Toyota Urban CruiserApril 2009

Toyota's distinctive Urban Cruiser is a niche model in a growing segment of cars that are probably best described as butch superminis. This small five-seater is a deliberately boxy, subtly aggressive city slicker that has a higher roofline and chunkier shape than the Yaris supermini it's based on.

It's been designed for active people who, Toyota's marketing men say, are dissatisfied with conventional small cars. That means it's taking on a wide cross section of rivals, from little soft-roaders like the Daihatsu Terios and Suzuki SX4, to Citroen's small MPV the C3 Picasso, to the Kia Soul. The Japanese are also hoping they can attract customers downsizing from expensive to run SUVs.

To boost the Urban Cruiser's rugged credentials, the 1.4-litre D4D diesel model comes with four-wheel-drive but, because the engine's a small, modern and efficient thing, it can still achieve 57.6mpg with CO2 emissions of just 130g/km. That makes this the world's greenest four-wheel-drive.

A two-wheel drive 1.3-litre VVTi petrol model is also available at entry-level, and the addition of clever valve timing and a stop-start system make this motor impressively efficient too. The petrol also brings more liveliness to the Urban Cruiser than the diesel - it's happy to be revved hard all day, something you'll need to do because it's short of mid-range urge.

The Urban Cruiser's raised roofline means there's more space in the cabin, and the mini-SUV perception is boosted by a slightly higher driving position (compared with a Yaris.) Luggage space is also decent and access to the rear seats made easy by wide opening doors. But be in no doubt, the Urban Cruiser is not one for mud-plugging. Its low ground clearance and vulnerable body work makes it unsuitable for crashing up anything more than a rough gravelly lane.

The Urban Cruiser is most effective in town, where it's no less manoeuvrable than the Yaris city car it's based on; although it is slightly less nippy. As you'd expect from a Toyota, refinement levels in the cabin are high and the build quality seems good, even if the interior's lacking in visual appeal. The swathes of grey plastic found inside don't do justice to the more outlandish exterior, where effort has clearly been made to design an interesting and different looking product.

Young families would be best suited to an Urban Cruiser, but many will be put off by its price. There are much cheaper rivals out there. Look, for example, at the more practical Citroen C3 Picasso or similar but funkier Kia Soul. Neither of these come with Toyota' s reputation for quality, but we're not sure this justifies the hefty premium added for the niche Urban Cruiser. The 4x4 1.4 diesel model that most will want marked up well beyond supermini territory.

Even with a generous options list, it's hard to recommend it for the money.