Toyota’s 2017 Aygo X-Style (pictured) in for review
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We’ve had the 2017 Toyota Aygo X-Style – one of Toyota’s latest mid-range trim levels – complete with 998cc 3-pot engine in for review. Is it still a contender?
That original 2005 Aygo, and its subsequent facelifts, delivered a slightly bland City Car, but one that came with the reputation of Toyota for building cars that last. And that seemed enough of a USP for the still not massive City Car Market.
But by 2014, the competition were starting to home in on the City Car market, with offerings like the VW Up! threatening Toyota’s USP, so Toyota decided to take the Aygo and add some Japanese funk.
The result is the Toyota Aygo we’ve got today, complete with a design that hangs on the ‘X’ and a range of trim models all pushing the ‘X’citement of their now funky little runaround.
The car we’ve got in this week for review is one of the later additions to the Aygo range – the Toyota Aygo X-Style – which arrived for 2017 complete with a number of Toyota’s customisation packs as standard and promising funky, and reliable, motoring at prices from £11,935.
But is the additional titivation of the Aygo in recent years enough to tempt buyers from cars like the VW Up! and Hyundai i10?
We’ll find out.
Inside and Out
The rather stubby Aygo now has a bit more presence thanks to the latest Aygo styling, and it looks like a bigger car than it actually is.
This X-Style Aygo gets additional presence thanks to the fitting of Toyota’s OUT-stand accessory pack which makes the big ‘X’ at the front turn grey (as does the rear diffuser) and adds gloss black alloys and privacy glass. And it works.
The Aygo looks cool and funky, belies its age (the underpinnings are essentially the same, although much improved, as they were in 2005) and presents as a very current, funky style statement.
Inside, the Aygo’s not quite as funky – and the back seats are really best only for children – but Toyota has done its best to make the Aygo feel like a bigger car inside than it is (just as it has with the exterior).
Up front, the driver and front passenger have decent head and shoulder room, the plastics look high quality, there’s a decent level of equipment including Climate, Rear View Camera, x-Touch Media (with Sat Nav as an option on this car), Bluetooth and Auto Wipers.
The Aygo may not be in its first flush, but it looks, and feels, up to the competition.
Performance
You won’t struggle when you pop off to take a shufty at the Aygo in your local Toyota showroom to decide which engine will be best – the Toyota Aygo is very much a Hobson’s choice when it comes to the engine.
That means the same 69bhp, 998cc three-cylinder petrol engine that’s been on offer since the Aygo arrived, although Toyota has worked hard to keep it up to date, and keep improving it. And let’s face it, since the Aygo arrived the three-pot has become far more ubiquitous and proved it can be a fun lump for a City Car.
The headlines say it will get to 62mph in 14.2 seconds, which looks like it’s going to mean lots of ho-humming as you wait for the little Toyota to get anywhere. But that’s a long way from how it feels when you’re driving.
True, you do need to give the Aygo a bit of stick to get it to perform, but the fact it works best at higher revs isn’t a big problem as the noise from the 3-pot is far from unappealing.
And you can actually row along really well if you want to, with the Aygo feeling stiff enough and composed when you need it, the manual gearbox offering sensible ratios and a clean change, the steering accurate, and it even copes with potholes and ridges remarkably well for such a little car.
So if you do want to blat you can, and the handling is really not bad at all, although the stability control is quite keen to reign you in. Which in a car like the Aygo is probably not a bad thing.
As for economy, the official number is 66mpg, but if you want to have fun you’re never going to get there. That said, we averaged a very creditable 51.3mpg
Verdict
Common sense tells you the Aygo still sells on Toyota’s invincible reputation. But that’s really not the case (although doubtless a factor).
In fact, we were pleasantly surprised by how able the Aygo still is; it looks good, is fun to drive and has enough toys to not make you feel like you had your hair shirt on when you placed your order.
True, stiff competition from cars like the VW Up! and Hyundai i10 does make the Aygo a tougher choice to make than it once was, but there’s still a lot to recommend it.
Not least is the styling, which may be a bit Marmite but it does make the Aygo stand out, and does appeal to a younger market, something ‘new’ Toyota is keen to do.
It also makes a cracking first car, with enough cool to not be embarrassing, enough pep to not make it feel like you’re driving something designed for an ex-geography teacher, and safety systems that will keep your new driver from doing anything too daft (well, car-related daft anyway).
Add to that Toyota’s original USP for the Aygo – its reputation for well-built, long-living cars – and residuals which won’t frighten, and you’ve got a car that still ranks with the best City Cars on offer.
Toyota Aygo X-Style 5 Door Review Photos
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Toyota Aygo X-Style 5 Door Review Tech Specs (2017)
- Engine: 998cc 3-Cylinder, 69bhp
- Performance: 0-62mph 14.2 seconds / Top Speed 99mph
- Economy: 65.9mpg – Official / 51.3mpg – Test
- Emissions: 95g/km
- Price: £12,055 / Price as tested £12,445
- Test car supplied by Toyota UK
Features fitted to this review Aygo
Safety and Handling
- Front, side and curtain airbags
- 2 x ISOFIX child seat mounts
- ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
- Vehicle Stability Control
- Hill-start Assist Control
- Tyre Pressure Monitor
- Speed limiter
Comfort and Convenience
- Automatic air conditioning
- Electric front windows
- Electrically adjustable door mirrors
- Tilt-adjustable steering wheel
- Height-adjustable driver’s seat
- Remote central locking
- Accessory power socket
- 50/50 split-folding rear seatback
- Tachometer
- Rear-view camera
- Grey cloth upholstery with white seat bolsters
- x-touch multimedia system
- Four-speaker audio system
- DAB/AM/FM radio
- Aux-in socket
- USB port
- Bluetooth
- White instrument panel and centre console
Exterior Features
- Dusk-sensing headlights
- LED daytime running lights
- Grey front X, rear bumper insert and A-pillar x-tension
- 15in gloss black alloy wheels
- Integrated rear spoiler
- Body colour door handles and mirrors
- Front fog lights
- Rear privacy glass
Options fitted to this car
x-nav navigation system
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