CITY cars are no longer cheap and nasty, although not that many were that nasty in the first place.

But with the likes of SEAT's Mii and sister company VW's up! and Skoda's Citigo, and some notable rivals, they have moved to a new level.

Small, funky, yes cheap, but boasting efficient engines with low CO2 emissions and decent, if not world-beating economy.

They also offers decent standard equipment, and safety kit which includes anti-lock brakes, stability control programme, Isofix childseat anchors and hill hold control.

SEAT prides itself on it sporty styling and the Mii is no exception, despite its somewhat boxy shape. It has the same eye-catching light clusters as bigger siblings, but the creases and curves mitigate the square effect.

The model driven here has taken on a customised look thanks to a collaboration between SEAT and the Spanish fashion company Mango.

Available in both three and five door version, it offers a high specification and a higher price of £10,995 and £11,345 respectively.

For this extra cash equipment includes custom paint job and alloys plus privacy glass and exterior detailing. In the case of the tested model customised meant cream or 'nude' paintwork with dark grey alloys, but a black version with silver wheels.

The interior has leather upholstery with the Mango branding prevalent throughout on door trim and mats.

Electric windows and powered mirrors are in addition to air conditioning and remote central locking with alarm.

Just above the dash, a small touchscreen features sat nav, connectivity and sound system controls. The buttons are small but it is intuitive. The neat, leather bound steering wheel gives a good view of the three dial binnacle and the car has a simple yet functional feel.

In common with all cars in the VW group the inside feels well put together. Dash and doors have a high-quality paint finish and the whole cabin has a comfortable feel. But one thing I did miss was a USB connector for the iPod.

The car has been designed as a box on wheels to get maximum room inside, which it does, but not totally compromise boot space, which it doesn't. This makes for a spacous interior with excellent headroom.

It can accommodate four adults reasonably comfortably over shorter distances, and the front two occupants, with the extra legroom, for considerably longer distances.

It is practical enough despite the limited boot size, which is deep, but not very wide, with the rear seats splitting and folding to create decent stowage space.

There is a choice of two, three-cylinder petrol engines. Both one litre, but offering different power outputs of 60ps or 75ps, both offer a throaty rasp under acceleration.

The claimed economy figure of the 75bhp model at 60.1mpg looks impressive, but I failed to get anywhere near this. However the car feels sporty and races through the gears via a precise five-speed manual gearbox, which with a heavy right foot, might have affected the economy.

On the road, the gutsy engine gives a feeling of quicker acceleration than the 13.9 seconds for 0-60mph and the car feels surefooted and stable, also soaking up small bumps and potholes with ease. In fact it is a decent all round drive.

Fork out another £790 and a special Mango style pack adds panoramic roof and fog lamps. Add a further £175 for a DAB radio.