Used Ford Fiesta Active 2018-2022 review

I always did think the Rover Streetwise was ahead of its time.

How does the Active differ from the regular Fiesta?

It's taller. But only by the width of your thumb. 

Which is, truth be told, only as much taller as you’d want a Ford Fiesta to be, because it gives you the confidence to just drop off a road onto a gravelly lay-by or a bumpy bit of asphalt without you having to worry about smacking the chassis onto the ground. 

There’s quite a sense of liberation about driving a car like that — and I’m convinced that’s one of the reasons for the ever-expanding popularity of SUVs.

There’s a sense of security and imperviousness to a proper 4x4, which the Active doesn’t quite replicate, obviously, but it gets you a small part of the way there: to a puddle and pothole-strewn car park from where you walk the dogs or, if your lifestyle replicates the advertising campaigns, go kitesurfing or mountain biking. Or it just makes it easier to get in and out in the GP surgery car park (a scenario that mysteriously never makes the brochures).

Anyway, it doesn’t affect the Fiesta’s dynamics overtly. The ride is a bit more gently loping than the regular car’s, but it still steers accurately and responsively, and corners as pleasingly as any other car in the class. Dynamically, it’s better with the 1.0 petrol engine than the 1.5 diesel — quieter, too — because there’s less weight in the nose.

We tried the 138bhp petrol version, which is sprightly, but it can be had for 84bhp; but I reckon you’d want the 98bhp version or higher to make respectable progress (the 0-62mph time falls from 12.7sec to 11.0sec). This 138bhp variant has a claimed 9.4sec 0-62mph time and whizzes along easily. There’s appeal to the torque of the 118bhp diesel, but it feels heavier, less agile and transmits a bit of zing into the body. 

Ford offers a choice of three variants: the entry-level Active 1, uprated Active B&O Play and fully-loaded Active X. The differences are largely found inside, with the Active 1 using a 6.5in touchscreen infotainment system, the ste-up B&O Play model adding premium speakers and an 8in touchscreen, and the Active X adding heated door mirrors and a rear view camera pack as standard.