Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 or Peugeot 108?

THEY’RE the same but different. Three city cars from three manufacturers built on the same platform at the same Czech factory. About 70 per cent of the new Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108 are identical, including bodyshell, engines and gearbox. Only the finishing design touches differ.

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But which triplet do we prefer?

TOYOTA AYGO

FIRST IMPRESSIONS? You will love it or hate it - and that may depend on your age.

The new X-shaped nose is probably too radical for most older drivers but my teenage son and his mates love it.

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X-Factor?... The new Toyota Aygo

And that's exactly what chief engineer David Terai wanted. He said: "People's tastes differ. It is better to have a design half the people absolutely love, rather than one nobody objects to. The Aygo stands out."

It certainly does. The Aygo is more street racer front and back and you can have the roof covered in a different coloured decal. Then pimp it with 15in alloys (£499 extra).

There are five paint colours - plus orange and black on the special editions.

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Improved... The new Aygo is a better drive than before

 HOW DOES IT DRIVE?

Nice light steering and the suspension has definitely improved.

The 1-litre 3-cylinder engine is louder than the C1 and 108 but Toyota has tuned it slightly to give it a more sporty sound.

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Toyota claim 68.9mpg - all three manufacturers do - and I managed 62mpg on a 320-mile round trip. Road tax is free.

WHAT'S IT LIKE INSIDE?

The X theme continues with three grades - X, X-play and X-pression and two special editions, X-cite and X-clusive. I kid you not.

One big + for Toyota (not an X) is the personalisation. Pick your own colours on stuff like the centre console and air vents - and you can change them years later.

I'm loving the clean dashboard but I'd go for the 7in touch-screen multimedia (from the X-play upwards). It includes rear-view camera as standard. The boot space is bigger than the old Aygo at 168 litres - yet down on its French siblings.

On sale on Tuesday from £8,595 - but get in quick for a £600 launch saving

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CITROEN C1

FIRST IMPRESSIONS?

Citroen have done their homework. They are targeting independent women under 30 and women over 50 looking to downsize their cars - and this is bang on the money with fun styling, a colourful interior and powered open-top roof.

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Looking to downsize? The Citroen C1 could be the one for you

The fabric roof option is also available on the 108 but NOT on the Aygo at launch.

The C1 has new round headlights and vertical LED daytime running lights, giving it a cheerful face.

There are eight paint colours and three fabric roof shades - black, grey and red.

 HOW DOES IT DRIVE?

Comfortable, easy to drive and the powered roof on my test car adds to the fun factor.

Same 3-cylinder 1-litre engine as the Aygo but not as noisy. With stop/start available on the C1 and 108 for an extra £250, economy goes up to 74.3mpg.

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There's also a more punchy 82bhp 1.2-litre 3-cylinder petrol engine exclusive to Citroen and Peugeot. It does 65.7mpg, 0-62mph in 11secs and is free of road tax.

WHAT'S IT LIKE INSIDE?

There are three trim levels - Touch, Feel and Flair - with electric hood in the Feel and Flair. It has the same dashboard as the Aygo and 108 and the 7in touch screen with reversing camera.

Again, you can select your own colour for the centre console, air vent trim and gear lever base.

There's a free app called Mirror Screen which, guess what, mirrors your phone screen on the car's big screen for Google mapping, music, telephone and text reading. It's fantastic.

Same name, same system on the 108 (Toyota call it Mirror Link). Boot space is 196 litres thanks to the parcel shelf being attached to the glass boot lid.

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PEUGEOT 108

FIRST IMPRESSIONS? This is Peugeot's lion cub - the chic and classy baby version of the 308. It replaces the best-selling 107 and is targeting women drivers who want good value for money - and fashion.

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Fashionable... The 108 is targeting trendy females

There are eight paint colours, three fabric roof colours, three interiors and seven customisation themes - diamond, dog tooth, barcode, kilt, tattoo, sport and dual two-tone.

I'm also loving the compact "eyebrow" LED headlights - part of the Peugeot DNA - and lion claw brake lights.

Every penny counts in this segment and the 108 starts at the same price as the C1 - and £20 cheaper than the VW up!

HOW DOES IT DRIVE?

Guess what? It's nippy, easy to drive and economical - just like the Aygo and the C1 really.

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You also get a 1.2-litre option in the 108 and C1. The 208 has the same engine.

This little car rides speed humps very well and the short overhang over the front and rear wheels is great for tight parking spots.

WHAT'S IT LIKE INSIDE?

There are four trim levels - the entry Access, Active, Allure and range-topping Feline.

The dashboard, main instrument panel, flat-bottom steering wheel and 7in touch screen multi-media (from the Active version upwards) are shared with all three cars.

The 108 has three colour choices inside - white, black and bronze - and they are all enhanced by the seven personalisation kits.

The extra detail looks good on the bodywork, wing mirrors and floor mats - but the dashboard sticker on my "tattoo" version looked too cheap for my liking.

It does feel more spacious than the old 107 and the fabric roof, called TOP!, is only £850 extra. Much cheaper than the £3,000 premium for the Fiat 500C.

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MY VERDICT

CITY car sales have doubled since 2005 and will hit 240,000 this year. Competition is strong with the VW up! and Hyundai i10 but Peugeot's class just edges this battle of the triplets.

WHAT THEY SHARE:

Bodyshell, engines, gearbox, suspension, dashboard, windscreen, steering wheel, seats, 7in touch screen, front doors, glass boot lid