BRIDGING THE GAP
The new Toyota Aygo X blurs the lines between city car and small SUV. Let’s find out if that’s the way ahead or a bridge too far
In a way, selling tiny cars in a world obsessed with bulky SUVS seems as logical as offering mobile phones you can’t take selfies with.
But in fact, so-called ‘dumb phones’ have found a following among those in search of a digital detox, and similar thinking is behind the new Toyota Aygo X. Pronounced ‘I-go cross’, it offers SUV style without the guilt that a bulky, thirsty car can trigger. In fact, it’s surprising that this niche isn’t already well established; really small cars are a dying breed these days, so the Aygo X has few direct rivals. Of those that are left, though, the Hyundai i10 is our current favourite. It offers lots of passenger space for something so diminutive, and it’s a doddle to drive in traffic. We’re testing the 1.2-litre version in near-rangetopping Premium trim, which still undercuts the similarly equipped 1.0-litre Aygo X Edge on price.
DRIVING Performance, ride, handling, refinement
Although the Aygo X is physically bigger in all directions and heavier than the i10, it makes do with a smaller 1.0-litre, 71bhp threecylinder petrol engine. The i10’s 1.2-litre engine isn’t dramatically more powerful, with 83bhp, but it has more grunt at low revs and feels an awful lot nippier.
In our tests, the i10 trounced the Aygo X not only from 0-60mph (12.7sec versus 14.3sec), but also when simulating typical overtaking manoeuvres. The most stark difference was the fourthgear run from 50-70mph (a typical scenario when merging onto the motorway), with the Aygo X taking more than five seconds longer than the i10. That extra time could be the difference between comfortably making a gap and invoking the blazing horn ire of fellow motorists.
You’ll need to drop a cog or two in the Aygo X’s five-speed manual
gearbox when you encounter a hill, while overtaking a slower car on a country road requires a lot of space. The i10, by contrast, makes these situations far more relaxing, and it will haul you out of bends with just an extension of your right toe.
In other respects, though, the Aygo X is the more reassuring car on a back road, because it controls its body movements well and its steering is pleasingly accurate. The i10, on the other hand, bounces around a bit more, forcing you to make minor corrections – something that’s difficult to do with huge accuracy, because its steering feels vague around the straight-ahead position.
Fortunately, the i10 feels far more at home in its natural habitat: the city. Here, its light, quick steering makes parking a breeze, although the Aygo X’s isn’t overly heavy, and its tighter turning circle is handy if you need to make a crafty U-turn. Just bear in mind that the Aygo X can feel a bit jarring over bumps and
potholes, whereas the softly sprung i10 makes light work of these; the fact that it has 16in wheels, rather than the 18s of the Aygo X, no doubt helps.
The i10 also flows down a motorway that little bit more smoothly. Plus, it keeps wind noise to a minimum, whereas the Aygo X suffers from an annoying amount of buffeting around its side pillars. In fact, the Aygo X is less refined in general, with its three-cylinder engine thrumming more noticeably than the i10’s four-cylinder unit, and sending vibrations through the pedals when you rev it.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
Although it channels the style of one, the Aygo X is no lofty SUV. However, its driving position is higher than the i10’s. Both cars provide seat height adjustment, but only the i10 gives you a headrest that adjusts for height and can be pulled out towards your head to mitigate whiplash.
It’s not perfect, though; you have to pull an awkward lever and shift your weight in the i10’s seat to adjust the backrest angle, whereas the Aygo X gets a more precise twist wheel. Neither car has lumbar adjustment, and the steering wheel is adjustable only for height – not reach – in both.
You’d hope that with its higher driving position, the Aygo X would give you better visibility than the i10, but no. Okay, your view forwards is fine, helped by relatively thin pillars, but the view to the side and over your shoulder is restricted by chunky pillars, a rising window line and a tiny back window. It’s just as well that a rearview camera is standard.
The i10 offers much better allround visibility, making it easier to spot gaps in urban traffic and to avoid obstacles when parking; you’ll have far less cause to use its standard reversing camera.
In terms of interior quality, it’s easy to understand why both cars make such widespread use of hard plastics, given their modest pricing. However, more effort has gone into making the i10’s interior pleasing to the eye; its contrasting colours and textures look and feel much classier than the shiny, coarsetextured materials of the Aygo X’s dash and the exposed painted metal on display above its doors.
Elsewhere, the i10 feels reassuringly sturdy and well screwed together, with nicely damped buttons that feel like they come from a more expensive car.
‘The i10 is better at soaking up bumps and potholes, plus it’s the quieter motorway cruiser’
The Aygo X scores well here, too, offsetting those lacklustre plastics with climate controls that click satisfyingly when turned, indicator and wiper stalks that feel reassuringly solid, and a steering wheel that’s covered in goodquality leather and feels pleasant to touch. It’s a shame, then, that the feeling of quality that these elements impart is undermined by doors that sound very tinny when you shut them.
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot
When it comes to leg and head room in the front, both cars will allow a pair of six-footers to get comfortable and are wide enough to prevent occupants from rubbing shoulders. However, the i10’s extra width allows it space for a proper storage area between the seats, along with cupholders and an oddments cubby next to the handbrake. Its door pockets are better shaped and can handle a large bottle of water, whereas the Aygo X gets a couple of letterboxstyle slots here that aren’t much good for anything.
Move to the back, and a pair of six-footers can happily slot themselves into the i10, which offers wide-opening doors and a surprising amount of knee room, plus a ceiling that’s high enough to leave their hair untouched. There’s even space for a third passenger to squeeze in for a short trip.
The Aygo X, meanwhile, only has rear seatbelts for two, and even then those same six-footers will feel cramped. The door apertures are really tight (parents will struggle to install a bulky child seat), and so is knee room. Once inside, anyone who’s about 5ft 10in or taller will find their barnet in contact with the ceiling, and the optional canvas roof (£895) depletes head room further.
On top of that, the small, high side windows make for a gloomy ambience and mean that children will struggle to see out. That’s not the case in the i10; its bigger windows make it far brighter in the rear and are better for ventilation, too, rolling down rather than popping out a few inches at their trailing edge like those of the Aygo X.
Both boots can accommodate three carry-on suitcases below their parcel shelves, although this is made slightly easier in the i10, because its luggage compartment is deeper and wider between the arches. Each has a bit of a lip to heave things over, but the Aygo X’s is higher, with more of a drop to the boot floor itself. Its boot
‘With more accurate and consistent steering, the Aygo X offers greater reassurance on a back road’