A different kind of Aston Martin for a different kind of driver

Quad battle with V12 Astons!

Ah, Aston Martins. Even though it was now owned and run by the Kuwaitis, this legendary British automaker became so famous for their Bond cars and the wondrous V12 supercars that became a family tradition. Cars like the DB9, the DBS, the V12 Vantage, and the Virage, they're all great fun even though the have a rear view mirror of a Ford Fiesta, satellite navigation from Volvo, engine made from Wales, buttons that I can't read in the sunshine, brakes that don't work pretty well and.....clutch easily break down.

DBS wins it all!

Taking a break....

Aston Martins are just all about POWER, BEAUTY, and SOUL. For power, those V12 engines that powered them give life to all of these Aston Martins and without it, they can't live (well almost because there was a V8 Vantage). For beauty, by the looks of it, they're all about elegance and drop dead gorgeous. However, the DBS is a bit of a gaudy looking hardcore but that's fine by me because Daniel Craig once drove it on Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. Word from someone that the upcoming Skyfall movie will make a comeback of the original Bond car, the DB5. You'll gonna miss me when you're gone, DBS. As for the soul....

(telephone ringing)

Wait a minute....Hello? Oh, okay....

I got a phone call that there's an Aston Martin waiting somewhere on the track!

I wonder what awaits me?

I wonder what Aston Martin could be?

Big Aston meets Little Aston...

Unfortunately, this is not the Aston Martin I was expected to be. An Aston Martin compact? You have got to be kidding me. Surely it doesn't have the 6.0L V12, the POWER, the BEAUTY, and the SOUL of other Astons. What's underneath was a Toyota iQ for sure...

Interesting wearing a Malaysian plate number...

This is the Aston Martin Cygnet, the first compact city car from Aston Martin. It's based on the Toyota iQ but its made in Aston Martin's Gaydon plant. Yes, it maybe a Toyota iQ but what Aston Martin did is refine it with a bit of Aston Martin credentials inside and out. As for the pricing, the Aston Martin Cygnet is three times more expensive than the Toyota iQ. It will take over thirty thousand pounds to drive this Aston version of the iQ but with that price, it's a bit pointless because it doesn't have the POWER, BEAUTY, and SOUL of the other Aston Martins. What you get under the bonnet was the 1.3L 1NR-FE Dual VVT-i engine that carries 98bhp/6000rpm of power output, 125nm/4400 of torque output, and Euro 5 compliant.

The smallest Aston you can't afford

This car is part of Forza Motorsport 4's Meguiar's Car Pack. Even though the Cygnet is the baby of the Aston lineup and it's a Toyota in Aston Martin's clothing, it can do some sensible stuff. You can play car football on that thing but trust me, bringing a Cygnet to a match feels like some very wealthy high school student and her clique trying to compete against those blue-collar average high school girls. Like the iQ, the Cygnet has a turning radius of 3.9m, providing a quicker getaway against incoming opponents so you'll avoid getting tagged (or remained it in the Keep the It).

This is how you park a Cygnet!

I'm getting used to this Cygnet. This small wonder does the sensible stuff in Forza 4 just like the smart fortwo I had last month. And because of such smallness, it can do a different kind of parking that others find it surprising. Imagine that if you're parked at the shopping center like this. This car is not made for the hardcore enthusiasts but for those who are a bit more shopaholics if you asked me.

Aston Martin Cygnet

"What's a Japan-made Toyota iQ doing in the Kuwaiti-owned British sports car company known as Aston Martin? And how does an Toyota iQ modified to look like an Aston Martin?" That is the question only you can answer because what we see know is Aston Martin's first compact car, the Cygnet, based on the Japan-made Toyota iQ subcompact that is truly a decent rival to the smart compact cars.

2011 Aston Martin Cygnet

True to its form that the Cygnet is the British version of the Toyota iQ subcompact, the exterior sports its trademark Aston Martin look on the front and an eccentric tail lamps attached on the rear. This is nothing more like "For Tokyo, James?" and James Bond would say "No, not for me." because I think the men with their inner Bond would not like the Cygnet's compact look. What makes up for the Cygnet is only for the girls who want to be like the Bond girls in several Bond movies. Speaking of that, the rich dads who have Aston Martins in their garages are happy to lend the Cygnet's key for the spoiled brats who've reached their driving age. Pretty much to say that the Cygnet is a spoiled brats' driving force.

