Mits i car

IF you're young enough, your first taste of driving could have been behind the wheel of Little Tikes' Cozy Coupe (or maybe your children cut their teeth in the little toy car). Well, children of the I-pod revolution, I've found just the car for you and maybe it will stir some fond childhood memories.

Off-road car specialist Mitsubishi has created the perfect, sensible city car, which resembles a bubble and inside has pockets for all your little electronic gizmos and gadgets. Simply called I, the car's name is a play on the Japanese word 'ai' meaning love. It also signifies the car's intelligent, innovative and imaginative design.

This grown-up 660cc turbo-charged Cosy Coupe has just been released on sale in the UK and if you fancy getting your hands on the four-seater, four-door wagon, with its lightweight aluminium space-frame chassis, you'd better chop chop because there are only going to be 300 UK-spec versions available.

Already a cult smash hit in Japan, where more than 37,000 models were sold last year, this great little rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive minicar is Mitsubishi's answer to smart. Yet, with its longer wheelbase, room for four adults and a boot worthy of note, it is a practical and inexpensive alternative. When the one-specification model was announced, I knew it would stir up the younger quarter with its quirky and distinctive image and new technology, and I was fortunate to get my hands on this one because they are in such short supply.

Destined for life in the city, this 64bhp wagon is 155mm narrower than the Peugeot 107, which enables it to fit through gaps that are normally the reserve of motorcycles. It doesn't feel overly narrow on the inside and driving the car through heavy traffic takes some adjustment, especially as you imagine you can't get through the gaps you can. It's funny because I found the cars following me thought they could get through as well, but instead, they had to stop because they were too wide. Three-point turns are a thing of the past thanks to I's turning circle of just 4.5m. It makes parking and manoeuvring a piece of cake.

My first impression of the car is its striking resemblance to the iconic smart with a wheel-out-of-each corner stance. The big deep windscreen is curved and it flows with the rounded bodywork to give a bubble effect. When driving around town this deep windscreen allows you to see much more of the ground straight in front. It's the strangest thing – almost like a park-and-ride bus in miniature.

I feels very clinical inside and I put this down to the type of materials used, which include hypoallergenic seat fabrics and deodorant roof lining. There aren't many soft-touch surfaces, they all feel hard, but they are light and make the cabin really bright and airy. Leather seats are an optional extra and I think I'd have these just to give the cabin a bit of warmth and more comfort.

Despite the narrow width of this car, there is plenty of legroom and there are lots of storage pockets and cupholders, which are really handy. The huge doors make entry and exit really easy for everyone and I can see this car finding favour with the older generation too, particularly as the visibility is probably the best of any car I've driven. And the high boot floor (because the engine is underneath it) means you don't have to lean in to grab all your shopping.

Standard equipment includes a four-speed automatic transmission, which is a must for constant town driving. The 660 cc three-cylinder petrol engine is uber-economical and returns 54 mpg on the combined cycle. Electric windows and folding door mirrors add to the comfort, and the six-speaker CD player is integrated into a user-friendly console, which houses various other controls. There are airbags all round and everything is contained inside a 'survival cell'.

Adding to the safety elements are ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution, which help the driver to avoid an accident. I can vouch for these when, having joked about performing the 'elk test' to a friend, I found myself having to take evasive action when a car pulled out into the road in front of me. I had to swerve suddenly around it travelling at about 40mph, and was thankful to the car's great handling for preventing what could have been a very nasty accident.

Out on the open road this little car is very capable at keeping up with the traffic and, on the motorway and has a top speed of 90mph, although I wouldn't recommend any long, long journeys.

In summary, this is not your ordinary family car. It is a dinky delight and the bubblicious exterior is going to be a rarity on the UK's streets. Don't expect to be wowed by its performance and handling and don't think you'll enjoy comfortable long-haul journeys because it's not designed for that. It is designed, however, to be exceptionally agile around cities and towns and if parking is at a premium and you always need to nip in and out of the traffic, this is definitely the car for you.

MITSUBISHI I CAR

0-62mph: 14.9 sec

Top speed: 84 mph

Max power: 64bhp

Max torque: 62 lb ft

Combined: 54.6 mpg

CO2 emissions: 114 g/km

From £8,999