{"id":51208,"date":"2018-06-01T13:27:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T12:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.influx.co.uk\/?p=51208"},"modified":"2022-06-14T12:45:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T11:45:10","slug":"cygnet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adrianflux.co.uk\/influx\/cars\/cygnet\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u2018ugly duckling\u2019 Aston Martin would rather forget"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aston Martin will launch six new models before 2023, and boss Andy Palmer promises each will be \u201cthe most beautiful car in its class\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clearly nobody got the memo back in 2011 when it presented the Cygnet, a 98hp city car mocked by the press and ignored by customers. But was Aston\u2019s \u2018ugly duckling\u2019 simply misunderstood?<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Like many ill-fated ideas, the Cygnet sprang from late-night, alcohol-fuelled conversation. As legend has it, the CEOs of Aston Martin and Toyota were partying in a N\u00fcrburgring pit garage. The former wanted a small car to reduce corporate CO2 emissions, the latter was keen to shift the slow-selling iQ. The result was one of the strangest joint-ventures in motoring history.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

So, is the Cygnet simply a Toyota iQ in haute couture<\/em> drag? Well, yes and no. Aston left the 1.3-litre petrol engine untouched, simply offering a choice of six-speed manual or CVT auto transmissions. Performance was identical, too: 0-62mph in a leisurely 11.6 seconds and 106mph flat-out. However, the Cygnet\u2019s bodywork and interior were considerably more bespoke.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

The most obvious change is Aston\u2019s signature \u2018S-Curve\u2019 grille, made from extruded aluminium. Also spot the DB9-style wing vents, clear rear lights and tasteful alloy wheels, plus \u2013 if you look closely \u2013 neat \u2018Cygnet\u2019 script on the door handles. All cars were painted at Gaydon, ensuring a premium, supercar-spec finish.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Inside its three-and-a-half-seat cabin (the front passenger chair slides far forward into the recessed dashboard, allowing one adult to sit in the back alongside a small child), the Cygnet takes a further step upmarket. The dashboard is beautifully trimmed in soft leather and gains unique \u2013 and tricky to read \u2013 Aston Martin dials. Leather and Alcantara also swathe the seats, door cards and just about everything else, while the floor is carpeted in deep-pile decadence.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Still, it\u2019s hard not to feel nonplussed when you press the start button and a Toyota four-pot whirrs gently into life. An AMG V8 this ain\u2019t. Our immaculate, 5,000-mile test car \u2013 kindly loaned by David Rose \u2013 has the auto \u2019box and is thus very straightforward to drive: simply select \u2018D\u2019 and the CVT holds the engine at optimum revs for fuel-efficiency. Drive carefully and you should manage 54.3mpg.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

The most remarkable thing about the Cygnet isn\u2019t its performance, but its turning circle (bet you never expected to read that<\/em> in an Aston Martin review). It almost spins on its axis: a real boon in the city. However, the car\u2019s 1,680mm width \u2013 on par with superminis from the next class up \u2013 does limit its ability to duck and dive through traffic.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Cygnets usually roam the poshest postcodes of London, so driving one around the Surrey suburbs attracts a surprising amount of attention. Several people do double-takes, while one cyclist stops for a photo. Herein lies this littlest Aston\u2019s appeal. With just 150 registered on UK roads, this is a rare car \u2013 and one with badge kudos far beyond its price tag.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

Not that Cygnets are particularly cheap. Indeed, you\u2019ll be lucky to find one for less than \u00a330,000: roughly the car\u2019s price when new and around five times the going rate for an equivalent iQ. Unlike the Vantage and DB9 of the same era, this Aston Martin simply hasn\u2019t depreciated.<\/p>\n

\"Cygnet\"<\/a><\/figure>\n

The Cygnet is a footnote in Aston\u2019s history, an oddball that one suspects its maker would rather forget. It failed because, ultimately, it wasn\u2019t a real Aston Martin. However, that doesn\u2019t make it a bad car \u2013 or indeed a bad investment today.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aston Martin will launch six new models before 2023, and boss Andy Palmer promises each will be \u201cthe most beautiful car in its class\u201d. Clearly nobody got the memo back in 2011 when it presented the Cygnet, a 98hp city car mocked by the press and ignored by customers. But was Aston\u2019s \u2018ugly duckling\u2019 simply<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":51217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1779],"tags":[2741,953,1113],"class_list":["post-51208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cars","tag-aston-martin","tag-british","tag-british-cars","manufacturers-aston-martin"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe \u2018ugly duckling\u2019 Aston Martin would rather forget - Influx<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Aston Martin will launch six new models before 2023, and boss Andy Palmer promises each will be \u201cthe most beautiful car in its class\u201d. 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