Lancia Ypsilon review

This is where the Ypsilon sells itself against rivals from its own stable and beyond. The interior is a fantastic place to sit, with two 10.25in screens for the dial display and infotainment. Beneath the central touchscreen is a dinner plate-sized section which houses the wireless phone charging pad on top-spec LX models, but which Lancia also refers to as “the first coffee table seen inside a car”. Perfect for a quick espresso while you’re charging the electric version. How very Italian.

The screens themselves are familiar Stellantis items, and the touchscreen can be a little sluggish to respond. The graphics are good though and the Lancia font helps to elevate this into posh supermini territory. Nice that the shortcut buttons have had their icons redesigned to be specific to Lancia too. Good little touches.

Thankfully you get direct shortcuts to the active safety systems that you may want to turn off, and there are proper physical buttons on the steering wheel too. Most of the materials across the dash and higher up in the cabin are of good quality, but poke around lower down and you’ll obviously find some cheaper plastics.

Room in the rear seats is impressive for a small car, and the boot space in the hybrid is 352 litres. Yep, that’s exactly the same as the 208s.

Oh, and may we humbly suggest that you go for the top-spec Ypsilon LX and then spend a further €950 on the supremely orange ‘premium seats in rust velvet with boiserie texture’? Not only do they look fantastically retro, but they’re also supremely soft and comfortable. Plus, the driver’s seat comes with a massage function.