AUTONOMOUS emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, lane-departure warning and automatic high beam. Not so long ago these hi-tech safety and driver assistance systems were the preserve of big, expensive cars. But here we are in Toyota’s smallest, cheapest model – the Yaris Ascent – and it has all of the above.

There is a catch, because on this spec or the mid-level SX, this democratisation of safety costs $650 – $200 more than is asked for metallic paint – and only the range-topping ZR includes Toyota’s ‘safety sense’ technology package in the price.

It was introduced on Toyota’s second significant Yaris update since the third-generation light car was launched in 2011.

Despite its age, the tiny Toyota remains a worthy class contender. But we couldn’t help wishing AEB was standard range-wide, with the other bundled systems optional or simply used to add value to higher-spec variants.