Personally I’m not the biggest fan of small cars. When I’m writing a review however, I put myself into the shoes (or the high-heels) of the people the car is marketed towards. Today I’m looking at a very small car which suits cities down to the ground. It’s easy to park, it breezes through traffic, and it’s stylish to boot. Today I’m talking about the Toyota Aygo.
Style:
The Aygo is a petit offering from Toyota and the brand is billing it as fun. From the outside the car screams expression and style. My test car was the sporty looking, and very orange, special edition “X-Cite”. It’s very compact, yet its stance has attitude. The stylish X lines in the nose cross nicely, with the lights sitting either side. This same X makes the Aygo stand out from its competition.
The small car segment has a lot to do with style. Think about cars like Mii by Mango – a small SEAT which is designed by a lady’s apparel designer. It’s all about customisation and one of the things Toyota is boasting about with the Aygo is just how customisable it is. More than 10 parts around the vehicle can be replaced with alternative colours and executions.
Inside:
The interior of the Aygo is not for those who are looking for coziness; this is for the dynamic and sporty. It’s stark enough but what it does have is more colours and a very well equipped infotainment system. In here you’ll find the Toyota x-touch multimedia system. To access this there is a seven-inch touch screen and it comes with a rear view camera. The system features a MirrorLink function which when connected to a compatible smartphone replicates the phone’s screen along with compatible apps. Sadly this system is surrounded by an over-abundance of plastics.
The rear seating area is surprisingly spacious. It’s set up to accommodate two people comfortably. As you would expect, the boot is small, yet I was able to fit a buggy and my weekly shopping in there without any problems.
Toyota tells us that they’ve done a lot of work to the interior of the car to block out noise from the outside. It is better than before, but some of noise still gets through.
Drive:
This is an economical car. On-paper we’re told that it offers fuel consumption of 4.4 to 4.1 l/100km and it burns only 95 g/km of CO2 – which means it’ll be very inexpensive to tax.
This 1.0 litre VVT-i petrol engine gives 69hp and a 0-100km/h acceleration of 14.2 seconds. Its top speed is 160 km/h. If more powerful engines were available to make the car even more fun it would be nice. Steering in the car is precise and it corners well. I also have to say that I like the engine noise on take-off.
Price and Competition:
Competition in this market is growing all the time. At present the Aygo is up against the likes of the Skoda Citigo, Volkswagen Up!, SEAT Mii, the Hyundai i10 and pretty soon it’ll have a fresh rival in the Opel KARL. The Aygo is a nice car and it is one of Toyota’s more exciting motors. If the interior was a little bit more refined, like in the Volkswagen Up!, I would probably class it as one of the most attractive offerings in the segment. I would also customise the exterior to black instead of the Orange Twist colour on my test car.
Five trims are available at the moment with a lot of customisable equipment available. Prices range between €12,625 (for a three-door with an “x” trim) to €15,770 (for “x-play+” 5 door). A full range of prices and trims can be found here.
Overall I enjoyed my experience with the Aygo. I kept most of my driving to where it belongs - in the city. The fashion conscious of you would probably enjoy a car like this more than me. Its audience is undoubtedly younger than me, and I can only assume that their marketing department says it’s for the opposite sex. It is stylish and it looks like fun, it’s just a pity that more engine choice isn’t available to give it more oomph.
