What’s the lowdown with the Toyota Aygo 2014?
The year was 1987 and there was nothing I wanted more than the orange and yellow pedal car every kid down my road seemed to have – every kid that is, except for me. It had a high roofline and tiny wheels, much like the Toyota Aygo. The similarity is probably why I liked the Aygo at first glance. Now I’m old enough to be able to afford the anniversary edition of the Little Tikes Cosy Coupe, but I’m moved on to bigger and better things. I’m in the market for a living, breathing city car of my very own – possibly the Toyota Aygo 2014.
Driving Experience
First impressions are everything, and the Toyota Aygo 2014 gets in good from the start. The car has a high seating position and good visibility, although the chunky C-pillar hamper vision a bit. The driver doesn’t need to stretch and strain either, since the mirrors are clear and all of the controls are right within reach. The only steering wheel adjustment is for rake however, which seems unfair to drivers with abnormal body types.
Powering the pocket-sized car is an equally tiny 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine producing 67bhp. While sub-100bhp figures always look inferior on paper, the Toyota Aygo 2014 weighs just 800kg, making the car good for a 0-60 time of 14.2s with a top speed of 98mph. Not a race car for certain, but it holds its own against the competition. The little Toyota also provides an animated driving experience in the form of excellent acceleration, good handling and of course, it can be shoehorned into the smallest of parking spots. The Aygo is easy to pilot for even the densest of drivers, and if you get the optional MultiMode semi-automatic transmission, less human input is required still.
The Toyota Aygo 2014 can survive on the open road, but performs best around town. The turning circle is just 4.73m, making u-turns effortless. The width of the car is handy too, allowing you to squeeze through traffic without fear.
Design and Build
After nearly 10 years of aging, the Toyota Aygo 2014 still looks fresh (I doubt most of us could say the same). The front has received a modest facelift including a wider bumper, with integrated foglights at each corner and a big trapezoidal air intake. True aficionados will also notice a slimmer upper front grille, revised bonnet, dark-tinted rear privacy glass, and 14-inch wheel trim designs. You can also opt for LED daytime running lights to further emphasis the look.
Consumers demand a quality interior, even in a city car. Toyota has obliged by providing the Aygo with a pleasing dark grey finish for the dash, redesigned steering wheel with leather trim, and paddle controls for models equipped with the Multimode automated manual transmission.
Market and Model
The dubstep blaring, under-thirty crowd will love the £8,500 to £11,500 price bracket. The Millennials will also like the availability of three and five-door body styles, as well as the option of either a manual or auto transmission.
There are several different flavours of Toyota Aygo 2014 available, beginning with the Active and Active Plus models. Standard equipment includes a 12v interior socket, a rear wash/wipe, speed-related electric-assisted power steering, and a CD stereo with an audio input socket.
If you pop for the Mode model you also get 8-spoke Ragno 14″ alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, rear privacy glass and front fog lamps. Next up, there’s the Move model equipped with Tom Tom navigation, Bluetooth connectivity and USB and iPod connections. If you to add a bit more panache to your Move, you’ll want the ‘Move with Style’ variant, which adds 14″ alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and rear privacy glass.
Cost of Ownership
It’s a Toyota, it’s a city car and it’s got a tiny 1.0-litre three-cylinder 1.0 engine, so you know the Toyota Aygo 2014 is going to be inexpensive to own. A manual equipped variant pulls of 65.7mpg on the combined cycle while producing just 99g/km. This means the little Toyota is road tax free, as is entry to the London congestion charge zone.
If you choose the automatic transmission however, emissions rise to 104g/km, which won’t net you the same break on taxes. Fuel economy also drops over that of the manual by about 3mpg on the combined cycle.
As far as Insurance is concerned, the car is rated at group 3 on the 1-50 groupings scale. An additional trick is that the body panels are designed to pop straight off, making repair a synch.
Summary
Like me, the rest of generation ‘Y’ is past their pedal car days. They’re in the market for a car that provides style, economy, and a low purchase price. The Toyota Aygo is just that. It may not be perfect, but it provides a lot of value. Plus, it’s a Toyota and that’s tough to beat.
