I've always had a soft spot for the Toyota Aygo. Small city cars often burst with character, and the Aygo is full of it. It reminds me of the original Ford Ka with its charisma and diminutive simplicity.
But city cars just aren't on the global agenda at the moment, and the Aygo has been forced into some degree of maturity. To suit modern tastes Toyota has treated its smallest car to the crossover treatment. Yep, nothing is sacred any more.
So the Aygo X (it's pronounced "Cross", incidentally) has been jacked up a bit, given some chunky bumpers, and it's shod with some big 18-inch wheels. You can even spec it with a retractable fabric roof panel.
So it's very trendy now. It's still a small car, and still at home in the urban sprawl, but like most crossovers it looks ready for anything. It actually looks terrific.
The range starts at a shade under £16,000 with the basic "Pure" spec, and all models come with a peppy one-litre, three-cylinder engine and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. There's no electric or even hybrid options but, in truth, they're not all that necessary. Emissions can be brought as low as 109g/km and you can expect somewhere between 50mpg and 60mpg on a run.
Disappointingly, there's no four-wheel-drive option. That would give the Aygo X a bit of a MkI Fiat Panda feel. But it has a refreshing solidity to it, despite its light weight.
The Aygo X's taller centre of gravity should lead to a poorer experience on the road, but actually it handles very well. It doesn't really feel any less sharp than the terrestrial Aygo and nicely-weighted steering makes it feel rather fun. Don't expect too much in the way of fun, though, the manual gearbox is snappy enough, but the engine only delivers 71bhp and 69lb ft of torque, so it's not a speed machine. The auto box, incidentally, is a CVT affair, which really doesn't help the power delivery. Unless you need an auto, stick to the manual.
The extra ride height has tamed the suspension a bit. It's no magic carpet, especially on the larger 18" wheels, but it's definitely comfortable.
Inside there's a cool oval dashboard, a sporty steering wheel, some body-coloured trim, and a big display. The inclusion of bare metal on some of the panels is an interesting feature, but seems to suit the Aygo X.
Top models get a nine-inch touchscreen, and it drops down to a seven-incher in the lowlier specs. It's not one of the best units you'll use, but even the smaller ones offer Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
The interior is comfortable enough in the cabin, but the rear seats are small, with little in the way of legroom. The rear windows are vented, rather than fully-opening, and the Aygo has always offered a very small aperture to climb into behind the back doors.
Squeezing an adult into the rear seats is a challenge. And as nice as that fabric roof is, it does cut down on headroom in the rear a bit.
That said, the boot is a reasonable size at 231 litres.
It's a shame in a way the city car is having to morph into a larger crossover, but the Aygo X does a fine job of swallowing up the transformation. I'd actually go as far to say the changes suit it, and enhance the car. And, at the end of the day, it's great to see such a small, fun, and functional car still being made in a world that's falling out of love with anything small and simple.
