Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/501315
XVII maltatoday, Sunday, 26 april 2015 Motoring Chris Mangion The current Toyota Aygo replaces a car that remained largely un- changed for 10 years, and does so with a whole new design. It keeps true to the original car's lightweight construction and fun three-cylinder engine, but adds funkier styling, new infotainment systems, coloured dashboard trims and more sound deadening to make it more refined at speed. It's available as a three-door or five-door model. Toyota has dug deep into what it imagines are the "outspoken shapes and forms" of Japanese youth culture to launch a car (on the surface, at least) easily distinguished from those around it. The inspiration for the Aygo's look is the expansion of a soft centre through a hard shell, hence the dramatic break lines that form the 'X' graphic on the nose. The bold 'x' graphic on the front of the Aygo is the source of much of the car's charm, but it's a lot more noticeable on bright colours such as orange and white. Only pick brighter shades if you really do want to stand out! Toyota has made the front grille, rear bumper insert, front wing section and alloy wheels interchange- able – thereby offering buyers (and dealers) the chance to gently customise the car at any point in its lifetime. The Aygo is marginally bigger than its predecessor in every dimension. This improves head- room for people in the front seats, but rear-seat passengers may feel a touch claustrophobic thanks to front seats that block out a lot of light, and small rear windows. In its lowest setting the driver's seat still sits quite high and the steering wheel adjusts only for height, so taller drivers may not be totally comfortable. That said, both front seats sport plenty of room, but the tapering roof line limits headroom for back seat passengers. The Aygo's boot is only 168 litres, which leaves a big gap from its competition. The 1.0 V VT-i three-cylinder petrol suffers from a f lat spot when you pull away from stand- still, and doesn't start to show any power until you hit the 4000rpm mark. The engine has 68hp, which gives the Aygo a relaxed 0-60mph time of 13.9 seconds. The result is 67.3mpg, and CO2 emissions drop below 100g/km for the first time. With the standard five-speed manual, the new Aygo now returns 68.9mpg combined and emits just 95g/km. The gear ra- tios are fairly long, so you'll have to rev the engine quite a bit to accelerate, and this means you'll hear the engine quite clearly in the cabin. Many petrol-head crit- ics enjoy the sound of a three-cyl- inder engine, but it could easily be intrusive if you just want to get from A to B. The Aygo drives just like the previous model – it turns into corners well and has plenty of grip and doesn't roll too much in corners. The springs and damp- ers have been retuned in a bid to improve ride comfort, and Toyota claims that a larger electric motor has delivered quicker response to steering inputs. All versions come with stability control, six airbags, hill-hold con- trol and a tyre-pressure-monitor- ing system, earning the Aygo four stars in its Euro NCAP crash test. At the same time security experts Thatcham gave the vehicle four stars for its anti-theft properties based on its engine immobiliser system. The basic model comes with LED daytime running lights, USB and aux connections, and electric front windows, while the X-Play model gets air-con, Bluetooth, four speakers, a rev counter and a leather steering wheel complete with audio controls. Alloy wheels, part-leather sports seats, DAB radio and a reversing camera, are all available on high- er end versions. One option that really livens up the interior is the seven-inch x-touch multimedia screen. It'll let you stream music from your Bluetooth-enabled devices, and can even mirror your phone's display, and let you use compatible apps, including social media and email programmes. This car is modern and pleas- ant, broadly competitive on value, efficiency and equipment. It's also among the most desirable city cars to look at. It's evident that Toyota hasn't gone to great lengths to make key dynamic improvements to the Aygo under- neath those eye-catching styling features. MOTORING Starting from €9,695 For more information contact: Michael Debono Limited 0GLQD5RDGĽHEEXã 7HO VDOHV#WR\RWDFRPPW ZZZWR\RWDFRPPW Toyota Gozo Showroom 0ãDUU5RDG ;HZNLMD;:.*R]R 7HO JJV#WR\RWDFRPPW Toyota Malta 5 year WARRANTY DEBONO F I N A N C E ONLY 5.5% VARIABLE RATE OVER 6 YEARS X marks the spot PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MANGION