Soccer mums around the world suddenly have another reason to celebrate - Toyota's recently launched all-new Sienta Minivan looks set to take the world of Saturday morning football practice by storm.

But then again, maybe not. This has to be one of the most unattractive Toyotas in recent times. It's one of those car models which seems unsure of what it is exactly. While the full-on Sienna sits very comfortably at the head of its class as an acceptably boring but uber practical minivan, this looks like it will do well as a semi luxury city cab. But, as with all things weird and quirky, the Sienta has over the years developed quite a cult following.

''With its redesign, the Sienta, which started out as a Renault Twingo knockoff in 2003, has become its very own thing. Its slightly larger dimensions are masked by styling that mixes in some Fiat 500L, Kia Soul, and Mazda 5. Each graphic element on the Sienta’s front and rear fascias is somehow related to something else—the styling is said to be inspired by a trekking shoe—and contrived as it is, it kinda works. Every cut line and window shape has been re-imagined, and design oddities like the, um, “naca wheel” (our term, not Toyota’s) shows that Toyota’s design department has been loading up on caffeine''. Car & Driver.

In fairness, the Sienta is certainly no pushover in the practicality stakes, never mind its diminutive size. It can be ''specced'' to sit 5, 6, or 7. And while most vehicles this size really have 5 + 2 sitting as opposed to 7 proper seats, the Sienta does manage to hold 2 smallish adults in back quite comfortably for short trips. Preferably short hauls to the stores and back. On weekends. When there's little or no chance of traffic.

The wide opening sliding doors are a nice practical touch, and configuration can be sorted to accommodate a passenger in a wheel chair.

Now to the part car enthusiasts have been waiting for: the stats. The standard Sienta is powered by a 60hp version of the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that serves as the petrol-fueled half of the Prius’s hybrid power train. There's a 98hp hybrid version for those so inclined which translates to a little more umph for the little people carrier.

There's a reason why the image above is that of a right hand drive Sienta - it will not be coming to Nigeria any time soon. And while this bit of news may break the hearts of the Bogobiri crowd, where this would most definitely have been a massive hit, the rest of Lagos and I suspect Nigeria as a whole, would gladly give this vehicle a wide berth, in spite of the very fetching facia.

Source: Car and Driver