In my experience there are a limited number of reasons why a car gets noticed: it could be good looking, it could be noisy or it could even be ugly. The thing is, the Toyota Yaris has never really fallen into any of these categories. It was, in my opinion, rather anonymous.

That has changed, though, with the introduction of the fourth generation model which, for a small hatchback, is a seriously good-looking automobile. It's all relative of course, no family hatch is going to make stand out lined up beside some seriously exotic machinery, but the new Yaris certainly compares favourably with its immediate rivals.

The one area where Toyota and by default, the Yaris has stood out from the pack is by offering a hybrid version of the car for the best part of a decade.

This car was designed from the outset to be electrified and the 1.5 litre three cylinder engine under the bonnet is boosted by a battery that's smaller, lighter and yet more powerful than the ones you'd find in earlier generations of the Yaris.

It might look good, and it might be frugal, but there are still other issues to consider like build quality, passenger space, refinement and driver appeal and, again, the Yaris has often struggled to match the competition in a number of these areas. Let’s take a closer look and see what tricks it might have hidden up its wheel arches shall we?

It doesn't matter which trim level you choose you get a height adjustable driver seat and a steering wheel that adjusts for both reach and rake. You'll find that everything lines up nicely - the steering wheel, the pedals and the seat - so you should be able to find a decent driving position. The seats are, on the whole, supportive although on longer journeys you might notice the lack of adjustable lumbar support.

Visibility out of both the front and sides is good but the narrow rear screen hampers the view out of the back. Fortunately, all models come equipped with a rear-view camera as standard. If you want parking sensors they’re optional on dynamic trim but standard on range-topping Excel. Every model gets automatic headlights, which are upgraded to LED on Design trim and above, and rain-sensing wipers.

Basic Icon models get a centrally mounted seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system. All other models in the line-up get a slightly larger eight-inch display. There's a line of shortcut buttons flanking the display that allow you to switch between functions quickly without having to search through the menus, which is great. They are, however, quite small and fiddly to use while you're driving, which is less great.

The operating system isn't particularly smooth or intuitive but you can use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring which is standard across the range. Every model comes with DAB radio, Bluetooth and USB sockets.

Go for Dynamic trim and the standard four-speaker audio system is replaced by a more powerful eight-speaker JBL system. Strangely this is a paid option if you go for top of the range Excel trim.

I am pleased to say that Toyota have stuck with proper buttons and knobs for the air conditioning so you don't have to mess around with the touch screen to adjust the temperature in the car. All the major controls are, in fact, all neatly laid out and within easy reach.

Everything feels very well bolted together and, while there’s a fair amount of harder plastics on display, they don't feel flimsy or cheap.

There should be plenty of room in the front for a pair of six footers to get themselves comfortable but that might be less true in the rear where a shortage of head and leg room means taller people will feel cramped. Back seat passengers might also feel a little claustrophobic thanks to a rising windowline that can make it feel a little gloomy.

There's a reasonable amount of storage space with a cubby in front of the gear lever that's just about big enough for a mobile phone and there's a small recess above the glovebox that's useful for pens and other loose items. You’ll also find a shallow cubby beneath the standard front centre armrest that, again, is just about large enough to swallow a mobile phone and nothing else. The door bins could do with being a little bigger.

On the practical side the rear seats fold in a 60/40 split. They are simple to fold down but, as far as flexibility goes well, that’s it. Boot capacity is a weakness in the Yaris. With the rear seats in place there’s just 286 litres – rising to 768 litres with them folded away – and there's a significant lip to negotiate with no option for a height adjustable floor.

So there's only one engine choice available: A 1.5 litre 3 cylinder petrol. There's no turbocharger. In its place there's a couple of electric motors to help boost performance and improve fuel economy. Power output is 114 BHP which is enough to propel the Yaris to 62 miles an hour in a respectable 9.7 seconds.

There's no manual option so you have to make do with a CVT automatic. The Yaris feels quite sprightly off the line and, in slightly damp conditions, there's enough torque to induce a little wheelspin.

Dynamic and Excel trim cars are fitted with 17-inch alloys and sports suspension. The ride is quite firm, unsurprisingly, and it can feel a little jarring over potholes and expansion joints. The flipside is you get a car that fills you full of confidence when you're driving quickly along tight and twisty roads thanks to decent body control and a good amount of grip around the front. It is a little let down by the steering, though, which isn’t particularly communicative.

Around town where you'll often find yourself trundling around using just the battery the Yaris is a silent as a graveyard. Toyota claims that the Yaris can run on battery power alone for up to 80% of the time and, if you spend most of your time in the car in busy urban traffic, that's possibly true.

In normal driving conditions, however, you'll find the petrol engine fires up a large proportion of the time. It's reasonably quiet man you're taking it easy but accelerate hard and the revs soar and stay high until you've reached cruising speed. This behaviour is common with CVT gearboxes although the issue isn't as pronounced as it was with earlier versions of the transmission.

Take the car on to the motorway and you'll find a fair degree of tyre roar permeating the cabin at higher speeds which does rather spoil the ambience.

So the new, better-looking, Yaris is not without its flaws. The infotainment system certainly doesn't stand comparison with what you'd find in some of its rivals, it's fairly cramped in the back and the boot is small. However, the real world fuel economy is excellent, it's fun to drive and build quality is good enough to rival the best (even if the materials could be just a little more tactile). Oh and did I mention that's really actually quite good-looking?

Toyota Yaris Hybrid Launch Edition

Price: £24,005

Engine: 1.5-litre 3-cylinder

Transmission: Electric CVT

Max power: 114bhp

Max speed: 109mph

0-62mph: 9.7sec

Fuel consumption (WLTP): 65.6mpg

Emissions (CO2): 98g/km

For more information visit www.toyota.co.uk

Gallery1