Toyota Aygo X is designed for the tough and tumble of town

The Toyota Aygo X is precisely the form of automobile that EVs are struggling to quash. While SUVs and GTs and all method of brawny, massive automobiles are nicely suited to the battery-lugging necessities of electrical propulsion, small metropolis vehicles are a far trickier premise. 

At 3.7m lengthy, the Aygo X is really diminutive by trendy requirements (though as a degree of reference, the ‘basic’ authentic Mini was simply over 3m lengthy). Bung in a battery, and the stability between value, weight, efficiency and vary fails to stack up. Therefore the Aygo X sensibly sticks with a combustion engine.

Toyota Aygo X: a compact workhorse

Does that blunt this automobile’s enchantment? Probably not. For a begin, there are merely no electrical equivalents. The equally sized Volkswagen E-up! has a spread of 159 miles (and was lately faraway from the market), while the superb Honda e has a spread of solely 137 miles, but prices twice the value of the Aygo X. The Mini Electrical is equally engaging however hamstrung by value and vary. 

However these are metropolis vehicles, we hear you say, designed for brief journeys the place a zero-emission car makes essentially the most sense. Sadly, vary and scale imply that each one the above are inclined to work finest as second vehicles, enjoying help car to a a lot bigger, long-range machine (be it EV or ICE). 

Not so with the Aygo. Whereas it’s hardly a cruiser, the little three-cylinder 1.0 litre engine retains the sunshine, compact machine apace with site visitors, even when no efficiency information are going to worry. The five-speed handbook is one other throwback, and the ultra-light clutch and steering take a little bit of getting used to. As soon as acclimatised, the Aygo X demonstrates an interesting character, a trusty, compact workhorse that feels nigh-on unbreakable.

A part of this comes from the ‘SUV-lite’ styling cues that give this Aygo the ‘X’ designation (the unique Aygo is not made). Though they quantity to little greater than a barely raised experience peak and chunky plastic trim that gives the look of two-tone bodywork, it’s efficient sufficient, implying a classless form of utility. 

House within the again is considerably tight and the boot will encourage you to pack mild. The prime quality mannequin provides in a canvas roof, that timeless signifier of low-rent luxurious, however pairs it with an 8in touchscreen and each Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. You even get a reversing digicam, considerably superfluous on this compact machine.

The Aygo X (the X is pronounced ‘cross’) is a contemporary equal of a Citroen 2CV or a Renault 4 and even the long-forgotten Toyota Starlet; a bit of sprint of the surprising, blended in with an entire lot of frequent sense and engineering solidity. That is exactly the form of automobile that tomorrow’s EVs want to focus on.