An eye-catching new ‘Design’ grade leads this year’s refreshed Toyota Yaris line-up, with the option of a striking new colour scheme that includes black ‘wrap round’ roof treatment.

The bi-colour option, costing an extra £795, provides added visual impact and will appeal to buyers looking for something a little different.

And the colour scheme undoubtedly stands out from the crowd, with its black metallic finish for the roof, front pillars, door mirrors and upper grille, with contrasting white or red bodywork, in this case the latter.

It’s only a colour scheme, I hear you say. True! But there’s no doubt that it lends this old favourite a more refined, mature and polished look.

The car’s appearance is further enhanced by 16-inch black alloy wheels and a stylish rear spoiler. As well as the aesthetic improvements, the third generation of Toyota’s best-selling model also benefits from revised equipment specifications across the board. Highlights include budget-friendly performance of between 78mpg and and 91mpg figures, according to official figures. Although those stats tend to be a little removed from the reality of driving on the Bradford district’s hilly roads, you really won’t find yourself visiting the petrol station too often.

And the hybrid power on offer in the test vehicle is also unique-in-class for the supermini segment. Indeed, the Yaris offers a mix of a 1.5-litre petrol engine that has been manufactured for maximum efficiency and state-of-the-art battery technology. On all Toyota hybrid vehicles, such as the one tested here, the electric motor is always operating whenever the vehicle is being driven, thereby offering support to the petrol engine.

Initially, if you’re not too heavy on the accelerator, the Yaris will move forward on EV without any noise. Without the driver having to press any buttons, the petrol motor will kick in when the car decides you need a bit more power or forward thrust. But, even then, noise levels stay pretty low, with vibration also remaining minimal. Only when you press the accelerator pedal to the floor do you get a slightly strained noise from the engine which, in truth, could be a little whiny after a while. However, there’s no doubt that it’s generally a relaxing experience to be behind the wheel of the Yaris hybrid, with effortless driving soothing the stresses of the stop-start rush hour conditions of the M606 or Hellfire Crossroads.

In terms of handling, the Yaris is well-balanced through the corners, while the steering is reasonably sharp and responsive. And, while many smaller cars make you aware of every bump in the road, the suspension on the Yaris seems more comparable to a larger vehicle in terms of smoothness.

When it comes to practicality, the Yaris offers a surprising amount of room. In truth, I had expected the battery on the hybrid car to take up a fair bit of space, perhaps limiting room in the cabin. But, in reality, the cleverly-packaged hybrid powertrain and battery pack means this version of the vehicle has the same cabin space as its diesel and petrol counterparts - quite an achievement on the part of the Toyota engineers.

Indeed, it’s exactly that type of ingenuity and design precision that has keep Toyota at the forefront of hybrid technology.

And there’s another feature on this car of which Toyota seems rather proud.

I can’t say I noticed this particular piece of attention to detail but, according to the firm, the car has asymmetrical door mirrors, with a subtle bump on the left mirror designed to compensate for the effect that operating the single wiper has on aerodynamics to prevent turbulence and wind noise.

This particular version came with no shortage of equipment, including dual-zone climate control, a reach adjustable steering wheel, DAB radio, Bluetooth, USB port, and a rear view camera.