insideKENT Magazine Issue 39 - June 2015 | Page 146

MOTORS Toyota Aygo X-CLUSIV THE ORIGINAL TOYOTA AYGO PROVED TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL; IT WAS SMALL, CHEAP AND FUN TO DRIVE AND WE BRITS LOVED IT. NOW TOYOTA HAS GIVEN THIS POPULAR LITTLE CAR A FACELIFT AND SOME NEW TECH, AND I WAS VERY KEEN TO SEE WHAT IT HAD COME UP WITH. WORDS AND PHOTOS BY LUKE YATES TOYOTA AYGO X-CLUSIV Price as tested: £11,795 OTR (x-nav, £395 extra) / Top Speed: 99 MPH 0-62 MPH: 14.2 seconds / Economy: Combined 68.9 MPG Performance: 68 BHP / Combined CO2: 95 G/KM The second generation Aygo follows on from its predecessor and is the fruitful result of a collaboration with Peugeot and Citroen, which means it shares the same lightweight platform and mechanicals as the 108 and the C1 respectively. This new style Aygo is extremely modern, and comes with lots of options to personalise it. The silver X (in 'X-Clusive') from the A pillars to the front grille is very striking indeed. There is the option to change its colour along with bumpers and wheels, and you can also buy a selection of snap-in interior parts; these features no doubt making the Aygo a very attractive prospect to the younger driver. The interior is also very stylish and modern, and the infotainment system is optimised for smartphone use – again a clever feature to attract younger motorists. A large touch screen provides extremely ergonomic control over the infotainment, and the Aygo has a very snazzy circular steering column-mounted pod, holding the speedo, digital fuel and rev counter. This new interior is light years ahead of the previous Aygo, and looks fantastic! Standard features also include air con, cruise control, DAB radio and Bluetooth, the X-touch multimedia system, which pairs quickly and cleverly with a smartphone; and, if you have an Android device, you can use the ingenious Mirrorlink function to replicate your phone’s menus and graphics on the Toyota’s touch screen. Drive wise, its bold-sounding 68bhp, 1-litre threecylinder engine provides great driver feedback, and what is equally impressive is the lack of wind and road noise in this latest Aygo. It responds well to a bit of welly in the low gears, making it very nippy around town, but it is also very quiet and stable on the motorway at higher speeds – far more so than the previous version. It has a top speed of 99mph and can manage 0-62 in 14.2 seconds, which in a car of its stature, is rather exhilarating! Steering is light and accurate and the Aygo takes corners superbly, holding the road brilliantly. In terms of economy and emissions, fuel consumption is an impressive 69mpg and the Aygo has emissions of just 95g/km of CO2 I really enjoyed the new Aygo – it has great looks, is fun to drive, and is extremely good value. There's no doubt it will follow in the tyre tracks of its predecessor, and therefore booking a test drive as soon as possible is highly recommended. Beadles Toyota Maidstone Wood Close Quarry Wood Retail Park Aylesford Maidstone ME20 7UB 0843 393 1270 Beadles Toyota Medway Bailey Drive Gillingham Business Park Gillingham ME8 0PZ 0843 393 1241 www.beadles.co.uk/toyota @BeadlesToyota /BeadlesToyota 146