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| Toyota Aygo Practical Little City Car Made In Czech Joint Project |
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Peugeots, Citroens, Toyotas Bouncing Down Same Production Line The First Citroen Guaranteed To Be As Tough As A Toyota Rating: *** out of 5 The little Toyota Aygo city car has complicated my life. It used to be easy to decide which car to recommend, particularly if one of the choices was French and the other Japanese. The French car would often flatter to deceive, with loads of style, driveability and value for money. But the bottom line was always easy. Which car will be properly engineered? Which car will last a lifetime with minimal costs? Which car will never let you down? The answer was always Japanese. For anybody paying with their own money the choice was a no-brainer. The Toyota Aygo has shaken up this tidy world, because it is the result of a project between the Japanese and the French car manufacturer Peugeot, which owns and makes Citroens too. The Aygo is produced at a factory in Czechia jointly owned by Toyota and Peugeot. Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen each take a third of the output in the form of the Toyota Aygo, the Peugeot 107, and Citroen C1, which are identical mechanically. Only the bodywork and interiors are different. The key fact is that the factory in Czechland was built by Toyota and is managed by Toyota, even though the investment was 50-50. Each model which is spewed out of this production line will really be a Toyota, including the Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1. Rock-Solid Citroen So for the first time you can choose a Citroen, which is likely to be the cheapest of the three cars, knowing that it will be a rock solid-performer. You won’t have to compromise. I’ll be driving the C1 and the 107 over the next month or so, and I’ll report back on prices. Toyota is unashamedly, and occasionally embarrassingly, trying to appeal to the “yoof” market. It has done this with some success in the U.S. with its Scion brand, and in Europe is targeting what it calls the E for emerging generation, young city dwellers who are highly mobile, use the internet, and low cost airlines. The copywriters at Toyota have no shame genes. “Aren’t they (cars) just another anchor to weigh you down along with all the other burdens of age and conventionality, a kind of four-wheeled form of cellulite or receding hairline,” asks Toyota squirmingly, in its press release. Aygo, Pronounced I-Go Toyota also says, more sensibly, that the Aygo is aimed at youngsters living in towns and cities where the “fun” element of car ownership has been all but eradicated. And the Aygo, pronounced I-go, certainly looks cute enough and is an impressive and sprightly performer. The quality of the interior appears robust and well designed. The dashboard and controls are all in the right places. The knobs and switches for air conditioning and heating feel, well, like a Toyota - well placed and well made. Hinged rear windows though argue that cost cutting was a high priority. There’s only one, big, windscreen wiper. The three cylinder 998 c.c. engine is on the noisy side, but not overly so. The car doesn’t like hills too much, after all it only produces 67 bhp, and you will have to work the gears hard to make it perform. It is just as well that the five-speed manual gearbox is smooth and efficient. |
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Thumpy, Harsh At around 30 mph in towns the little engine is very flexible – you can leave it in top gear and still get reasonable pickup. On motorways the car zips along at legal speeds well, and feels stable and secure. The speed-sensitive power steering makes tight parking spots simple to tackle. Over bumpy roads, and after 8 years of neo-Labour neglect that is just about all of them, the suspension can be thumpy and harsh. There’s plenty of room in the front, but I would doubt Toyota’s claim that it could carry a “quartet of six-footers”. If they could unscrew their legs below their knees, maybe. There is plenty of cubbie space for sun-glasses, mobile phone, and bottles of water. The boot is tiny, but this is a tiny car. You can split the rear-seats 50-50 and fold them down. Prices start at less than £7,000 for the standard Aygo. There are three and five door versions. Higher spec Aygo+ and Sport versions will be available between £7,000 (10,150 euros) and £8,000 (11,600 euros). Connect Your MP3 Players The entry level Aygo has ABS brakes and electronic brake distribution (EBD), and standard features include driver and front passenger airbags, power steering, tilt-adjustable steering, and two speaker radio with CD player. The audio system lets owners connect their MP3 players. The Aygo+ includes electric front windows, 50-50 split-folding rear seat, remote central locking and an upgraded sound system. The Sport adds five-spoke alloy wheels, front fog lamps, tachometer, but neither has air conditioning and metallic paint as standard. There will be a 1.4 litre diesel available next year. A so-called Multi-mode manual transmission, which gives clutch-less gear-changes, is available with the petrol motor. So Toyotas, Peugeots and Citroens of equal quality. There goes another handy little prejudice. But, hey, the Toyota will be worth more after 3 years, so maybe I can hang on to that. Neil Winton – May 15, 2007
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