Against all my expectations, this turned out to be a thoroughly decent little car. Perodua (Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd, meaning Second Automobile Manufacturer Corp Ltd) is Malaysia's second car maker, Proton being the first. Perodua doesn't produce its own designs but simply manufactures badge-engineered Daihatsus.

Under the skin, the Myvi is a second-generation Daihatsu Sirion (a rather more successful branding exercise than the first "ever-so popular" Perodua which, launched in 1994, was given the hilarious name of Kancil). And the Daihatsu roots are encouraging - because this ultimately means Toyota heritage, which should help to reassure buyers who don't even know how to pronounce Perodua, let alone whether they should buy one. If this is you, I can answer both questions. It's pronounced Per-ODD-ua, and yes, you should buy a Myvi 1.3 SXi, largely because its OTR price is £7599 - and that's before you factor in the £1000 cashback.

Now that you know you'll be buying one, perhaps you'd like to find out a bit more about it. First of all, it's quite quick - not Lamborghini Gallardo quick, but 0-62mph in 11.3 seconds is pretty good in its sector, as is a top speed of 106mph. What's more, it's highly manoeuvrable and straightforward to drive, although cruising in a straight line at motorway speed reveals a slight trace of wandering - as though you're being blown around by the wind. Which you probably are. This could make long journeys rather tiring: it's a bit like wearing ski-boots one size too big, requiring vigilance and unstinting concentration to keep to the middle of your lane. But I'm being unfair; the wandering is nothing excessive. Anyway, keep thinking about how you're going to spend the £1000 cashback - that way, you'll stay alert.