Small wonder

Peter Sellers, as well as being one of the funniest comic actors this country has ever produced, had excellent taste in cars. He drove a host of spectacular Ferraris, cool Lotuses and luxurious Bentleys, and had a penchant for customised Minis. Specifically, those produced by coachbuilders Wood & Pickett.

The company would take a standard Mini and transform its interior with top-quality materials such as wood veneers, leather and carpet more usually found in a Rolls-royce. Sellers found the car the perfect transport for town as it could nip through traffic and was easy to park. He also appreciated (which most people have forgotten today) that expensive and luxurious doesn’t have to mean gargantuan in size. Note to Rolls-royce Cullinan owners.

This week’s road test subject has reminded me of Sellers’ Mini (The Beatles also owned Wood & Pickett Minis) because it is the smallest car that Lexus has ever built – a title formerly held by the underwhelming C200h hatchback.

This Lexus LBX is even smaller than that car was. In fact it’s the same size as a Toyota Yaris Cross. The

LBX – Lexus Breakthrough Crossover – pinches the powertrain from the Yaris Cross which means a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor and battery giving a combined power output of 135PS. As with the Yaris Cross there’s the option of four-wheel drive, which is unusual in a small SUV. Ours, however, is front-wheel drive.

Mention of the Yaris will give you an idea of how small this Lexus is, although it is 10mm longer than that car, 60mm wider and with a 20mm longer wheelbase.

That means there’s a bit more space inside than you’ll find in the Yaris but the LBX still has limited rear legroom and a boot that holds only 402 litres. Because the LBX is a small car done with Lexus luxury you get features like a powered tailgate and a level of poshness up front that’s unexpected for the size.

Premium Plus trim levels and above (which the Takumi grade is) come with a 12.3in digital instrument pack and head up display.

The infotainment system comes with a 9.8in touchscreen that has a feature I wish more cars used – it remembers which functions you have used most often, and an on-screen button allows you to access them quickly. This is handy for deactivating the road sign and speed limit warnings that beep every time it sees a sign and you go over the speed limit by 1mph.

The LBX feels as plush inside as larger Lexus models thanks to plenty of quality materials spread about including smart synthetic leather and the presence of a

13-speaker Mark Levinson audio system. You even get ambient lighting with a choice of 50 colours.

Lexus has added a lot of extra

sound deadening and retuned the suspension so it’s considerably quieter than its Toyota relative. The LBX is also more comfortable on poor roads with the three-cylinder engine quiet at most speeds.

Our test car’s price of £38,245 might put off a few customers, but not those who, like Peter Sellers, understand that luxury doesn’t have to mean big and that comfort can come in a small package.

I wish more car companies would adopt this philosophy.