[Jack_Bauer]

2006 Toyota Aygo

My mother took delivery of her new Toyota Aygo this past weekend, so obviously I had to give it a quick burn to see what it was like.

First impressions were naturally dominated by the car's teeny-weeny size. The exterior looks ok-ish (probably the best looking out of the Aygo, Citroen C1 and Pug 107 IMO) but definitely looks a bit too 'toy-like' for my tastes. Still, this car isn't really about looks, it's about cheap and cheerful, reliable city motoring. The pocket size dimensions mean this car should fit this remit perfectly.

Interior wise things are effective, if a little bare. The driving position is good for visibility as you sit quite upright and there is plenty of glass all round. This gives the car a generally light and airy feel to it which is nice. The seating position is very upright and not exactly 'sporting' but that is to be expected. The steering wheel and pedals are well positioned for comfort and ease of use. The car is reasonably well equipped with CD player and electric windows as standard. Some of the controls on the centre console are a bit of a fiddle. The 'interesting' heating controls look quite snazzy and imaginative (see pic), but in reality feel extremely cheap and flimsy and aren't particularly easy to use. I'm sure a standard pair of twisty knobs would have been far more sensible.

This car is the 4-door model so it was interesting to see what the rear seat space was like for such a miniscule car, and I have to say I was pleasantly suprised. I'm no giant at 5'9" but I could sit comfortably in the back with a good 2-3 inches between my knees and the seat in front. It might be a wee bit cramped leg-wise for those above six feet, but it seems quite a tall car so can't see headroom being an issue. Two medium sized adults could easily be comfortable on short to medium length journeys I reckon.

With this car being the base model there is just the single large speedo counter on the dash, with other details coming up on a digital display in the middle of it. It's clear and easy enough to read. Like most things on this car it is effective and functional with no fuss and no real flair. There is no rev-counter on this model which normally I would complain about, but it's not an issue in this car because of the ungodly racket the wheezy little engine makes! When I first started the car I thought there must be a hole in the exhaust or something, but apparently they all sound this bad! It's an unpleasant, raspy sort of noise from the outside, and the bare metal and lack of sound-deadening on the inside make the cabin quite boomy, especially at motorway speeds.

As for the driving it does the job pretty well. The steering is light and easy going (if completely devoid of feel), the throttle response is decent with it being such a small engine, and the brakes seem quite keen too. My mother wasn't too keen for me to explore the outer limits of the performance envelope in her brand new car, so I couldn't exactly comment on the on-limit handling balance, but at modest speeds it seems to change direction well and has a 'nippy' feel to it. The ride isn't exactly limousine standard, you do feel a lot of the lumps, bumps and ruts in the road, but it's not a major problem. Parking is as easy as pie with the good visibility, small size and minimal hangovers at either end. The one gripe I had with the driving was the gearbox. It felt very stodgy, like stiring cement, and was very vague feeling, but hopefully that was just a result of it being a brand new car and it will loosen up given time.

So, in conclusion, the Toyota Aygo does everything you could expect of it for the price. It is cheap, cheerful, easy to drive and no doubt reliable and economical. It's not the most comfortable, most exciting or most spacious car you'll ever drive, but then it is never expected to be. Taking the price into account and the design remit, there really is very little you could complain about. The only question mark I'd have is over the asthmatic 3-cylinder engine. While the performance is adequate I can't help thinking a more convintional 4-banger would've been smoother and less obtrusive. Other than that the car gets a thumbs up!