IF most of your waking hours - and some dreamtime too - were taken up with the day job you might rival the attention to detail shown by some car designers.

These chaps and chapesses really do live their work. Talk about taking the job home; they wrap it up with a bow for Christmas and look forward to December 25.

But why mention this in a road test of a car you wouldn't give a second glance in the Sainsbury's car park?

Because the people charged with making the Toyota Auris more attractive to buyers dug so deep in the process they must have almost been lost underground.

You might see the Auris as a smartish looking contender about the size of, say, a Ford Focus, with an interior that strikes as obviously well put together, if a bit sombre in blacks and greys.

But no; listen to one Mehmet Fatih Kale, senior engineer, body design division, Toyota Europe: "... to enhance coherence, we worked on improving colour consistency, with a focus on black elements. Dividing the interior into three groups - injection moulded parts, painted parts and soft parts - we now use a colour measurement-based system. The colour of all the interior parts has been fine-tuned to create visual unity."

And there's more, lots more, of similar attention to detail from the chap who formed an important part of the Sensory Quality Team (Toyota's capital letters), which was formed in 2012 to make sitting in a Toyota feel more special.

Everything you see or touch came under the relentless microscope of the team, from the colour of the instrument lighting to the number of switches and the feel of anything that looks chromed or metallic - it must feel cold to the touch to be convincing.

The result is a car that is certainly smarter than before, inside and out, but one that you still wouldn't single out in an automotive fashion parade. No, the charms of the Auris lie deeper.

For however much Toyota wants us to be excited about the car it simply can't help producing something that will give a more lasting pleasure than mere looks as the miles turn into thousands and the months into years.

There's reliability, of course. You can be impressed with the warranty that lasts up to five years, or 100,000 miles but be pretty sure it won't be needed in your tenure of the car.

Then there's the likely economy from the 1.6-litre diesel engine in the test car, more economical than the 2.0-litre unit it replaces and - practical point again - enjoying extended service intervals of 12,500 miles, or annually.

You're most unlikely to approach the near-66mpg average posted in the official tests, but 54mpg over a week's varied driving was impressive enough.

The Auris range takes in two petrol engines (1.2 and 1.33-litres), two diesels (1.4 and 1.6-litres) and a 1.8-litre petrol/electric hybrid, which posts an 80mpg-plus official average but which managed 57mpg in my hands some time back.

Prices range from £13,995 to £25,545 and encompass hatchback and Touring (estate) body types. There cannot be many car ranges with more versions than the Auris, which must come in useful in a company car pecking order.

The Excel trim level on test sits at the top of the Auris pile and comes well equipped. Features include dual zone climate control, cruise control, heated front seats, satellite navigation, DAB radio and Bluetooth. A huge, fixed sunroof was a worthwhile £550 extra.