PERFECTING MY LITTLE CAR

With two vintage Rolls-Royces, four Land Rovers, a Jeep, a Mercedes G-Wagen and several decades of Sahara exploration trips behind me, it was time to stow the jerry cans and hang up the shovels. A sensible little car beckoned with sensible MPG and no sand on the seat sliders. Toyota's reputation for rock-solid engineering loomed large on my logic landscape and just over a year ago my rushed selection criteria clicked on an Aygo X.

- Tom Sheppard, Offley, Hertfordshire

I was startled by the plethora of auto this and auto that in the cockpit, but the sweet automatic transmission, the engine stop-start system and the sweetness of operation won the day. A wide-eyed look at the immaculate assembly of hardware under the bonnet clinched the deal.

As delivered, the sepulchral all-black interior was a disappointment, and the instrument layout was of matching Stygian gloom. Asa beginning, a pale grey headlining was obtained and installed. Then the front seats received the attention of a competent retrimmer. The cockpit was starting to look more inviting.