IT'S taken me a while to get round to it, but I've finally driven the world's best-selling car.
Before I tell you what it is, let me give you a few clues.
An incredible 29 MILLION of these cars have been sold over the years. This small family car is now in its ninth generation and the manufacturer is a Japanese company.
The answer is, of course, the Toyota Corolla - and after more than two years in my role as a motoring correspondent, I've finally driven one!
It's not that I've been boycotting the Corolla, it's just that there are so many cars out there to test and only limited time to test them. And, to be honest, the prospect of driving a Corolla didn't really excite me that much.
But after finally succumbing to a week behind the wheel of the Corolla T Spirit 1.6, I have to hold my hands up and admit the latest generation model is an accomplished machine.
A trawl through previous motoring reviews showed that its predecessor was criticised for lacking maturity, refinement and an air of quality.
The revamped version has been much more favourably received. Indeed, it was named car of the year 2002 by What Car? magazine - and it's not hard to see why.
What you get with the new Corolla is a car that's easy, enjoyable and comfortable to drive.
Beneath the bonnet of the 1.6 T Spirit 5-door manual is a 1598cc engine capable of producing 110 bhp.
Stats such as a 0-62 mph time of just over 10 seconds and top speed of under 120 mph hardly set the world alight. But it doesn't take a driver long to realise that the Corolla, with its small dimensions, is a very nippy vehicle that's ideal for both the commuter crawl and clocking up the out of town miles.
If you need to fight your way through the town or city, then turning in tight spaces with a Corolla is a doddle - as is parking. Steering is light and responsive and gear changing is slick.
If you do plenty of miles, the Corolla also comes up trumps in the fuel economy stakes, returning more than 40 mpg. Cabin conditions are also comfortable.
Exterior looks don't set you drooling, but are far from being a turn-off, and the interior styling is neat with dark grey and silver materials the name of the day. Controls such as air conditioning, electric tilt/slide sunroof, electric windows and stereo are easy to find and use.
The price of my model - just under £14,000 - is on the expensive side, especially when you consider the number of competitors out there, such as the Ford Focus.
What you get, however, is a car that's so easy to drive it takes away much of the stress associated with urban motoring.
FAST FACTS
Toyota Corolla T Spirit 1.6 5dr
Price: £13,795
Mechanical: 110bhp, 1598cc, 4 cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 118mph
0-62mph: 10.2 seconds
Combined mpg: 40.3
Insurance group: 6
CO2 emissions: 168g/km
BiK rating: 16%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 12 yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint