Throughout the history of X-Plane, few third-party developers have made as significant an impact as ToLiss. However, the most popular Airbus developer for X-Plane has notably been missing the A320 CEO. That has finally changed with the recent launch of the CEO addon for the A320neo, which comes two years after its initial release and more than seven years after ToLiss first introduced the A320 family, beginning with the A319 in 2018. A lot has happened in the meantime. With the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator in 2020 and the subsequent surge of A320 aircraft from third-party developers, along with the already released high-quality, although somewhat dated, A320 available in X-Plane, competition is at an all-time high. Flight simmers now have higher expectations for third-party aircraft than ever before. Now that the A320 has both NEO and CEO variants, it’s time to review the experience as a whole.

The Airbus A320 needs no introduction. It had its first flight back in 1987 and was subsequently introduced with Air France in 1988. Since that time, it hasn't looked back. Nearly 40 years on, the A320 family is approaching a staggering 20,000 orders, making it the world's most popular airliner.

The A320 CEO was delivered with two engine options: the CFM56 or the IAE V2500. In 2010, Airbus introduced the next-generation model, the A320 NEO (New Engine Option), which also offers customers a choice between two types of engines: the CFM Leap and the Pratt & Whitney PW1000G. ToLiss has modelled all four engines in X-Plane, each with its own unique characteristics reflected in the simulation.

First Impressions

ToLiss has earned an almost legendary status in the X-Plane community, consistently ranking among the top-rated aircraft not only in X-Plane but across all flight simulators. Despite their status, this was my first experience flying a ToLiss aircraft, and I was pleasantly surprised when I loaded in for the first time. The 3D cockpit looks nice, and the flight model impressed me. However, I have certainly been more impressed by the audio and visual quality of other modern add-on aircraft. Nevertheless, I remained open-minded and was excited to explore the aircraft in more detail.

Aircraft Systems

The aircraft systems are arguably the most important aspect of any aircraft, and they are notably the speciality of ToLiss. While I’m not a real A320 pilot, I have a decent understanding of its systems, and I must say that the ToLiss A320 does not disappoint. Many actual A320 pilots seem to share this opinion. The system simulation provided by ToLiss is outstanding, and during my testing, I didn’t encounter a single inoperable system. Furthermore, ToLiss is working on incorporating the new weather radar for X-Plane, which is already in beta for the A321 and A319. This makes the ToLiss A320 one of, if not the most complete, add-on aircraft I've tried for X-Plane in terms of aircraft systems. There’s nothing else to say, ToLiss has provided an excellent simulation.

Flight Model

I have often struggled with flying Airbus aircraft in the past. I found them to feel sluggish, both in the air and on the ground. The most challenging aspect for me has always been the landing. Airbus planes in flight simulators often have a floaty sensation during the final moments before landing, where the ground effect feels highly exaggerated, making it seem unnatural. However, the ToLiss A320 is different. It maintains the weighty feel characteristic of Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft while also feeling natural to fly. This is where I believe the aircraft truly excels. While other A320 simulations can match or come close to ToLiss's system simulation, their flight model is, in my opinion, notably superior.

Audio

So far, the ToLiss addon has been nearly perfect; however, this is where the experience begins to decline slightly. Put simply, I wasn’t overwhelmingly impressed by what I heard, but there are some positive aspects. The sounds of button clicks, window openings, the power transfer unit (PTU), and the operation of cargo holds are all satisfying and well-executed. The problem lies with the engines. All of them lack the low-end bass sound that their real counterparts have. The CEO engines, especially the IAE, are particularly missing the “roar” characteristic of a real engine. However, there are still some highlights. ToLiss has successfully captured the difference in pure decibel levels between the CEO and the NEO, and the low RPM “howl” of the PW1000G sounds very realistic.

While there are definitely aircraft in both X-Plane and MSFS with superior sound quality, everything aside from the engine sounds is perfectly fine. However, I find myself wanting more from the engine sounds.

Cockpit Modelling

ToLiss aircraft may not be widely recognised for their groundbreaking visuals, but I was pleasantly surprised by the cockpit's appearance. Within X-Plane standards, it stands out, featuring impressively high-resolution textures, particularly around the text. I also found the colours to be appealing and accurate, although they might be just a touch too dark. Additionally, the cockpit includes some enjoyable features, such as operable windows and armrests.

