CITROEN have always dared to do things a bit differently and the C4 Cactus is the embodiment of that.

I suppose what we have here is a mini urban SUV hatchback – quirky, innovative and hugely practical.

It’s visually a bit of a stand-out-from-the-crowd vehicle, with curvy, futuristic looks and the Airbump trim that aims to make car park dings a thing of the past.

It’s a simple three-tier range – Touch, Feel and Flair.

All vehicles are well-equipped, with hill start assist, cruise control, front electric windows, a touch screen system and DAB – albeit the Touch comes only with a basic 75hp engine.

Move up to Feel and you get roof bars, air conditioning, Bluetooth and some other bits and bobs, while the top-end Flair that I drove gets 17in alloys, heated door mirrors, auto air con, lights and wipers, reversing camera, rear parking sensors and nav.

Inside, you’ll find a functional, smart and minimalist cabin.

Like its stablemate the Peugeot 308, most of the controls, from climate control to the radio, are within the touch screen system, meaning that there are few buttons around.

It’s a great piece of kit, with everything neatly done, although a little tricky to operate on the move.

There’s space and storage aplenty, with many storage bins front and back, and a good size boot.

Because this is about practicality coupled with an element of fun and quirkiness – and the Cactus has achieved what it set out to do when it was first unveiled.

It’s also about low running costs and the BlueHDI that I drove makes for a nice combination of smooth power and excellent efficiency.

CO2 stands at a tax-busting 92g/km, while claimed combined mpg is 80 – although over 400 or so miles of mixed driving I settled to a decent 55 in the real world.

MPG on all engines stands into the 60s and CO2 gets no higher than 107g/km, so Citroen has made good on its light-on-the-pocket promise.

The only thing that lets the drive down a little is Peugeot-Citroen’s baggy manual gearbox, which just feels a little sloppier than it should.

But, with prices from a mere £12,990, up to £18,090 for the Flair, this car should have huge appeal for families that want a lot of car for not a lot of cash.