We review the Toyota Yaris from price to economy and all its features

THERE are lots of rational reasons people like my mum bought a Toyota Yaris – reliability, quality, mpg, good residuals.

Now Toyota is trying to attract younger drivers by injecting some character.

The whole front end has been redesigned and is more polarising like the X on the Aygo city car.

There are also brighter colours to choose from - red and blue rather than the muted colours from before - and there's more equipment.

But strip away the aesthetics and you still have an honest car that delivers exactly what it promises.

Prices start from £10,995 for the 1-litre three-door, but I tested the super-smooth 78.6mpg hybrid.

Money-saver ... brilliant electric engine

HOW DOES IT DRIVE?

One of the big problems with conventional cars is setting off - that's when it does all the hard work and uses the most fuel. So the Yaris wins big here as you glide away on pure electric before the engine kicks in.

Drivers stop and start several times on a normal journey - at traffic lights, at roundabouts, at the drive-thru - so imagine how much fuel you are saving with a hybrid.

Around 30 per cent of Yaris sales are now hybrid and Toyota expects that figure to rise to 50 per cent across its whole range by 2020.

Remember this hybrid technology means low emissions - just 75g/km - and that means no road tax and no congestion charges.

I only got to test the Yaris in city traffic but it is super smooth to drive. There are no gear changes with the fully automatic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) so there is no gear shock, no lull, no noise, and Toyota has also revised the handling and suspension.

The battery has a 1.5-mile range but don't let that put you off as it regenerates from the front axle as you drive.

And because most of the braking is done electronically, you will probably go through more false teeth than brake pads for your Yaris.

Ultra-dependable ... Toyota Yaris

WHAT'S IT LIKE ON THE INSIDE?

This is a big step up. It is more refined, more comfortable and has a better all-round feel. Toyota has worked hard on redesigning the bulkhead to reduce noise and it has paid dividends.

There's four trim levels to choose from - Active, Icon, Sport and Excel. You get air con and the latest Touch 2 multi-media system as standard from the Icon grade. That means Bluetooth for hands-free phone calls and texts and rear-view camera on the 7in screen.

My Excel test car was also packed with gadgets like cruise control, climate control, rain sensing wipers, parking sensors and Skyview roof (£550 extra).