Toyota Aygo X reinvents city car as a baby SUV

Toyota has unveiled the Aygo X, reinventing its long-standing Aygo small car as a mini SUV.

On sale in 2022, the Aygo X will reflect the major changes in consumer buying tastes, abandoning the small car that was launched as a joint project with PSA (Peugeot 108 and Citroën C1) in 2005 and which has proven highly successful over the past 16 years.

The Aygo X is a standalone Toyota design, based closely on the Prologue concept that was unveiled in March but with less radical styling. It is pitched as a small SUV with a raised ride height and 5cm higher seating position, but retaining the original Aygo ethos of affordability.

Despite the mini-SUV styling, the Aygo X is very much an on-road vehicle. Toyota saying it is designed “to meet the demands of urban and suburban life,” with a heavy emphasis on lifestyle. Targeting the likes of the Mini, the Aygo X will be offered in a ‘spice’ styling theme, four two-tone styling treatments dubbed ‘Cardamom’, ‘Chilli’, ‘Ginger’ and ‘Juniper’.

It will be front-wheel-drive only, powered by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with either manual or CVT automatic transmission. Economy figures are yet to be confirmed but Toyota is targeting 60mpg and 109g/km of CO₂ emissions on manual versions.

The car is larger than its predecessor – 12cm and 24cm longer with a 9cm longer wheelbase, which frees up more interior room and adds more than 60 litres to the boot space. Despite the expansion, Toyota exists the car is “designed for the narrowest city streets”, pointing out the 9.4-metre turning circle which it claims to be one of the tightest in the class.

The cabin will see a major update over the previous Aygo, dominated by a large infotainment touchscreen in a logenge-shaped centre console panel.

There are styling nods to the original Aygo – while 5cm higher, the body dimensions follow the basic shape of the original car, while the back retains the vertical light clusters and a one-piece glass tailgate. A roll-back canvas roof will also be available for the Aygo X.

Keyword: Toyota Aygo X reinvents city car as a baby SUV