COVER Toyota Aygo X

Toyota Aygo X

FIRST DRIVE We discover if SUV-inspired Aygo has the X factor

James Brodie

James _ Brodie@autovia.co.uk @JPBrods

FOR many members of the millennial generation, the Toyota Aygo has been a trusty first car. But now we’ve reached the Mk3 of this city class stalwart, and the Aygo – like its customer base – has grown up.

It’s now called the Aygo X (pronounced Cross), and it turns to its bigger brother, the Yaris supermini, for its technical basis. It sits on Toyota’s GA-B platform and keeps to the confines of the city-car segment, but is now 3.7 metres long. Ride height is up by 11mm as part of an SUV-inspired makeover, while the driver’s seating position is 55mm higher.

We’ve driven a pre-production car, but this is our first encounter with the finished product, which is now on sale in the UK, with first deliveries coming later this month.

An entirely new front-end design is more imposing and SUV-like. Chunky, black plastic cladding surrounds the wheelarches, which house very un-city-car-sized 18-inch wheels. The design is more evolutionary towards the back, though. It keeps the previous model’s pop-out rear windows, a boot lid made from a single pane of glass, and similar vertical tail-lights. Even the Aygo badge is the same, except for the new ‘X’ suffix.

The exterior redesign reflects what you’ll discover inside. The Aygo X is wider than the old Aygo, with a wheelbase that’s 90mm longer. That mainly translates into more room up front. The freshly designed dash is centred around a new touchscreen. In the entry-level Pure car, a seven-inch panel is standard. But top-spec Exclusive models, as driven here, get a nine-inch unit with sat-nav, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

There’s still lots about the Aygo X’s cabin to remind you of Aygos of the past. Painted metal lines the doors in place of interior trim and there are no soft-touch plastics; to keep the cost as city car-like as possible, they’re cheap materials.

The two back-seat occupants won’t feel the gains of the expanded size, either, with legroom still tight. Even shorter drivers will leave those sitting behind lacking space.

Toyota’s familiar 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine produces just 71bhp and 93Nm of torque. As before, progress is slow, taking 14.9 seconds from 0-62mph. But it’s only overly thrummy if you really rev it out; that aside, it’s a refined car when you eventually get it up to speed, and it cruises at motorway pace quite happily. As for fuel economy, we saw 40.1mpg, and there’s none of Toyota’s hybrid expertise here. Perhaps that’s

something that would have separated the Aygo X from other city cars, although it would have added weight and cost. The engine’s lack of torque means you need to work the five-speed manual gearbox to keep momentum. So it’s a good thing that it’s a nice-enough transmission, with a good weight and throw. We’d pick it over the CVT automatic unit. Combined with a light clutch pedal and steering, it makes the car easy to dart around town in. The enjoyable city dynamics are joined by ride quality that feels as if it belongs to a car from the segment above, thanks to the Aygo X’s taller ride height and the mature platform inherited from the Yaris. In this regard, it offers a slightly more grown-up driving experience than many city cars currently on sale, but not gamechanging. It’s also more expensive than its rivals, so buyers hunting for a small car on a budget may lean towards the Kia Picanto or the Hyundai i10. The Korean pair don’t offer the taller ride height, but they do provide a similar level of big-car kit for less money than the Toyota. The i10 in Premium spec even advances on the Aygo X with luxuries such as heated seats. “It’s a refined car when you get it up to speed, and it cruises at motorway pace quite happily”

Aygo X follows the current SUV-style craze with a taller ride height and plastic cladding

INTERIOR Cabin mixes touches of old Aygo with new, with advances in design and infotainment. A CVT automatic transmission can be chosen for a £1,100 premium over the five-speed manual. Longer wheelbase means there is more space up front

Essentials

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 Economy: 58.8mpg CO2: 110g/km ON SALE Now

PRACTICALITY Aygo X’s boot offers 231 litres with rear seats in place, expanding to 829 litres with the bench folded almost flat. The sill sits quite high, however, so loading heavy items could be tricky

Verdict

EXACTLY who will buy the Toyota Aygo X is tricky to define. It’s a strong city car that’s fun in town, civilised to drive outside it, and has more advanced interior and driver-assistance tech over the old Aygo. But while its SUV-inspired makeover rings in the change, sales success will hinge on whether typical city car buyers are willing to fork out more for the Toyota’s aspirational image over well equipped, good-value, but more conventional rivals. Being restricted to just one 71bhp engine isn’t ideal, either, when rival models in the class are offered with more power. ___`b