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Toyota Aygo X. I’ll probably get called out and get flamed, but the question begs to be asked: Just how far are we going to go? How far will we go with the slightly raised small cars genre?

I also complained about this issue in the article about the Kia Stonic, which is basically a Rio on stilts. But we’re in the Toyota courtyard here, so we’ve got plenty of material for spreading the hate, to speak like today’s almost youth because you’re not a 90’s kid you’re a 30 year old man. The whole mess starts back in 1877 when the Toyota Rav4 came out and the idea was to offer an downsized, urban-friendly Land Cruiser. Sure, there are 2-door Land Cruisers, but they still offered the Rav4 as a car that looked like an SUV but came with normal maintenance costs and civilized-sized engines, no longer abiding by the “no replacement for displacement” engines and appealing to the wallets of the customers who wanted an SUV but couldn’t quite afford the full course.

Fast forward to 2005 and the Qashqai comes along and the cross-over assault immediately follows, especially as in 2008 the crisis comes and sweeps away the full sized Chelsea tractors and so begines the era of the hatch and the hot hatch. So the car industry thought of building a mix of compact cars and SUVs and that’s how small cars such as the Sandero Stepway or the Citroen C4 Cactus came about. And in 2020 Toyota thought of turning up to 11 and launches the Yaris Cross, as an answer to the Kia Stonic and Hyundai Kona. And it doesn’t stop there and goes up to 12 and launches the Aygo X, not to call it the Aygo Cross. What’s next? Toyota Scooter Cross? At the moment the Aygo is their smallest car, but I doubt it will stay for long like this.

And it looks like the recipe has worked for them because the Aygo X has once again become the official car for delivering kebabs and pizzas to drunk and very drunk people in the middle of the night. The hysteria started with the first Aygo, then the second Aygo had a semi-success because the Logan came along which was better suited for the delivery jobs, then came the E-Up! with the electric hysteria which lasted 5 minutes (that’s 200 times more than me), and now we’re on to the Aygo X. And it looks like we’ll stick with the Aygo X because Toyota doesn’t want to sell a regular version of the Aygo, because profits are good and it makes the old men rich.

Toyota Aygo X Engines

1.0 NA 1KR-B52 of 72 horsepower – Basically we have the old 1.0 naturally aspirated petrol carried over from the first generation Aygo, so the engine is prone to a somewhat sluggish CVT and possible water pump issues. Probably. And with that, we drop the mic and get to the good part. It’s a reliable engine, it’s naturally aspirated, it’s low maintenance. Need I mention the fabulous fuel economy? And ironically, Toyota has the last naturally aspirated petrol on sale in the European market and it’s ideal engine for delivery work. The king used to be the 1.0 naturally aspirated engine from Dacia, and for good reason it was the leader in kebab and pizza deliveries because it broke the legs of the Aygo X by costing half. But the Logan was retired and now the Aygo X remains.

Toyota Aygo X Reliability Issues

• The space in the back isn’t exceptional, but at least it’s better than in the past. However, the Toyota Aygo X usually either doesn’t accommodate anyone in the back, just pizza boxes. In fact, the back seats are more like the actual boot of the car, because you can’t even fit a CD in the “official” boot. Oh, and if you tick the retractable canvas roof option, you reduce the interior space even more.


• Pricing above the competition is a serious issue with Toyota in Europe, and that’s due solely to taxes. Not to say that a Toyota Aygo X costs as much as a Kia Rio when the Aygo X should be compared to the Picanto, not the Rio. It’s like comparing Graham Norton with Eddie Hall. Size wise.


• You can still see that the car is excellently adapted for the city, but it’s not the best tool for B-roads and highways. It’s light, compact, and efficient at the urban jungle but that’s how far it’s gonna go. In fact, the only thing lighter than the Aygo X is it’s steering.


• If you intend to buy one new, you should be careful with the options lists and trim levels. Trim levels which can reach Turkey hotel ultra all-inclusive levels of options, if you’re willing to pay Renault Kadjar money for an Aygo.

Toyota Aygo X Verdict

It seems to have remained the last Mohican when it comes to fast food deliveries. Sure, you’ll quickly recover from the bombastic purchase cost thanks to the reduced maintenance costs, but if you’re doing a what-you-get-what-you-pay comparison, the Aygo X is a less attractive proposition than signing up for a clean up event where I get lost in a forest looking for trash to bag. But it remains the last naturally aspirated, reliable, simple, and economical Mohican, and it carries its pie and kebabs onwards with dignity.

 What engines do I recommend? You’ll never gonna guess?