Aston Martin Cygnet Vs. Toyota Iq: How Different Are They, Really?

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The Aston Martin Cygnet is 1 of nan quirkiest luxury cars you'd ever get to laic your eyes on. It's a luxury metropolis car based connected nan Toyota iQ, besides sold successful America arsenic nan Scion iQ, an fantabulous mini car nary 1 wanted to buy. The Cygnet was built to hole a very circumstantial problem – fleet emissions. The European Union was tightening emanation regulations, particularly nan mean emissions of car brands' fleets. Exotic carmakers for illustration Porsche were hitched to overmuch larger car corporations, whose corporate emissions made nan fume near by these exotic cars look for illustration a driblet successful nan ocean. Aston Martin had nary specified leverage for its gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing Vantages and Vanquishes. Hence, nan Cygnet, a car that would bring Aston Martin's corporate fleet emanation mean to levels debased capable for it to skate nether nan EU's radar.

The Cygnet was made from 2011 to 2013 arsenic a compliance car, a conveyance made to fulfill authorities regulations. Some examples of compliance cars are nan Fiat 500e, Ford Focus Electric, Honda Fit EV, and Toyota RAV4 EV. Compliance cars are low-effort cars, i.e., not overmuch effort aliases money is spent connected processing them. They are either low-volume cars aliases simply badge-engineered, arsenic successful nan lawsuit of nan Aston Martin Cygnet.

Why not make an EV, then? Well, nan twelvemonth was 2011, a clip erstwhile EVs were neither celebrated nor technologically advanced, and processing a caller EV would person costs Aston Martin a batch much than simply slapping connected a badge connected a low-emission microcar from Japan. As expected, location were fewer takers for a rebadged Aston Martin microcar that costs doubly arsenic overmuch arsenic nan car it was based on.

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Usually, erstwhile you spot badge-engineered products, they travel from companies pinch a akin vision. Toyota and Subaru, Kia and Hyundai, Opel and Pontiac, Chrysler and Mitsubishi. The Cygnet was nan consequence of a badge engineering research betwixt makers of powerful, exotic sports cars and makers of fuel-efficient econoboxes. The Aston Martin Cygnet is simply a rebadged Toyota iQ, which was sold arsenic nan Scion iQ successful nan USA.

Both nan Cygnet and iQ usage nan aforesaid platform, powertrain, dashboard, and moreover seats. However, successful 2011, while nan iQ costs $16,000, nan Cygnet was priced astatine $38,000. Even today, used Aston Martin Cygnets are freakishly expensive. Obviously, Aston Martin had to make nan Cygnet different from nan iQ to warrant nan two-times value difference. So yes, location were a batch of mini but meaningful changes that helped abstracted nan Cygnet from nan iQ and warrant its premium prices, somewhat.

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The Cygnet not only had Aston Martin badges beforehand and back, but it moreover sewage nan British carmaker's signature grill, which was akin to nan ones connected nan DB9 and Vantage of that era. Aston Martin did put successful activity to not only make nan Cygnet look different from nan iQ, but it besides made judge that nan Cygnet looked for illustration an Aston Martin offspring. The Cygnet moreover sewage faux hood vents akin to nan Vantage, and cool-looking vents integrated into nan headlights. It ensured it looks rather different from nan Toyota iQ's closed beforehand facia, which sewage a slit masquerading arsenic a grille.

Unlike nan iQ's slab-sided fenders, nan Cygnet moreover sewage broadside vents pinch a chrome portion moving across, an Aston Martin creation signature. For a luxurious touch, it has chrome strips connected nan doorway handles pinch 'Cygnet' embossed connected nan sides. While astir of nan iQ variants came pinch alloy wheels, nan Cygnet came pinch modular 16-inch alloys.

The Cygnet's rear conception excessively looked different from nan iQ. The C-shaped clear lens taillights extending into nan tailgate mimicked its much exotic cousins, too lending a unique look. In comparison, nan iQ sewage tiny, stacked tail lamps. Aston Martin went to awesome lengths to hide traces of nan IQ successful nan Cygnet. That included covering nan Toyota logo connected nan broadside model pinch a ample Aston Martin badge. Even nan generic Toyota cardinal sewage a integrative screen pinch an Aston Martin badge connected nan backmost side.

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The Cygnet's specialty did not dishonesty successful nan measurement it looked aliases its performance. It was nan opulent cabin. Despite being tiny, nan Cygnet's compartment was wrapped successful high-quality leather, a acold outcry from nan Toyota iQ's plasticky interiors. The iQ did not get a mitt box, but connected nan Cygnet, you could opt for a cool-looking files clip to shop documents. While nan doorway panels, dashboard, and seats were wrapped successful leather, nan Cygnet moreover had brushed aluminum metallic trim successful places for illustration nan halfway console, cogwheel lever, cogwheel lever surround, and moreover connected nan doorway pads. Every inch of nan Cygnet's compartment was covered successful leather and Alcantara. Heck, it moreover sewage shaggy carpets. When it came to interiors, nan Cygnet's compartment was arsenic opulent arsenic immoderate different Aston Martin offering of that era.

That said, what genuinely separated nan Aston Martin Cygnet's compartment from nan Toyota iQ was 1 azygous missive -" Q". Q by Aston Martin is nan carmaker's in-house bespoke customization division. While nan Cygnet was hand-painted for illustration different exotic Aston Martins, you could take from a big of bespoke colors, including typical Aston Martin DBS colors arsenic good arsenic ones recovered connected its erstwhile cars. The aforesaid level of customization was disposable for nan cabin, pinch a wide scope of leather, Alcantara, and cloth finishes pinch opposition stitching. There was besides nan expertise to personalize embroidered finishes aliases moreover an Aston Martin logo connected nan seats. The Q section added typical badges connected nan car, some wrong and out, akin to a Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations badge.

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The Cygnet's motor was not astir capacity aliases moreover a throaty exhaust statement you'd expect from Aston Martin cars. Instead, nan motor had 1 sole purpose. To offset emissions emitted from Aston Martin's different V8 and V12 sports cars. It wasn't each bad. The 1.3-liter, four-cylinder motor shared pinch nan Toyota iQ delivered a awesome substance ratio of 48.7 mpg. That's miles amended than immoderate different car pinch an Aston Martin badge. 

The downside was that you paid $40,000 to thrust a 98-horsepower microcar. Not conscionable nan engine, moreover nan CVT automatic and manual gearbox options were shared pinch nan Toyota iQ. The only differentiating factor, if you will, was nan instrumentality cluster inset, which sewage a much pleasing creation on pinch an Aston Martin logo. These mini changes ensured that nan Aston Martin Cygnet did consciousness different from nan Toyota/Scion iQ, from wrong nan compartment astatine least.

All but 1 Cygnet models came pinch nan 1.3-liter engine. One Aston Martin customer managed to person nan Q section to retrofit a V8 from nan Vantage, creating what is efficaciously the cleanable metropolis car. This 4.7-liter 430-horsepower motor meant different parts of nan Cygnet had to beryllium modified to compensate for further performance, for illustration larger vents, wider tires, suspension, and breaks from Aston Martin's sports cars. Now that's a car to dice for.