Cabin Modelling

Cabin modelling may not be the most critical aspect of an aircraft, but developers are increasingly raising the bar. Unfortunately, the ToLiss cabin does not meet the standards expected in 2025. The textures are low resolution, and the models have a low polygon count. It's evident that ToLiss primarily focuses on creating realistic systems and a flight model, and I don’t blame them for not prioritising the cabin. On the other hand, it would be nice to have a cabin that is more visually appealing.

Exterior Modelling

ToLiss often faces criticism for what some consider poor modelling. However, aside from the cabin, I found the overall modelling to be quite decent. The polygon count on the exterior might be a bit low, with some areas like the thrust linkages, sharklets, and engines appearing somewhat blocky. Nevertheless, it’s not too bad overall.

When it comes to textures, I wasn't particularly impressed at first. You don’t need to be an expert to notice the low resolution. However, upon further investigation, I discovered that most of the other aircraft in my X-Plane hangar had similar issues. By looking more closely at the actual texture files and comparing them to those of other aircraft, I realised that the quality isn't as bad as it initially seemed. This is an area where X-Plane as a whole needs to improve, but it seems that ToLiss receives the most criticism for it. I’m not claiming that ToLiss has perfect visuals, far from it, but the visuals on the A320 are really not as bad as they seem.

Performance

One advantage of the somewhat dated visuals is the overall performance, which was excellent. I have a fairly average setup for flight simulation, featuring 32 gigabytes of RAM, an Intel Core i9 11900F processor, and an AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT graphics card. I did not experience any significant performance issues, and my frame rate consistently stayed above 30 fps, even in densely populated areas like rural London.

Other Features

The Interactive Simulation Control System (ISCS)

The Interactive Simulation Control System (ISCS) is the primary tool for configuring the aircraft, introducing faults, requesting ground handling, and more. I found it to be well-organised and very intuitive. The ISCS can be accessed either in a separate window or through the excellent Electronic Flight Bag (EFB).

Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)

As previously mentioned, the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) is excellent. It features Avitab integration and includes a great performance calculator, along with checklists. The entire EFB has a basic and easy-to-use user interface. My only complaint is its appearance; the software resembles an Excel document more than an iPad, and the EFB itself looks a bit bulky. However, this doesn't detract from its functionality; it's simply a stylistic choice made by ToLiss, and some people might prefer it.

Situations

The “situations” feature is a game-changer. Through the ISCS, you can load both previous situations and configurations (with configurations referring to just the systems). This functionality is perfect for practising specific scenarios. I found the autosave feature to be particularly useful. By default, the aircraft saves its state every five minutes, so if X-Plane crashes during that time, you can load back in and continue right where you left off. If there’s one thing ToLiss deserves credit for, aside from the systems and flight model, it’s the ISCS, especially the ability to load situations.

Miscellaneous

There are several other noteworthy features that don't fit into the other categories. The ground handling is great and even includes de-icing. The integration with SimBrief is excellent; it allows you to download both the flight plan and the weight information. Additionally, the performance calculator automatically accounts for weather and weight data, so the only information you need to input is the correct runway. The MCDU can also receive takeoff data directly from the EFB performance calculator.

Conclusion

The ToLiss A320 may have some weaknesses in terms of audio and visual quality. But, while it may not be a "screenshot machine," it is an outstanding choice if you are looking for an aircraft with a fantastic flight model, in-depth systems, and numerous additional features that enhance the experience.

Verdict

The ToLiss A320 has quickly become one of my favourite aircraft in X-Plane. As I mentioned earlier, it features an excellent flight model and detailed system simulation. While the visuals are somewhat dated, they are not as bad as I initially expected. However, there is a catch: the base package, the A320NEO, costs $89.99, and the optional CEO addon is an additional $29.95. This brings the total for the complete A320 to $119.94. There's no way around it; this is quite a bit of money.

The value of this depends on your perspective. However, I can assure you that if you are a serious flight simmer who values simulation realism, it is definitely worth it. At the beginning of this article, I mentioned that "competition has heated up," and in my opinion, ToLiss is among the best. This is probably the finest A320 experience I have had in flight simulation. I highly recommend the ToLiss A320 with the CEO addon for X-Plane.

The ToLiss A320 and the CEO addon is available through several retailers for $89.99 and $29.95.

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Thank you to ToLiss for providing us with a review copy!

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