But any crossover will easily drive so far into the rough that most bystanders will think it’s having an accident, so I have no qualms about punting the Aygo X down a green lane, especially on a relatively dry day, where its lack of four-wheel drive and its efficiency-focused tyres won’t be problematic.
I fret a little more about the ford partway along this section of the Fosse Way. I ping open the Aygo X’s bonnet to see where the air intake is. It’s high and will remain dry, and I’m as worried about water pouring in through the bottom of the doors or running out of traction. But this is a thoroughfare that has been used for almost 2000 years, and in that time somebody will have got wetter and more stuck than I possibly could.
They would laugh at my expression of concern, so bravely – so, so bravely – onwards I press. It’s actually shallower than it looks in here. You could go much, much deeper. Stick a set of knobbly tyres on your Aygo X and it would never run out of grip, either.
And be honest: how much more rugged do you need? On a set of winter tyres, I think this would make a brilliant snow resort car.
Granted, little cars by definition don’t have a lot of space inside. But I think there’s enough in the front of the Aygo X, and it has all the information and entertainment that you can realistically use while driving. There are heated seats for the winter, too, and a rather lovely canvas hood, Citroën 2CV-style, for the summer.