THE Fiesta Active offers trendy SUV styling and a good driving experience making it a great alternative in an already large range.

The styling changeson the UK's favourite car are exactly what you would expect - a set of roof rails, some sturdy plastic cladding on the wheel arches, extra trim on the bumpers and some Activebadging.

The ride height is increased by 18mm and the track widened by 10mm to give the Active a more rugged stance and complete the rugged look.

Climb Inside and the Active is just like the regular Fiesta. It can seat four in comfort and five for shorter distances. The dash is well laid out and an eight-inch touchscreen comes with Ford's latest SYNC 3 infotainment system which is impressive.

The Active is just as practical as the standard Fiesta and the driving position remains excellent - just a little higher giving the pilot a slightly better view of the road.

Fortunately the extra height has not had too much impact on the way the Active drives and it is just as sharp as the normal hatchback.

The changes to the suspension make the Active more comfortable and it deals well with rough roads, potholes and town speed bumps.

As you would expect from a Fiesta, the steering is very accurate and well-weighted and the Active remains as agile and fun to drive as any other model in the range.

The Active treatment adds about £1,600 to the cost of the average car and that means very little extra money when it comes to PCP time.

This car had the 125ps three-cylinderEcoBoostpetrol unit which was a great match for the car and provided a reasonably sporty drive.

Good for a top speed of 121mph it takes ten seconds to tackle the sprint to 62mph and also offers very decent economy.

The latest WLTP fuel consumption figures say it is good for a high of 60.1mpg and a low of 43.5mpg and I averaged just about 50mpg in mixed conditions over a week.

The Active X is crammed with all the kit you could possibly want and also features all the latest safety equipment.

You get 18-inch five-spoke shadow black machine finish alloys, front fog lamps with cornering lights, LED headlamps and LED night signature rear lights, privacy glass, partial leather seats, a premium B&O sound system with Ford SYNC 3 navigation and emergency system, Apple CarPlay and Android auto, rear parking sensors, heated door mirrors with puddle lights and much more.

The car also came with a special paint job costing £650, a comfort pack at £300 which added heated front seats and heated steering wheel and a spare steel wheel at £150.