New Toyota Aygo X vs Hyundai i10: interiors
The new Toyota Aygo X blurs the lines between city car and small SUV. Let’s find out if that’s the way ahead or a bridge too far...
Behind the wheel
Driving position, visibility, build quality
Although it channels the style of one, the Toyota Aygo X is no lofty SUV. However, its driving position is higher than the Hyundai i10’s. Both cars provide seat height adjustment, but only the i10 gives you a headrest that adjusts for height and can be pulled out towards your head to mitigate whiplash.
It’s not perfect, though; you have to pull an awkward lever and shift your weight in the i10’s seat to adjust the backrest angle, whereas the Aygo X gets a more precise twist wheel. Neither car has lumbar adjustment, and the steering wheel is adjustable only for height – not reach – in both.
You’d hope that with its higher driving position, the Aygo X would give you better visibility than the i10, but no. Okay, your view forwards is fine, helped by relatively thin pillars, but the view to the side and over your shoulder is restricted by chunky pillars, a rising window line and a tiny back window. It’s just as well that a rear-view camera is standard.
The i10 offers much better all-round visibility, making it easier to spot gaps in urban traffic and to avoid obstacles when parking; you’ll have far less cause to use its standard reversing camera.
In terms of interior quality, it’s easy to understand why both cars make such widespread use of hard plastics, given their modest pricing. However, more effort has gone into making the i10’s interior pleasing to the eye; its contrasting colours and textures look and feel much classier than the shiny, coarse-textured materials of the Aygo X’s dash and the exposed painted metal on display above its doors.
Elsewhere, the i10 feels reassuringly sturdy and well screwed together, with nicely damped buttons that feel like they come from a more expensive car.
The Aygo X scores well here, too, offsetting those lacklustre plastics with climate controls that click satisfyingly when turned, indicator and wiper stalks that feel reassuringly solid, and a steering wheel that’s covered in good-quality leather and feels pleasant to touch. It’s a shame, then, that the feeling of quality that these elements impart is undermined by doors that sound very tinny when you shut them.
Infotainment systems
Toyota Aygo X
In mid-range Edge spec, the Aygo X’s touchscreen is the same size as the i10’s (8.0in), but the handy shortcut buttons that flank it are a bit fiddly. There’s no wireless Apple CarPlay, either; just wired connections for that and Android Auto. Nor is the menu layout as straightforward to use as the i10’s, and the graphics aren’t as sharp. The four-speaker sound system is decent enough, but built-in sat-nav isn’t available even as an option.
Hyundai i10
The i10’s 8.0in infotainment screen is pretty responsive. As with the Aygo X’s, it has physical controls for volume and to switch between menus, aiding convenience while driving, but the i10’s are bigger and easier to use. Features include smartphone mirroring (wireless in the case of Apple CarPlay), a DAB radio and Bluetooth. The optional Tech Pack (£1000) adds built-in sat-nav and wireless charging, but it’s rather pricey. The tally of speakers is low, but sound quality is fine.
