Cheap car no.8
Toyota Aygo - a city car for boy racers?
Whilst it is mechanically similar to it's stablemate, the Citroen C1, the Toyota Aygo is a lighter car with a character all of it's own. It still has the one litre, three cylinder naturally aspirated engine which is perfectly adequate for tootling around the city streets, but which struggles on the motorway; cruising at 70 mph is not an easy experience for it. It comes into it's own, however, manoeuvring through town traffic thanks to its light steering, small turning circle and good all-round visibility.
Interior
This car is stylish! It has been designed to appeal to a younger market, and it shows. Stylishness extends to the interior as well; those who love this will call it bright and cheerful, those that don't will call it gaudy. Either way the Aygo has character by the bucketful.
Equipment
The entry model, the three door, one litre VXT-i provides electric front windows and a rather basic entertainment system but, as is usual with these more basic models, no air con. There is however a radio/cassette, auxiliary input socket and a USB interface.
For safety there are curtain airbags, side airbags, a driver's airbag, traction control, ABS, Isofix points and a tyre pressure monitor. Forget about leather seats (even mock leather) they are all trimmed in cloth.
Driving
The engine performance is adequate (at least in town) rather than good; a top speed of 99 mph can be reached eventually, with nought to 60 achievable within 13.8 seconds. There is a five-speed manual gearbox and the car is claimed to have a combined petrol consumption of 68.9 mpg.
On the negative side; as a small city car though the rear seats are cramped and better suited to children than to large adults. Although the steering is very precise there is some body roll at high speeds although this is compensated for by a softer ride over uneven surfaces.
This is a car that needs to rev. This means it's hardly quiet. However, Toyota claim that this is exactly what the buyers want. A lot of work has gone into reducing road and wind noise, so that the sound of the engine isn't masked!
Insurance and safety
Unfortunately, the entry-level car is rated insurance group 6; a lot higher than the majority of cars of this type. Possibly this is as a result of it's appeal to younger motorists who may like to drive it a little more enthusiastically than an older driver would. Also: the standard car just has a Euro NCAP rating of 3 stars; although if the optional safety pack is fitted this extends to four stars which is reasonable. This pack adds automatic emergency braking and a lane-departure warning. This costs about £350 to £450 depending upon what the trim level is.
This may be a factor in pushing down the resale value of second-hand ones; the Aygo is expected to suffer higher depreciation than most other similar vehicles. However with a target price of just £9,270 it can still offer reasonable value for money.
