I covet the Toyota Sienta. It's an extremely desirable MPV with a wild design, funky details, tons of practicality and a miniature footprint.

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While not an earth-shattering or society-altering vehicle by any means, it shows what Toyota is capable of when it gets a little silly for once. When you don't have to design a car for a more conservative (read: North American) audience, they can play with funky shapes and add some spice to a typically bland segment. Apparently inspired by a training shoe, it's practicality with pizzazz.

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Look at these design details:

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It's not trying to be classy. Or grown-up. Or expensive. It just looks like fun. Especially paired up in its wild paint options.

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The small MPV concept struggles with top-heaviness. Putting enough space and headroom into a small footprint typically necessitates a five-head, bulbous design - like the Model Y. But Toyota used a wild mix of bisecting lines, organic curves and black accents to reduce the visual bulk on the sides and visual height of the back.

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In fact the back is where it's arguably the most successful, especially given that it's just about vertical and contains an enormous cargo door. Look how far it does down, it nearly reaches the bottom of the bumper!

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And hell, in white it wouldn't look out of place on Tatooine as a storm trooper:

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Despite having enormous headlights, the vertical black strip connecting them with the fog lamp housing is a simple and effective way to break up what would otherwise have been a large, mostly flat panel.

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And the interior is just as funky:

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Bright colored trim pieces, abstract shaped vents and a Peugeot-inspired gauge cluster sat high up on the dash. Built with typical Toyota sturdiness, it's interesting enough to distract from the scratchy plastics (this is an economy car, after all). and outdated stepped shifter. And those cupholders? Glorious. Simple, unbreakable, just where your hand falls - it's a wonder why more companies don't copy this style.

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But the biggest interior win? It seats seven. This is the small MPV superpower, fitting an entire family into a miniature footprint. Measuring in at just over 4 meters long and 1.7 meters wide, the Sienta is one of the small MPVs on the market. And the seats fold fully flat!

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It covers all of the bases - youthful design, Toyota reliability, low price, fantastic fuel economy and tons of space.

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And the five seater version is called the Funbase. Come on!

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It's a shame that this type of vehicle isn't popular in North America. The Mazda 5, Prius V and Chevy Orlando came and went without anybody noticing. Minivans still command decent sales numbers (though they pale in comparison to the 90s), but these have all ballooned to full-size van sizes. SUVs have killed this segment in the New World, replaced by less practical cars like the Kia Soul, Hyundai Tucson and Ford Escape.

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The segment is truly the perfect ride-hailing machine. You can run an uberXL, haul luggage to the airport and zip around town drinking tiny amounts of fuel (it's a hybrid with stop-start). Instead we have to drive solo in a Highlander or sit with luggage on your lap in a regular Prius.

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There's no chance that the Sienta would do well over here. But I can love it from afar.

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Hell, I might even import one to Canada when it meets the 15 year minimum. Check back again in 2030!