IT'S a well-established characteristic of us British that we take a while to get used to new ideas.

The very individual Chrysler PT Cruiser, with its retro styling and clear origins in the American hot-rods of the Fifties, arrived on these shores in 2000 to turn heads and win buyers who can't smother their adventurous streak.

As part of the razzmatazz, Chrysler invited me (and other motoring correspondents) to drive their novelty car to somewhere with a big marquee where teenage waitresses on rollerskates brought us burgers and milk shakes.

Despite the big American fanfare, it's only recently that I've started to notice any of the cars in use and they're so individual that no one could fail to notice them, so it's a surprise when Chrysler says there are 4,500 on our roads.

The Cruiser's entry-level Classic (£14,995) has been joined by the top-model Limited at £17,395, and in between, at £15,995, comes the Touring, which I've been driving.

With its smooth, featureless and almost upright rear end (it reminds me of the Vauxhall my father drove just after the war) the Cruiser turns out to offer lots of living space.

This is presumably why such an individual car has ended up being put into one of the standard sectors of the UK motor scene an MPV, which isn't really logical because although it's very spacious, it is still arranged as a regular four/five seater saloon.

Investigate further, and you find it is as flexible as any of today's 'multi purpose vehicles'.

The hatchback lifts to reveal an excellent luggage area, including a parcel shelf with variable height. To extend the luggage space, the rear seats can be tipped forward or removed altogether, and the front passenger seat will also lie flat.

If you ignore such re-arrangements, it's still a pleasing and capable five-seater wrapped up in body which thankfully isn't as gigantic as the real American autos of the Fifties.

At 14ft 1in along a smidgen longer than a four-door Astra there's still plenty of living room inside. Knee room is great for front-seat travellers and folks in the back-seat aren't neglected either.

Petrol is so cheap in America that at first Chrysler didn't offer a diesel version, though in mainland Europe there's a big demand for 'smokers' so you can now buy a diesel Cruiser.

My test car, however, was petrol-powered. The worthy 2.0-litre 140bhp engine takes it from 0-60mph in 9.6 seconds not exactly hot, and I can't pretend that it felt particularly fast. Determination is needed to reach any sort of acceleration, and it's anyone's guess how long it would take to reach its listed top speed of 118mph.

Surprisingly in an American car, there's no automatic version, just manual (you must remember to depress the clutch pedal when you start the engine).

Whereas cars of the Fifties often had only three gear ratios, today's Cruiser offers five, though fifth gear seems very much an overdrive. I spent a lot of time in third gear.

The gearstick is another feature with a Fifties feel a stick-up rod with a round plastic top, deliberately basic and simple.

Nevertheless, the overall impression inside the car is of a quality which belongs to days gone by, when craftsmen took pride in every aspect of their job. The surfaces may be mere leathercloth, but they convey a good impression, and the courtesy light set up above is a far more upholstered item then you'd find in modern cars. Ditto the sunvisors not just straight flaps but shaped pieces of upholstery.

The fascia carries a hint of the large areas of smooth, rounded plastic which was all the rage, and the three main dials are set back into cowls.

It also gives you a constant reminder that you've chosen something different from the masses. In so many of today's cars, when you sit at the wheel and look at the fascia, you could be driving virtually any make of car; only a name badge, perhaps on the steering wheel boss, tells you what you're driving.

You might get fed up of the chimes which come when you open the door with the key still in the ignition and when you select reverse gear.

Despite that 1950s image, you find a host of goodies from the 21st century: four electric window buttons, a heater with air-con and four blower vents, a CD unit tied to the radio, two cupholders and two 12-volt power outlets.

The three rear headrests do get in the way of the driver's rear view and the small driving mirror doesn't help.

Standard equipment on all models includes airbags for driver and front passenger, plus side airbags, power steering (natch), tilt-adjustable steering column, air conditioning, six-speaker audio with CD player and electric windows front and rear. The door mirrors are electrically heated and retractable.