Now that I’ve had the chance to drive it in Singapore, the Lexus LBX is exactly the kind of car a more successful version of me might be seen driving. It’s compact and agile, has a lovely interior, and comes with a hybrid drivetrain made by a company famed for reliability.

As a child-free man-child who loves nothing more than spending money on himself, and whose attitude to waiting for a tow truck by the side of the road with his head in his hands is very much a case of “been there, done that”, I can get behind a car like the little Lexus.

It turns out that the LBX was conceived precisely to fulfil a bit of self-indulgence. It may be the smallest Lexus and, at S$228,800 and up, the cheapest one (in part because you can have one with a Category A Certificate of Entitlement), but the compact crossover is meant to be something luxurious yet casual, and not merely affordable.

Apparently, Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda showed the Lexus team the comfy but lavishly-priced sneakers that he likes to wear to the racing track, and told them to draw up a new Lexus along those lines. Presumably, he ordered them to think on their feet.

From that strange brief arose the “Lexus Breakthrough X-over”, a silk purse made from the basic components of Toyota’s Yaris Cross, a utilitarian but sensible car.

Yet, there’s little trace of the Yaris Cross’ cheapness in the Lexus, especially if you opt for the S$5,000 Cool grade. That slathers the cabin in a material called “ultrasuede”, which actually lends it quite a hand-built aspect. It also adds 64 ambient lighting colours that you can toggle between, at your whims and fancy.

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The dashboard is dominated by a responsive touchscreen that measures 9.8 inches, which doesn’t sound like a lot these days, but looks just right in a car this size. A high-resolution 12.3-inch screen takes care of the driver instruments, but there’s also a head-up display that’s bright and sharp.

It all looks contemporary, but you get the sense that Lexus’ main goal was to make the LBX an easy car to live with. Some climate settings, the volume control as well as important stuff like the birds-eye view camera and self-parking system still live on physical switches, which is common sense if you ask me.

There’s only one cupholder, but otherwise the cabin has plenty of space for odds and ends, especially for a small car.

But while the LBX has an interior that feels classy, what I liked most about the car is the raunchy way it zips around. Like something on Ritalin, the Lexus carves through corners with focus and precision, giving you plenty of feedback through the steering along the way. It sticks to the road in that no-nonsense way that builds plenty of confidence, yet it feels light enough on its feet that things don’t feel joyless.

But as much as I enjoyed its agility, there’s little getting away from the fact that the LBX is, for want of a better phrase, pretty slow. It also complains if you try to drive it hard, raising its voice fairly robustly for something calling itself a Lexus.

The hybrid drivetrain is much more relaxed if you are, and is really at its most appealing when you’re shuffling along at city speeds, letting the electric motor do as much of the work as possible.

Do it right, and the LBX is fabulously frugal. Officially, it’s supposed to sip 5.1 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres, so you could in theory cross 900 km before needing to slosh fuel down its throat. In practice, it’s often even more efficient than that, and trying to drive smoothly and thoughtfully enough to coax the best from the petrol-electric hybrid system can be surprisingly engaging.

If nothing else, the Lexus’ efficiency is a reminder that it has one of the most sophisticated drivetrains around. What’s under its curvy bonnet is certainly far more complex than the turbo setup that its German rivals use.

But where the LBX comes up short is at the other end of the car. At 400 litres, the boot is no more than decent in size, and the rear seating is cramped by class standards. This isn’t a car you’ll want if you need plenty of space.

It’s actually the German brands that deliver strongly on such workhorse attributes, with the BMW X1 and new Volkswagen Tiguan especially strong in terms of practicality. Boisterous engine aside, the LBX feels like something designed to be more fun than those cars.

Just as there are loafers and there are Louboutins, the Lexus is aimed at the more indulgent end of the market. Whether that includes you comes down to whether you can live with its compactness, but as they say, if the shoe fits...

Lexus LBX Cool Engine 1,490 cc, in-line three with electric motor System power 129 horsepower 0-100 kmh 9.6 seconds Top speed 170 kmh Fuel efficiency 5.1 L/100 km Agent Borneo Motors Price S$233,800 with COE Available Now