CHRYSLER'S new city car has had a mixed welcome since it burst onto the scene early this year and like most cars it's not perfect, but is a funky looking city car that has plenty to offer.

It's a car that provokes curiosity and has a curious name - from the Greek alphabet, just like its bigger cousin the Delta

Billed by the firm as a luxury city car, it sells well on the continent as a Lancia but shares much of the technology with the Fiat 500 - which can be no bad thing.

Chrysler says it is the Ypsilon's level of equipment that makes it a benchmark vehicle being the first supermini to include such extras as automated parking and Blue&Me-TomTom LIVE phone and navigation system with traffic updates

It also features interesting engine choices, among them the two-cylinder 900cc unit in this car which was voted international engine of the year for 2011, but left me scratching my head after claims of stratospheric economy figures fell short of the mark.

However it is a striking looking car that offers plenty of kit for the money with a starting price of just over £10,000. This rises to a heady £16,000-ish for the range topper - a lot of money for such a small car, but the equipment list is comprehensive with premium car spec like leather leather trim and cutting edge technology.

The shape of the car is certainly eye-catching with its clamshell bonnet, wide-set headlights, daytime running lights, Chrysler's signature shield grille and cunningly styled rear lights with LEDs that are placed to avoid damage in minor shunts.

It looks like a small three door, but it's actually a five-door with the rear door handles cleverly concealed.

At just 384cm long and 167cm wide, it is smaller than many of its supermini rivals but still has a good load capacity of 246 litres

The interior had a premium feel with soft touch materials throughout the cabin and a piano black colour scheme. The seats are comfortable and well upholstered although headroom in the rear is limited.

A new roof lining significantly reduces noise inside, while rear seats, each with three-point seatbelts, have been designed to be as supportive as a larger car's. The front pair use new slimmer back seats to increase leg space for rear passengers.

The dash and controls are in two tiers. The main instruments sit in a central display above the console housing the entertainment and ventilation systems. All the controls are neatly and logically placed and easy to use.

Three engine options are available, a 1.2-litre four cylinder petrol, the 900cc two cylinder TwinAir petrol and a 1.3-litre diesel.

All come with a stop/atart system as standard and all are Euro 5 emissions compliant.

The TwinAir in the car I tried is also turbocharged to give it more grunt than the 1.2 petrol, delivering 85bhp as opposed to the 69bhp of the four cylinder.

It does take some getting used to, sounding a bit like a lawn mower, particularly under heavy acceleration, but this does quieten down when cruising.

The problem I had was with the long ratio gear change. It seemed I could never get out of third gear around town and only managed to stay in fifth on the motorway. This must have affected the economy figures which were disappointing with the onboard computer registering around 42mpg as opposed to a claimed 67-odd.

Nevertheless, emissions of 99g/km means it is exempt from road tax and attracts the lowest benefit in kind taxation of 10 per cent for business users.

With 85bhp on tap it is nippy around town and its compact size means parking is a breeze, particularly when activating the city button which lightens the steering for parking manoeuvres.

Handling is neat and the ride is firm but not uncomfortable.

The excellent standard equipment is supplemented by class-leading safety kit including vehicle dynamic control, traction control plus a hill holder and ABS anti-lock braking.

Inside, there are up to six airbags (two each on the front, window and side - S versions have four airbags) and front seat belts with double pretensioners and load limiters. There are three-point seat belts across the rear passenger accommodation, (two rear seats on S versions), making this a realistically safe five-seater.

Both front and rear seats are fitted with an anti-submarining system to prevent the body from sliding underneath the seatbelt, and the front seats have an anti-whiplash system to reduce the risk of injury in rear end collisions.

Finally, ISOFIX attachments, which allow child seats to be securely fitted, are standard.

It bit of a curate's egg, but on balance a fun car to drive and live with - and still cheap to run with no road tax and cheap insurance, but with masses of standard kit.