Toyota’s second-generation Aygo city car has been given a mid-life facelift. It’s the Japanese firm’s take on the Volkswagen up! Though the A-segment represents the cheapest and most accessible way into new car ownership, it’s a slow mover in the UK. Superminis are more popular, and the way people are buying cars means the monthly payments on fashionable small cars and SUVs are more attainable than ever. To mark the mid-point of the Aygo’s lifespan, an external redesign is the most substantial change. Toyota’s own customer feedback reveals that the way the city car looks is the biggest reason why buyers are drawn into showrooms, and a new ‘3D’ evolution of the Aygo’s distinctive design language intends to keep it that way. All models come with LED daytime running lights and LED taillights, and there’s a new selection of alloy wheels and vibrant paint schemes to choose from. In contrast, very little changes inside. The tweaks are limited to some new seat fabrics and a slightly redesigned instrument cluster, plus a fairly slick new seven-inch infotainment system with smartphone app integration on high-grade x-cite and x-clusiv cars. As such, the Aygo’s interior still feels modern and funky in appearance.
It’s well built, too, but relies on cheap feeling materials. It’s still not a practicality champ, either. Space for the driver and front passenger is more than adequate, but the rear bench remains cramped compared to the space in a Hyundai i10. A 168-litre boot means the Aygo lags behind the Volkswagen Group’s city car trio for load space, with the up! Citigo and SEAT Mii all boasting 251-litre capacities. Though this feels very much like a design-led facelift, the refreshed Aygo does boast some mild changes under its skin. It retains the 1.0-litre three-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, updated to comply with Euro 6.2 emissions standards. Toyota has also eked out a little extra power from the unit, now up to 71bhp with 93Nm of torque, while a balancer shaft has been added to reduce vibrations. Around town the light controls and decent low speed ride work in the Aygo’s favour, though the steering could be a little sharper. The lack of torque means that outside the city it needs plenty of encouragement to get up to speed, however.
Despite the addition of extra sound deadening the three cylinder thrum still seeps into the cabin, and there are definitely A-segment cars better suited to tackling big roads - especially those with turbo torque and more power. Equipment is one of the Aygo’s strong points though. All but the very basic ‘x’ model come well stocked, with power adjustable heated mirrors and a seven-inch multimedia touchscreen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and navigation are available high up the range, while automatic air conditioning features on x-press versions and up. The fully integrated infotainment system gives it an edge on the Volkswagen in this regard, given that the German benchmark isn’t available with a proper touchscreen setup. There is no disguising the fact that the Aygo doesn’t boast any real list price advantage over rivals like the up! VW will remain within striking distance for most buyers. No dealer deposit contributions mean that you could be in a range topping Skoda Citigo SE L for about the same as a mid-range Aygo x-press.
Rather than maintaining the battery charge state at an unnecessary 100 percent, IPMS aims to maintain the battery at 80 percent charge to avoid the alternator working harder than it needs to. The alternator is configured to charge wherever possible when the car is slowing (rather than when accelerating) recovering kinetic energy in the process. Charge rates from the powerful 220amp alternator (which replaces the 150amp unit of the 3.6-litre) are carefully moderated when cold to prolong battery life. The Land Rover Range Rover can be optionally equipped with a radar blind spot monitoring system to warn of vehicles and objects in the blind spot area. A Surround Camera system makes life much easier in car parks, as well as for towing and off-road manoeuvring and the patented 'reverse tow assist' provides screen-based guidelines to help with those difficult reversing-while-towing manoeuvres. Emergency Brake Assist and optional Adaptive Cruise Control complete the Land Rover Range Rover's package of active safety features. The Range Rover's European leather trim for headlining and door casings combined with sumptuous leather seat trim and upgraded waterfall lighting, cosset the occupants in luxury.
The 12-inch TFT instrument display provides greater versatility than conventional instruments while the 8-inch Dual View infotainment screen displays a different image to driver and passenger. This means, for example, the driver can view the navigation display while the passenger watches a video. During MY2010, with chauffer-driven passengers in mind, the already incomparable level of exclusivity for rear seat passenger was further improved by the addition of optional, electronically-controlled, reclining rear seats. Operated by the passenger, the seats have internal heating and cooling functions as well as airline-style winged head restraints and four-way adjustable lumbar support. The rear seat controls also include a facility for moving the front passenger seat forward to gain extended legroom when the front seat is unoccupied. The luxurious rear-seat passenger environment becomes even more opulent with the addition of laminated rear-door privacy glass which has the added benefit of reducing interior noise levels. These exceptional levels of comfort are further enhanced when customers choose the option of a Logic 7, 1200W Harman Kardon High Dynamics Audio System. Widely acknowledged as one of the finest in-car audio systems in the world, the Logic 7 has 15 independent channels driving 19 premium quality speakers.
