First Drive: Toyota Aygo
Do the latest updates keep the Toyota Aygo at the head of the pack? Jonathan Musk finds out…
SECTOR City Car PRICE €9,990-€13,990 FUEL 4.1l/100km CO2 93-95g/km
For a small car, the Toyota Aygo makes a big impact. Total sales account for more than 760,000 units since the model was introduced in 2005, and last year 85,000 were sold in Europe giving it a 6.6% market share. Aygo is also no stranger to fleets, which take 38% of sales.
All this is expected to continue, helped by Toyota’s engine fettling of the new 72hp 1.0-litre unit that emits a class-leading 93g/km CO2, rising to 95g/km for the automatic version (5g/km less than its predecessor). However, fuel consumption rises slightly for the Euro 6.2-compliant engine.
The European model range offers X, X-Play, X-Play Connect, X-Cite, and X-Trend trims, with the middle-range trims the expected best sellers. All are five-door, although X and X-Play can be chosen with three-doors to cut purchase costs.
You’ll have to fork out for Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Toyota Safety Sense on the lower grades, while these are included as standard on higher trim levels. Two new colours are available including Blue Burst for X-Play Connect and Magenta Fizz for X-Cite grade. X-Trend features external decals and 15-inch alloys plus front fog lights, automatic headlights, air conditioning and a reverse camera.
Pricing is a slight sticking point, starting from almost €1,000 more than the outgoing model. Of course, all models benefit from Toyota’s five-year/100,000-mile warranty.
Driving is predictable and precise, with well-chosen gear ratios offering effective cruising at any legal speed. However, getting up to motorway pace isn’t what you’d call swift, taking a full 13.8 seconds (15.2 seconds for the auto) for 0-100kph.
Toyota has made sensible updates to an already popular car. Whether its multitude of trim options and colour combinations will add appeal remains to be seen, but the on-board tech, improvements in refinement and efficiency mean there’s really no reason why the new Aygo won’t continue its sales success.
Jonathan Musk
Jonathan turned to motoring journalism in 2013 having founded, edited and produced Autovolt - one of the UK's leading electric car publications. He has also written and produced books on both Ferrari and Hispano-Suiza, while working as an international graphic designer for the past 15 years. As the automotive industry moves towards electrification, Jonathan brings a near-unrivalled knowledge of EVs and hybrids to Fleet World Group.
