The Toyota Yaris began life in 1997 as a concept vehicle called the Funtime. In Britain, however, its image has ended up being rather more Teatime: the average age of a Yaris buyer is apparently 60. Nothing wrong with that, of course, although with their latest version Toyota are clearly keen to expand the car's constituency to a younger market.

They've come up with a new motto, "Outsmart life", which is clearly intended to evoke speed and youthful zip, but alas, could just as easily be the slogan of Dignitas. They've also redesigned the exterior and interior: the former to look more angular, the latter – on the one I drove – involving some authentically horrid red-and-black upholstery, a reminder that some sections of the motoring industry are places where an early-80s teenage boy's idea of sophistication still holds sway.

Having once been a mid-80s teenage boy myself, I took it to Portsmouth to interview Adam Ant. It coped really well, both with the motorway and the erratic driving of a 40-year-old man rendered hysterical with anticipation at meeting his childhood idol, who furthermore kept forgetting to change up into fifth gear because he was too busy hammering the steering wheel in time to Kings Of The Wild Frontier and squealing in excitement. If the acceleration was a bit too ponderous for its own good – and indeed for the sportiness of the exterior – the Yaris felt rather more fun than you might expect from a car that appeals largely to 60-year-olds, although it's perhaps worth noting that I was in such a state of eagerness viz-a-viz my forthcoming meeting that I would probably have had fun pedalling to Portsmouth on a tricycle.

When I got home, I started wondering about the Yaris's appeal to the older buyer. The reasonable price aside, perhaps it attracts sixtysomethings because they don't have to transport young children around in it. The front feels roomy, not least because of its head-height, but fitting the kids' car seats in the back was a task so daunting I felt I deserved a standing ovation for managing it: in fairness, I had a three-door model. The marketing guys with an eye on the youth crowd might be pleased to know that, once installed, Esme, aged five, loved it, although that might have something to do with the fact that, unlike the people carrier she's normally transported around in, the interior didn't smell revolting, the apparently deathless legacy of 2010's legendary Clacket Lane Services Car Sickness Atrocity. I suspect the young buyers Toyota are after have slightly higher expectations from a new car than simply not smelling of stale vomit: whether the Yaris matches them is a moot point.

Toyota Yaris

Top speed 109mph
Acceleration 0-62 in 11.7 seconds
Average consumption 51.4mpg
CO2 emissions 127g/km
Eco rating 7/10
Cool rating 5/10