HERE'S an interesting little snippet of trivia: What do a £1million-plus Bugatti Veyron and a sub-ten grand Skoda Citigo have in common?

Well yes, they were developed within the Volkswagen group, but the real answer is that the same person, Josef Kaban, designed them both.

And while the Veyron's for dreamers and Euro lotto winners the little Skoda has an infectious style of its own, with a price tab that makes a bit more sense.

Stylish yet sensible, the Citigo works on both visual and practical levels in that it looks bigger than other city cars and has small dimensions - 3.56 metres long and 1.64 metres wide - yet amazing interior space.

You can fit a pair of six-footers in the back, provided the front seats aren't slid fully back, and even then the front seat-backs are scooped out for better knee room.

Skoda is claiming the largest load area in the class, bar stablemates the Volkswagen up! and SEAT Mii, and there are plenty of stowage options plus nets - a favourite of Skoda designers.

A pair of new lightweight 1.0-litre petrol engines with a choice of 60 or 75bhp are up for grabs and both can be ordered with a GreenTech package incorporating start-stop, brake energy recuperation and low rolling resistance tyres.

Nippy and manoeuvrable through busy streets and precise on faster roads, the 75ps Skoda performs better than figures of 0-62mph in 13.2 seconds would suggest.

And the five-speed manual transmission is light and easy while a fuel figure of an average 67.3 miles per gallon plus CO2 emissions of 98g/km in the tested GreenTech means zero road tax.

Four trim grades - S, SE, Sport and Elegance - are up for grabs and there's also an automated manual ASG transmission.

Skoda's catchphrase for the car is City Clever, something underpinned by neat features like a slot for your mobile phone, bag hook on the glovebox and photo holder on the dash.

Safety is also a priority with head-thorax side airbags for driver and front passenger plus the option of City Safe Drive, a new brake assistance system based on a laser sensor that is activated automatically at low speed when there's danger of a collision.

Add equipment like heated front seats, air-con, parking sensors, cruise control and panoramic sunroof as standard or optional kit, depending on model, plus a portable sat-nav on Elegance and the Citigo has bags of appeal.

Classy inside and with attractive looks, it's a real mini marvel - especially with prices starting from £7,630.