2011 Aston Martin Cygnet interior

The Cygnet is truly the GT-R Egoist in the making because the interior packs several color combinations that can be use it in ways that suits your mood and personality. From the choice of Alcantara Suede trims (10 Alcantara colors and 5 Plisse alcantara colors) and leather trims, choosy customers may want to spend some time finding the right interior trim for the Cygnet. Looks like what will they do is apply the Egoist knowledge until the right interior combination comes out to mind and rightfully take home the over 30,000 British Pound Aston Martin subcompact car that will be surely be small wonder for the Kuwaiti-owned British sports car maker.

The main engine for the Aston Martin Cygnet is the Toyota-sourced 1.3L 1NR-FE Dual VVT-i engine that carries 98bhp/6000rpm of power output, 125nm/4400 of torque output, and Euro 5 compliant. The Cygnet 6-speed manual consumes for about 58.9mpg EC Combined and no, the Cygnet 6MT variant does not have Toyota's Smart Stop (idling stop) system found on the Toyota iQ Go 6MT and the third-generation Vitz/Yaris. The CVT variant of the Cygnet is the most fuel-efficient Cygnet ever, resulting to the fuel consumption of 55.4mpg EC Combined and the CO2 emissions of 120g/km. Those looking for some fun riding should go for the Aston Martin Cygnet 1.3L 6-speed manual transmission but for those looking for some gas-saving cars should consider the Cygnet 1.3L CVT variant. The choice is yours...

The Aston Martin Cygnet comes with several color variations to choose from;

Special Paints:
Sports car paint - Black bear
Sports car paint - Blue anchor
Sports car paint - Grey bull
Sports car paint - Red lion
Sports car paint - Silver fox
Sports car paint - Silver jubilee
Sports car paint - White horse
Sports car paint - Yellow kangaroo

Metallic Paints:
Contemporary metallic - Blue anchor
Contemporary metallic - Grey bull
Contemporary metallic - Red lion
Contemporary metallic - Silver fox
Contemporary metallic - Yellow kangaroo
Fast track metallic - Black bear
Fast track metallic - Silver jubilee
Fast track metallic - White horse

My Comment:
Well, I'm not excited about the first compact car from Aston Martin, which is essentially a Toyota iQ in Aston Martin guise. The Toyota iQ was assembled in Japan and the Aston Martin Cygnet's assembly takes place at Gaydon, Warwickshire, UK. However, the folks at Gaydon require the Japan-made Toyota iQ as the donor car and swap it out with something Aston Martin on it, resulting to the finished product. The Aston Martin Cygnet is half-Japanese, half-British, something like, well you know, a mixture of eating sushi and sipping English tea for lunch. Looks like the Cygnet will only live twice (cue the song You Only Live Twice, please) because this looks more of a substitute to the Toyota 2000GT Open-Top from the Bond movie, You Only Live Twice, which was driven by the Bond girl, Akiko Wakabayashi. If I were to recreate that Bond film, maybe Aki may use this Cygnet as a support vehicle while she and Bond are getting away from the goons.

Photo: Aston Martin

Desu No! White and Black

Aston Martin Cygnet Launch Edition

It seems that Aston Martin, famous for Bond cars, announced the pricing for the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet city compact! The pricing for the Cygnet starts at 30,995 British Pounds (about 3,950,000 Philippine Pesos) and because of that, a special edition called the Cygnet Launch Edition is announced.

This special primer comes with two special colors that made me saying

"DESU NO! WHITE AND BLACK"

White and Black! 

That's right! 

Snow White and Magic Black are the colors for this special edition Cygnets, great for those who want to take the first step of Aston Martin's first compact car designed to wow the crowd.

Ha ha ha! Now, that's Kuroko's song!

Wait, this is somewhat similar that back in 1997, Toyota Motor Corporation launched special edition models of the Camry Gracia (sixth-generation Camry) station wagon in Pearl White and Black colors. This is the first "Desu No! White and Black" situation.

Anyway, time to listen to the song "Desu No! White and Black"

This time, the brand behind Bond cars does Kuroko's song