Opposite ends of the spectrum: Ford Puma ST vs Lamborghini Urus

Either way, it’s dwarfed by the look-at-me ostentatiousness and tape-measure-stretching dimensions of the Urus, which commands attention everywhere it goes. The Giallo Auge yellow paint plays a part, but even if it were finished in ignore-me grey, this vast and angular Lamborghini would have a magnetic effect on eyeballs. Love it or loathe it, there’s no arguing with the high-riding Italian’s towering kerb appeal.

Height, of course, is one of the big draws of cars like these, their increased elevation offering drivers a panoramic vista (and a sense of superiority) plus a clearer picture of the road ahead – something that’s especially useful when it’s unfamiliar. You certainly sit high in the Urus, but while you do look down on other road users, you do so through a letterbox-shaped viewfinder, the low, coupé-like roofline robbing you of some of the usual visibility benefits of a big SUV.

Your outlook is less impeded in the Puma, but like the standard car you’re really only perched a little higher than in, say, a Focus. Still, the deep Recaros clamp you in all the right places, while the short-throw gearshift and neatly arranged pedals compensate for the less commanding driving position.

On typically give-and-take British A- and B-roads, the sporty Puma is genuinely entertaining and can be extended and exploited in a way the super-sized Urus simply can’t. At first, it feels a bit like a Fiesta ST that has had a couple of pints: the character and feel are the same but the actions and reactions are a little lazier and more deliberate.

Push on, though, and you will discover quick steering that engenders real agility, plus there’s bags of grip and a throttle-adjustable playfulness that’s quickly becoming a fast Ford hallmark. Also familiar is the ride, which is just the acceptable side of sharp, although it’s more forgiving than the Fiesta’s.

The Urus is a smoother-riding companion, with its air springs adding some genuine waft when they’re in their softest setting, giving it a luxurious long-distance vibe. Yet flick the driving mode selector from Strada to Sport or Vauxhall Corsa and the focus is instantly sharpened. With the 48V active anti-roll bars keeping everything on the level and the four-wheel steering on its highest alert, the Lamborghini is transformed, its mass simply melting away.

Turn-in isn’t as quick and crisp as the Puma, but the steering is remarkably fast and well-weighted and the car clings onto your chosen line with dogged determination. You’re always aware of the weight, but the trick suspension and steering help put it to the back of your mind, allowing you to revel in its ability to laugh heartily in the face of most of Newton’s laws.

In fact, it’s not a lack of grip or talent that hampers the Urus, more the gargantuan proportions that leave very little breathing space between the verge on one side and white lines on the other. So easy is it to hustle this car that you have to keep reminding yourself that there’s very little margin for error.

It’s only when the roads widen and straighten that the Italian car really gets into its stride. As you would expect, the Puma is left trailing in the Lamborghini’s bellowing and crackling wake, Ford’s gurgly, Fiesta-sourced 197bhp triple feeling a little overwhelmed by the extra avoirdupois of a crossover. It’s a torquey performer and pulls lustily from low revs, but its response feels blunted and lacks the zip and zing experienced in its smaller sibling.

By contrast, Lamborghini’s 641bhp twin-turbocharged V8 is more than up to the challenge of shaking off a 2285kg kerb weight, its demonic forces propelling the Urus with an explosive violence that befits the rampaging bull on its nose. The engine sounds bombastic too, if lacking the searing, operatic quality that makes the brand’s V10s and V12s such an integral part of its lower-slung, less practical offerings.

Of course, Tarmac-shredding pace and mid-corner balletics are all very well, but these cars have a more rugged image to live up to as well. It’s here that, like many of its crossover contemporaries, the Puma stumbles. Yes, it may look tough, but with just front-wheel drive (our ST Performance Pack-equipped car does at least have a limited-slip differential) and Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber, the farthest it is ever likely to venture from the beaten track is when it’s parked on your driveway.