The Toyota Yaris is 20 years old and, to celebrate, the company has launched a new trim grade to this year’s model line-up, the Y20. You can see what they did there.

The initial production run of 1,998 cars – not a coincidence – features gold paintwork similar to the colour offered on the first generation Yaris in 1998 but with a contrasting dark grey roof.

If you miss out on one of the launch edition models you can still pick one up with the bi-tone paintwork but you’ll just have to settle with either silver, white or black bodywork paired with the same dark grey roof.

There’s more grey detailing around the car, with the 16-inch alloy wheels, side mouldings, front grille, door mirror casings and fog light surrounds all finished in a matching shade.

The theme continues inside with the same grey applied to the centre console, steering wheel inserts and the new check-pattern fabric upholstery. There’s Y20 badging on the instrument panel and seat backs while satin chrome air vent, speaker and meter surrounds and gear knob trim add flashes of brightness while instrument panel, door trims and the cloth upholstery are colour-coded to the car’s exterior.

It does give the passenger a rather snazzy appearance but there’s no escaping the fact that there are some areas where savings have been made and you don’t have to go looking to hard to find them.

The seats are supportive and offer a good view of the road thanks to the upright backs. The driving position is good but you’ll have to browse the options list if you want height-adjustable seats to complement the standard adjustable steering column.

Equipment on the Y20 includes leather steering wheel – which is adjustable for tilt and reach – and gear knob, cruise control, six-speaker audio system with DAB radio, a USB port and aux in socket, front parking sensors and rear-view camera and 60:40 split-folding rear seats.

There’s a decent amount of room in the rear, even for three people, thanks to the tall cabin and upright seats. There are also plenty of cubby holes and compartments to stow the odds and ends that seem to accumulate in passenger vehicles.

Like the rest of the range the Y20 sports an updated multimedia system running Toyota’s Touch 2 software that offers improved connectivity options. There’s a seven-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring that lets you view the contents of your mobile but no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

The ergonomics are first-rate, and the fascia has a delightfully clean, uncluttered appearance which means that you shouldn’t be scrabbling around searching for the correct controls during the early hours of ownership.

The boot offers 286 litres of storage with the rear seats in place. That increases to 768 litres with the rear seats stowed but you don’t get a totally flat boot floor and there’s a raised lip that can make lifting heavier items in and out difficult.

Under the bonnet of my review car was the firm’s four-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine and it’s a competent, quiet little power plant. It needs to be worked quite hard to get the best out of it but it’s happy either trundling around town or out on the open road, where its refinement is impressive.

I did find that on some longer climbs on high-speed roads the Yaris would urge me to drop down from sixth gear to fifth in order to maintain my speed, something that I haven’t had to do since the days of my delightful, but underpowered, 999cc Fiat Cinquencento.

The six-speed manual gearbox is light, accurate with a positive action, something that’s crucial as you’ll find yourself swapping cogs fairly frequently in order to keep the engine at optimum revolutions.

Back outside and the overall styling will be familiar. The deeply sculpted bonnet meets with the trapezoidal grille surround to form a prominent X. It’s a styling cue that has made its way across the Toyota range.

The changes have been implemented in order to give the Yaris a broader, more planted stance and a greater three-dimensional effect. To inject a little more emotion into the styling, more dynamism.

It’s a look that’s hard to describe as handsome, but it is dramatic and it does stand out in a crowded marketplace.

The rear mirrors the front with the same strong catamaran architecture flowing from the new bumper into the tailgate. Large light clusters wrap around the wings and onto the bootlid, enhancing the width, while reducing the perception of height.

On the safety side the Y20 is equipped with Toyota’s Safety Sense system with pre-collision alert, lane departure warning, automatic high beam and road sign assist.

In its latest incarnation the Yaris manages to stand out from the crowd and the special edition Y20 only enhances its kerbside appeal. Passenger space is excellent for a car of this size and, if carrying capacity is your primary concern then this is a car worthy of serious consideration.

The 1.5-litre petrol engine is a competent performer that offers decent refinement during most driving conditions. It doesn’t deliver much in the way of driving thrills but for comfort and convenience it gives its rivals a real run for their money.

Toyota Yaris Y20

Price: £17,465

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Max power: 110bhp @ 6,000rpm

Max torque: 136Nm @ 4,400rpm

Max speed: 109mph

Acceleration (0-62mph): 11sec

Combined: 43.49 – 47.98mpg

Emissions (CO2): 118g/km

For more information visit www.toyota .co.uk