An urban warrior
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THE funky Toyota Aygo x-press is the perfect companion to help you cope with the rigours of the urban jungle. The latest addition to the city car’s model range was launched at the beginning of the year with a price-tag of £12,055.
With its red roof topping a black body lifted by a red strip along the bottom of the doors and 15-inch gloss black 10-spoke alloys, this city car is impossible to ignore.
The Aygo’s face is similarly striking thanks to a red bumper insert and silver front X which is also available in black. The neat small grille features an imposing Toyota badge so you know who’s the daddy.
At the rear privacy glass adds a touch of class to proceedings while goodies include body-coloured door mirrors, automatic air conditioning and dusk-sensing headlights.
One small quibble though concerned the air con as getting a refreshing breeze blowing towards the car’s occupants proved difficult as the main vent is situated on top of the dashboard, so sending air up to the roof rather than out to the cabin.
That said, the interior carries on the youthful feel of the exterior with a large colour touchscreen giving easy access to the x-touch smartphone- friendly infotainment system while gloss black inserts on the dashboard and doors lift proceedings.
A decent driving position is assured thanks to a fully adjustable seat and steering wheel and there is plenty of room up front.
However, things are a lot tighter in the rear with two adults just about able to squeeze in, although it wouldn’t want to be for a long journey.
There are three cup holders dotted around the cabin and a cubby hole in front of the gear stick but again there is not much room to stow away your nik-naks although a covered glovebox is welcome.
The rear window doubles as the bootlid revealing a reasonable amount of space for a city car.
The x-press shares the same power unit as its Aygo siblings so is powered by Toyota’s 69bhp three-cylinder 1.0-litre VVT-i petrol engine. My test car featured the five-speed manual transmission although the model is also available with an x-shift automatic transmission.
Low running costs are a given as carbon dioxide emissions are below 100g/km while official fuel economy is 68.9mpg.
A gear shift indicator helps you to drive at maximum fuel efficiency although the indicator on my car had a slight quirk in wanting me to change to fourth from fifth when travelling around the 60mph mark.
It is not the quickest although a 0-62mph time in excess of 14 seconds doesn’t give the Aygo credit for a reasonably rapid response to 30mph when the lights go green with the three-pot engine making a pleasing sports car-like rasp when pushed hard. And if it is a sunny day you probably won’t see what speed you’re doing anyway as a reflection obscures the dial.
The x-press is good to drive thanks to sharp steering which makes it ideal for ducking and diving around town. The ride is reasonable with only the larger humps and hollows making their presence felt in the cabin.
Motoring peace of mind is given by Toyota’s five-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
TEST DRIVE TOYOTA AYGO X-PRESS
MODEL: Toyota Aygo x-press PRICE: £12,055 MECHANICAL: 69bhp, 998cc, 3cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-speed manual gearbox MAX SPEED: 99mph 0-62MPH: 14.2 seconds COMBINED MPG: 68.9 INSURANCE GROUP: 6 CO2 EMISSIONS: 95g/km BIK RATING: 16% WARRANTY: 5yrs/100,000 miles