BEAUTY, it is said, is in the eye of the beholder, but few people would leap to the defence of the Fiat Multipla if someone were to call it ugly.

In the highly competitive compact MPV segment there is a tendency for bland looks - tall, more practical versions of family hatchbacks rule the roost. Innovations and unique features are often found on the inside, but the Multipla is different.

Unlike most of its rivals, it is not based on an existing platform. That allowed Fiat's designers to start with a clean sheet of paper and come up with a genuinely different solution to transporting a family and its luggage.

A six-seat layout with two rows of three seats means the Multipla can offer all-round practicality whatever its cargo. Although it is wider than the average family car thanks to its three-abreast layout, it is shorter than the Fiat Bravo.

We have chosen the higher specification ELX variant of the 1.9-litre common rail diesel - the top-of-the-range Multipla, but only costing a small premium over an upper- medium saloon. If company car drivers need to change the Ford Mondeo for something with a little more space as the family grows up they will be turning to cars like the Multipla.