We explore the concept of using a deep-submicron HV CMOS process to produce a drop-in replacement for traditional radiation-hard silicon sensors. Such active sensors contain simple circuits, e.g. amplifiers and discriminators, but still require a traditional (pixel or strip) readout chip. This approach yields most advantages of MAPS (improved resolution, reduced cost and material budget, etc.), without the complication of full integration on a single chip. After outlining the design of the HV2FEI4 test ASIC, characterization results and first experience obtained with pixel and strip readout will be shown before discussing future prospects of active sensors