Toyota's new Aygo X city car for Europe is a supercute 'urban crossover'
The third-gen Aygo gets crossover style and some high-end features.
Look at this cutie!
Earlier this year Toyota showed off the Aygo X Prologue concept, a high-riding hatchback that previewed an upcoming model that will be sold in Europe. Well, the Aygo X production car debuted Friday, and it's honestly even cuter than the concept.
For this third-generation Aygo, Toyota is positioning the A-segment hatch as an "urban crossover" -- thus the X in its name -- but really it's just a tiny hatch with a shape similar to the previous-gen Aygo. It's built on Toyota's TNGA-B platform that also underpins the new Yaris and Yaris Cross, neither of which is coming to the US. At 145.6 inches long, the Aygo X is 9.3 inches longer than its predecessor, but it's still 19 inches shorter than the Yaris Cross and 27 whole inches shorter than the Toyota C-HR that's sold in the US. Compared with the old Aygo, the new Aygo X is also a little taller and a lot wider, increasing both cargo volume and interior passenger space, and it has more ground clearance, too.
While the Aygo X Prologue was designed at Toyota's European Design and Development facility in Nice, France, the production Aygo X was completed in the styling department at Toyota Motor Europe in Belgium. The Aygo X has an expressive front end with a prominent snout, large headlights and a big lower grille. Its rear overhang is absolutely miniscule and the C-pillar is raked forward, giving the Aygo X the impression of lunging forward, and the tall taillights flank a one-piece glass hatch. It's available with wheels up to 18 inches in diameter, and the Aygo X has large plastic fender flares with a fun shape. Also, like the old Aygo, the Aygo X is offered with a rollback canvas roof.
The Limited edition gets orange accents.
Toyota says its customers increasingly demand "flair, distinctiveness and the chance to make a personal statement," so the Aygo X was designed with a "spice color concept" in mind. Basically, every Aygo X pairs a two-tone body that pairs a real color with numerous black sections, most notably at the roof and rear end. The presented colors are Cardamom (dark green), Chilli (red), Ginger (rose gold) and Juniper (blue). The effect is successful if Smart Fortwo-like, and I especially like the Limited special edition that pairs the Cardamom paint with Mandarina orange accents.
The Aygo X's interior is just as cute as the outside. The door surrounds are exposed metal, a cost-saving measure that brings big pops of color inside, and color-matched accents are found on the the oval infotainment surround, shifter and steering wheel. I love the oval theme of the interior, especially the surrounds for the dashboard air vents. Every Aygo X has a 9-inch central touchscreen and a screen in the gauge cluster, and there are physical climate controls. The front seats get interesting stitching patterns and colored accents with an X motif, while the back seats are sparer. (Rear passengers don't even get roll-down windows.)
The Aygo X's interior is cute too.
Despite its diminutive size and entry-level status, Toyota packed the Aygo X with a ton of stuff. Available features include full LED lighting, wireless device charging, ambient interior lighting, over-the-air software updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian and cyclist detection, emergency steering assist and cloud-based navigation. Owners can download a smartphone app to monitor their Aygo X's fuel level and other stats as well as track the vehicle.
When it comes to powertrains there's only one option: a 72-horsepower naturally aspirated 1.0-liter 3-cylinder shared with the Yaris, paired with either a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, with all-wheel drive not even on offer. Toyota says the Aygo X has one of the tightest turning circles in its class, and ride comfort and body roll have been improved. The Aygo X's body in white is also the lightest of any A- or B-segment car, which Toyota says help provide "excellent" fuel economy. While a hybrid is unlikely, according to Autocar there's a chance for a performance model in the future.
The Aygo X will go on sale in Europe at the beginning of 2022. It will likely carry a starting price equivalent to $17,000, with fully loaded models topping out at around $20,000.
