Drive the SEAT Mii for a mile or two and you might not fully understand just what this car is capable of. Drive it for a couple of hundred and you certainly will.

The Mii (pronounced me) lines up alongside its sister vehicles, the Volkswagen up! and Skoda Citigo as super-sensible, four-seater city cars, that all punch well above their weight. With space for four adults and a decent deep boot, all are capable of much more than the city car tag suggests.

Nippy, lightweight and easy to manoeuvre around town, the Mii’s character starts to shine through when it faces long-distance motorway travel.

And it genuinely takes a long journey for you to fully appreciate just how well put together, quiet and refined this little car really is.

Priced from just over £8,000, the car’s build quality is superb and that translates into a relaxed, rattle-free ride, making the car feel larger than it is.

Instrumentation is simple and clear and switchgear is straightforward and well laid out. The equipment fitted to the car also enhances the air of a larger car.

The Toca special edition builds on the upmarket SE trim, so as well as air conditioning, height-adjustable driver’s seat, a split-folding rear bench, four extra speakers, electric front windows and remote central locking, you also get a leather-trimmed steering wheel rim and gear knob and the so-called SEAT Portable System.

This is a smartphone-sized, removable device with a five-inch touchscreen that clips neatly on to a dashboard-mounted holder. It combines satellite-navigation, Bluetooth phone connectivity, an on-board computer and audio playback via an SD card.

Again, despite its size, the Slovakian-built Mii has big-car safety features, ranging from anti-lock brakes and four airbags as standard across the range.

But most impressive is the availability, for £200, of the City Safety Assist system, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a potential frontal collision.

The system works at 19mph or below by using a laser mounted behind the rear view mirror. If an imminent collision is detected, the system primes the brakes and if the driver makes no effort to slow the car, it applies them – hard. I have tried the system in the sister Volkswagen up! and it works.

Power comes from a low-emission, 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine, with 60 or 75 horsepower outputs.

The warranty includes three-year cover, two-year European-wide roadside assistance package, and servicing at 20,000-mile intervals.

If you are tempted to take a test drive at a dealership, make sure it is a long one.

Auto facts

  • Model: SEAT Mii Toca
  • Insurance group: 2 (1-50)
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 62.8mpg
  • Top speed: 109mph
  • Length: 355.7cm/140in
  • Width: 164.1cm/64.6in
  • Luggage capacity: 8.8 cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 7.7 gallons/35 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 108g/km