Britain.

Designed in Brazil but built in India the EcoSport is a rival to the Nissan Juke, Renault Captur and Vauxhall Mokka.

Based on the Fiesta platform, Ford expects the car, with prices starting around £15,000, to sell about 3,500 in Britain every year.

Three engines are offered in the UK - a 1.5-litre 110bhp petrol (with either manual or automatic transmission), a 1.5-litre 88bhp TDCi turbodiesel and, as on test here, the multi award-winning 1.0-litre 123bhp EcoBoost petrol engine.

The diesel is expected to be the most popular with British buyers but, for me, the three-pot petrol with its better performance in top speed and swifter acceleration, is the one to have the most fun with.

The EcoSport comes in two trim levels - Titanium and Titanium X - both available across all three engine choices. Both are well specced with driver, passenger and curtain airbags, hill start assist, silver roof rails, keyless entry with a start/dtop button, tyre pressure monitor, cooled glovebox, electric windows, electrically operated door mirrors, trip computer, adjustabkle steering column, height/lumbar adjustable driver's seat, remote locking, alloy wheels, and a full raft of safety kit.

The test car added metallic paint, Ford Sync with Applink (six speakers, Bluetooth, voice control and emergency assistance, a 3.5-inch colour screen and USB) plus rear parking sensors which pushed the £15,995 price up to £16,500.

There is barely any demand for four wheel drive in this sector as most customers will drive solely in the urban jungle so all models are front-wheel-drive only.

While the car is based on the Fiesta'a platform, the styling is much more in your face. You will either love or hate it. There will be no middle ground.

The EcoSport is short and tall but it is its front end with its large aggressive grille and high-set headlights that seems a bit odd. Likewise, the side-opening rear door with the spare wheel mounted on it, while it does free up load space, does seem a bit of a throwback to the eighties and nineties.

Inside the cabin, the dashboard is obviously inspired by the Fiesta. There is a central console keypad, blue LCD displays and angular air vents. It is all very well put together but the plastics used is all very hard, as are the seats. Any soft touch materials seem to have been eliminated and the design of the dashboard isn't as dynamic as its rivals.

It may be a cabin finish suitable for hard wear in the South American or Asian markets but with rivals such as the Mokka, Juke and Captur and with prices starting at £15,000 it is not quite up to the mark for European markets. Which is a pity because in many ways it is a great little car.

With its high-set seats and large windows, all round visibility is excellent and so is the amount of head and legroom available.

With all seats in place, there is 310-litres of loadspace which increases to 1,238 litres with the 60:40 split rear seas folded.

What I like about the three-pot EcoSport is the torque. The one-litre engine delivers 125lb/ft from just 1,400rpm. The 1.5-litre turbodiesel gives 151lb/ft but at a higher 1,750rpm.

On paper the oil burner delivers more urge but in reality on the road the 999cc turbocharged petrol gives you better pick-up and response from lower engine speeds in stop/start city traffic, when accelerating around corners or negotiating roundabouts.

Out in the country the acceleration is still better than the diesel. So the petrol would be my choice despite its poorer fuel economy - 53.3mpg against 61.4mpg from the diesel - and more road tax. It is nicer to drive and has more power when you need it. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.