There's an expanded family within the Toyota hybrid range that now offers a more spacious people carrier version with seats for seven on offer, the Prius +.

Fashion companies often offer plus sizes for those of us who are slightly bigger and that seems to be a new concept in the motor world, with Toyota taking the lead. More seriously, the Prius + is not about bigger people but extra seats, with room for seven in total.

Toyota has some new technology to ensure the car ticks the economy boxes as well as the space ones. The hybrid petrol/electric engine drive gives good pace and impressive economy.

The official economy rate is 15.3km/litre (4.1l/100km or 68.9 mpg) and I found that, over almost 600km, the car's performance came close to that. My driving style left me about 20% poorer than the rated figures, which is still reasonable for what is a biggish car. And it does feel much bigger than the standard Prius although, unfortunately, it's much less attractive in styling terms. The Prius + feels like a big bulky car and has a look to match.

The seating is compact and entry to the rear two is just about adequate and more suited to children. Don't try to spend long journeys in the back without regular breaks as it is a bit cramped.

There is a large box section between the front seats and that houses the new lithium battery. It feels bulky, but it's compact for such a powerful piece of kit. Its aim is to ensure that the battery pack doesn't encroach on the boot space and that's what allows the room for the extra row of seats.

The position of this large battery pack gave a separate type feeling to the front of the car. I suppose I would get used to it, but it did nothing for the aesthetics of the car's interior. Putting the battery up front also allows for space for a space-saver spare wheel, so there are other plus features to its relocation. The rear third row of seats folds and lifts very easily and all seats can be folded to give a good-size load area.

Driving the Prius + was like the regular Prius with the same stubby lever to control forward and reverse on the automatic gearbox. The Prius + has three gearbox settings ECO, EV and PWR (meaning power).

I did most of my driving in the default ECO mode. The PW mode gives better acceleration and, of course, burns more fuel from the 1.8-litre petrol engine. For regular driving, the hybrid drive is smooth in engagement and power delivery, except when you accelerate hard and can feel the petrol engine toiling. It's not the most pleasant sound but it easily drifts into the background as the engine finds its pace.

There is lots of equipment on board to give it a modern feel. The central dash area includes a large info screen where you can check the economy performance or set the radio. This screen doubles as the reversing camera screen and it's large and clear which, along with parking sensors, is useful for this bigger car.

There's a keyless push button start and a reversing buzzer because at low reversing speeds the car is running on silent electric power. The buzzer gives a useful warning especially when parking in towns and cities.

The Prius + is fitted with an electric and mechanical type handbrake. The mechanical unit is pedal-operated as with Mercedes Benz. It's effective but seems a little contradictory with such a modern car - maybe Toyota feels drivers aren't ready for full electric handbrakes just yet.

This Prius + comes with a list price of €34,995 or £26,495 in Northern Ireland so it's a good deal more expensive than the standard Prius and also than the diesel Verso people carrier.

It's a unique car in that it combined seven seats with a hybrid drive. It does all of the MPV parts as well as the competition with lots of safety features, airbags and braking systems etc. It's economical, if modest, to drive in a performance way but it needs more in the cosmetic end to enhance its looks.