Is it a bird? Is it an SUV? No, it’s a supermini: Toyota Aygo X Exclusive

Though Toyota’s pugnacious modest Aygo X appears to be like all state-of-the-art and cool, it’s in reality, in idea, instead impaired faculty. Get life the zigzag styling and ambitious two-tone paint process, and what you have got prior to you is a instead conventional town automotive or supermini, with the type of spec you’d have were given a month or so in the past.

There’s the five-speed guide gearbox. Some painted metal internal panels. A window on the again that pops out. A rear hatch this is in fact not more than a gap window, albeit neatly completed in dense cloudy. Underneath the bonnet we discover a three-cylinder, one litre engine – with no longer even a light hybrid spice up, let unloved electrical propulsion. There’s room for 4 best, and that’s at a push, and there’s no longer a lot room within the boot.

As for efficiency, nicely it will really feel agile and full of life enough quantity at the go, and thankfully so, I used to be however a modest stunned to look the spec sheet which charges the Aygo X at a govern hurry of 98mph, and a dash from residue to 60mph in a tedious 14.9 seconds. It’s no longer a in particular “torquey”, engine, so it’s a must to rev it and get busy with the tools persist with construct enough proceed at the highway.

All of which is okay, as a result of if you happen to’re ready to position up with some minor inconveniences and alter expectancies you in finding the Aygo X can with reference to acquit itself no longer best as economical and handily-sized city shipping, but in addition for some longer hauls.

Partially to check the concept a contemporary town automotive is ready enough quantity for an extended run, I controlled to clock up about 1,000 miles in my year with the auto, and with few proceedings. The seats had been OK, and as sole occupant what there used to be in the way in which of acceleration used to be cheerfully to be had.

The simpler specced variations of the Aygo X are fitted with adaptive cruise keep an eye on, together with lane help, and that makes a bulky residue to its long-distance capacity. It really works positive with the guide field, too. The bonus is 70mph plus on a run, with remarkably modest discomfort. Once more, the “Exclusive” shorten ranges comes with an excellent stereo, which overcomes the raucous mess at towering hurry.

The trip is usually a bit anxious on the ones stretches of concrete floor you infrequently nonetheless come across, and I discovered the warmer somewhat penniless via trendy requirements – however if you happen to crank it towering enough quantity you’ll get quite comfortable on a chilly night time.

The X model of the Aygo, I will have to provide an explanation for, is in reality only a beauty process on the usual Aygo town automotive, with a reasonably raised trip peak and a few chunky cladding across the bodywork. Clearly, it received’t journey correctly off street (front-wheel force best), however, in my revel in, a muddy barnyard is definitely navigable.

It’s regularly unfair (if fun) to check a automotive via requirements that it used to be by no means designed to satisfy (like getting a cloth wardrobe into the again of a Lamborghini Huracan, or seeking to split the Nurburgring report in a Transit van, however with town vehicles we all know that they’ve to have the continuity to take on the occasional longer field task. The Aygo handed that take a look at. If you wish to have extra amusing, you’ll go for one with a full-length canvas roof, a kind of convertible.

Vehicles like this are unfortunately loss of life out. For instance, you may remember the fact that the early Aygo fashions had near-identical Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108 siblings, and just about each and every mainstream producer had some providing within the garden. However, because the impaired announcing is going, petite vehicles construct petite earnings, and protection calls for, model and shopper expectancies for length have driven up automotive “inflation”, in order that a medium-sized close to two-tonne SUV is at the moment thought to be “compact” and perfect city shipping.

Superior fashions such because the latest Ford Ka (with the exception of the endemic corrosion), the Roguish automotive, and Renault Twingo had been and long past. Battery electrical vehicles also are higher fitted to a larger “footprint” and better stance (the 28mph Citroen Ami quadricycle being an exception). “Small” is not stunning.

So we will have to applaud and cherish the Aygo, which most likely best makes a monetary case for itself as a result of it’s in keeping with the larger high-volume Yaris. The Aygo is a modest dear when prepared towards its rather few competition – Fiat 500 hybrid, Hyundai i10, VW Up! and Kia Picanto (quickly to be revised) – however it’s well-made and, if you happen to get it appeared then via a typically conscientious Toyota broker you’ll experience an efficient guaranty of 10 years or 100,000 trouble-free and rot-free miles.

And, for the ones introduced up on Fiat 127s and Vauxhall Vivas, this is one thing this is without a doubt no longer impaired faculty.