Sometimes it’s difficult to believe your eyes. This is one of those times.
The test car looks like a wasp, all resplendent in black and yellow, but it’s the fuel consumption figures that leave me buzzing – 90 miles per gallon!
It must be a fault or a fluke, or a faulty fluke, but no. On slow runs the Toyota Aygo X Hybrid consistently records fuel figures in excess of 80 MPG.
Crazy, but very welcome given Trump’s exploits have shoved the price of juice beyond the £7 per gallon mark.
When a car is this efficient it renders your motoring costs at least half price. Bring it on.
The funky little Aygo X has been kicking around a while, 2022 in fact, and if it fell short of the mark in any way it used to be with its performance.
The new Hybrid sorts that out with gusto and also manages to boost MPG. It boasts a claim to fame too – it’s the first full hybrid in the small car segment.
X also gets new looks and, in GR Sport spec, is striking, thanks to squat, have-you-in-a-fight aesthetics and big 18in alloys at each corner.
You can tell this car is going to be fun at one glance and it is thanks to an even more dynamic drive that comes courtesy of finely tuned suspension.
Its new set of clothes has it looking like a diddy Lexus LBX, which can’t be bad.
Engine size has jumped from 1.0 to 1.5, which it shares among three cylinders, so horsepower is up to 114 – in a little body, hmmm, nice. That shaves more than five seconds off its predecessor’s 0-62mph sprint time and you can really feel it.
Hybrid is so much quicker and less stressed under acceleration and, of course, is happy to bowl along using just the electric, so is so much quieter too.
It’s also uber clean with CO2 emissions of 87g/km – that’s almost fresh air. I don’t know why I’m surprised, Toyota has been making hybrids for almost 30 years and is rather than adept as a result.
Aygo is peppy and, having big wheels at each extremity, feels agile, grippy and has a big-car ride.
While it is great on the dual carriageways of life, it thrives on A and B-road twists and turns and has you grinning from ear to ear.
Full LED lights front and rear on higher grade versions ensure you can see and can be seen to extend the driving day safely through the night.
In town it’s a hoot and easy-peasy to park and dart through traffic. The high-set driving position gives you a commanding view and there are beepers and a rear camera for reversing.
You can slot it in virtually anywhere yet the interior is spacious and accommodating.
The boot is small case size and supermarket shopping fits in perfectly. Rear legroom is tight as you would imagine in a small car, but how many times do you actually take passengers nowadays.
At least the pagoda roof ensures there is plenty of head room in the back if you do.
The dash and fascia are great. The centre console is dominated by a big egg-shaped panel that houses the infotainment and there are lots of switches for primary functions and little need to swipe.
There’s also a useful wireless smartphone charger.
On the GR, the sports seats are firm and supportive and the specification high with all the toys you could require.
Large areas of glass make the interior bright and inviting and if you add in the cheery two-tone livery Aygo X Hybrid really is a car that brightens your day and protects your purse.
Factfile
| Engine: 1.5 three cylinder petrol hybrid |
| Power: 114HP |
| 0-62mph: 9.2secs |
| Top speed: 107mph |
| Combined: 74.4MPG |
| Transmission: e-CVT automatic |
| CO2 g/km: 87 |
| Price: from £26,945 |
