Aston Martin Cygnet Hatchback

Cygnet Hatchback Summary

A shopping car with an Aston Martin badge and the price tag to match, the Cygnet might not be everyone’s idea of an Aston Martin but it’s not without merit. Look past the hand finished exterior and you might notice some similarities with Toyota’s iQ, Aston Martin borrowing the Japanese city car and re-working it inside and out to provide a small car entry in their otherwise big sticker price sports car and GT line up.

So a go-faster iQ? Err, no. The iQ might look like an Aston Martin that’s been shrunk and squashed, but it doesn’t go like one. The engine remains the same, which means the performance is as tiny as the Cygnet’s proportions. That’s relatively speaking of course, the 1.3-litre three-cylinder engine is more than up to the task of city motoring, even if it’s not 'Aston Martin' quick. That it sips fuel is good too, and here at last is an Aston Martin you can drive to the very limits of its performance without fear of losing your licence.

So it’s an anomaly, for Aston customers who might not have much space in their underground garage in Knightsbridge, or need a runabout for their second, third or fourth home. Or those wanting an Aston Martin, or at least the badge and some interior and exterior refinements for the cost of a few options on one of the sports cars. Don’t think though that this is cheap, at £32,000+ it’s over double what you’ll pay for the cars it’s based on, but then it’s got that badge.

A cynical makeover then? Perhaps, but if you’ve money to burn and want your city car with some more kudos and a more leathery interior then the Cygnet works. Just don’t expect it to be much more practical than Aston Martin’s other models, as with two useable seats -- the pews in the rear are little more than extra stowage space -- and a tiny boot it’s as impractical as its sports car relations. It’s easier to park, though.