3 years ago

Overview
The Toyota Aygo has served as a trusty first car for many Millennials. Since the model’s introduction in 2005 as Toyota’s entry-level model in Europe, alongside its former Peugeot 108 and Citroen C1 siblings, it’s forged a reputation as a no-frills, cheap, safe and reliable mode of transport perfect for those hitting the road for the first time. However, for the third-generation version of this city car stalwart, the Aygo – and its customer base, perhaps – has grown up.

It’s now called the Aygo X (pronounced Cross) and uses the Yaris supermini’s underpinnings, courtesy of Toyota’s GA-B platform. Although the Aygo X is still officially a city car, it’s now 3.7 metres long, while ride height increases by 11mm as part of an SUV-inspired transformation, and the driver’s seating position is 55mm higher than before.

The entirely new front end design is more imposing and SUV-like, with a taller nose flanked by LED headlights. Chunky black plastic cladding runs around the wheel arches, housing very un-city car-sized 18-inch wheels. The design is a little more evolutionary towards the rear of the car; it keeps the previous-generation model’s pop-out rear windows for the rear seat passengers, a bootlid made from a single pane of glass and similar vertical taillights. Even the Aygo badge is the same, save for the new ‘X’ suffix.

The exterior redesign reflects what you’ll discover inside the car. The new Aygo X is wider than the old Aygo hatchback, with a 90mm-longer wheelbase, yielding greater room up front, with more space for the driver and front passenger. The dashboard has been totally refreshed, with a design centred around a new touchscreen; a seven-inch screen is standard in the entry-level Pure grade model, while the range-topping Exclusive, as driven here, gets a nine-inch unit with Navigation, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Extra space, dashboard redesign, steering wheel and infotainment aside, there’s still plenty that reminds you of Aygos of the past. Exposed metal in the body-colour lines the doors in place of interior trim, while there are no soft-touch plastics, to help keep costs down.

The two rear seat occupants don’t benefit from the longer wheelbase because legroom back here is still very much at a premium, even with shorter adults up front.

One area in which the Aygo X does grow, however, is in how it drives. The engine is familiar: it’s Toyota’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit, developing just 71bhp and 93Nm. As before, progress is very slow, taking 14.9 seconds to hit 62mph, but it’s only overly thrummy if you really rev it hard. That aside, it’s a refined car when you eventually get it up to speed, and it cruises at motorway pace quite happily. In terms of fuel economy, we saw 40.1mpg.

Model: Toyota Aygo X 1.0 VVT-i Exclusive
Price: £17,715
Engine: 1.0-litre 3cyl petrol
Power/torque: 71bhp/93Nm
Transmission: Five-speed manual, front-wheel drive
0-62mph: 14.9 seconds
Top speed: 98mph
Fuel economy: 47.0mpg
CO2: 114g/km
On sale: Now

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