WITH 74 000 Aygos sold worldwide last year, this small hatch has
nothing left to prove, although Toyota South Africa may have to find another dog
to advertise the new, deeply etched Aygo.
The first impression of the Aygo in its natural habitat — an
underground parking lot — is one of a growling need for freedom, like a Staffie
chained to its kennel.
The goofy smile of Buddy the friendly Boxer will simply not work
alongside the Augo’s snarling X-nose.
Snip that Staffie’s chain with the turn of a key and the Aygo’s
little three-cylinder engine will reward your ears with a happy growl, and your
eyes with a colourful display on the large central speedometer behind the
steering wheel.
The equally colourful touch-screen is really easy to use and links
to any smartphone with a few presses.
The speedo surrounds a display that answers all your questions on
fuel and temperature. On the left, an amber rev counter and on the right a
couple of arrows tell you when to engage the next of the five gears. Second gear
is long, to make the most of the one-litre’s respectable 51 kW and 95 Nm.
Thanks to Toyota’s clever variable valves, this power is available
from low revs to send the hatch from zero to 100 km/h in under 15 seconds.
Fifth gear is only for touring, and if you keep the needle at
100 km/h on an open road, the Aygo will do well over 22 km per litre. Even in
the combined city/highway test, Toyota recorded 4,4l per 100 km. This means the
Aygo won’t shake your wallet on the long road.
But on our much-patched B-roads, the proven but cheap torsion beam
that keeps the back wheels in place will slightly shake the 500 ml bottles that
can fit in the four cup holders.
Around corners, the MacPherson suspension up front provides
responsive steering, with predictable understeer in tighter turns and even a
willingness to cock a back wheel at speed.
The Aygo’s new bucket seats are for younger hips and while the boot
is 26 litre bigger at 168 litres to rival that of the VW UP!, the space can now
take ankle boots, rather than thigh boots.
The Aygo is still imported from the Czech factory, which Toyota
shares with Peugeot and Citroën. (Peugeot sells the Aygo chassis as the 108 and
at Citroën it is called the C1). All use the Toyota engine, which is sold
locally with a three-year or 100 000 km warrantee and a “sort of” optional
service plan.
“Sort of”, because Toyota hopes to sell 250 Aygos a month, and the
first 1 000 buyers will get the optional service plan free.
Buyers can choose between three models, with only R1 000 difference
between the entry-level Aygo 1.0 at R138 900 and the X-play Black and X-play
Silver, which adds the two-tone roofline at R139 900.
