Category: City Cars 
Price Range: £7,505 to £9,055
A real charmer inside and out, very low running costs, genuine space for four adults, good ride and handling compromise.
Tiny boot, rear seats don't slide, limited colour choice.
A charming little city car that reminds us of the original Citroen 2CV with its character and honest simplicity.
Climb aboard the Aygo and evidence of cost savings are everywhere. Untrimmed, body-coloured surfaces abound, the rear windows on the five-door model pop out instead of winding down, the rear parcel shelf feels like its made from an old Kellogg's box and is held up with a mingy bit of string, and when it rains, just one wiper blade jumps into action.
And we love it all, not just for Aygo's honesty about its no-frills mission, but for the surprising quality where it counts, such as in dashboard material fit and finish. The driving position is a bit high for taller folk, but the steering wheel adjusts for rake to make it easier to find a good driving position. And the speedo and revcounter are mounted on the column and move with the wheel ala Porsche 928, which is cool.
Space wise, two burly blokes can sit upfront with only the occasional shoulder contact, and headroom is just not an issue. And if the six-foot-plus front seat occupants are prepared to give up a little legroom, the rear seats are surprisingly spacious for those equally tall, although headroom isn't brilliant. Still, even a moderately long journey would be tolerable, and with a nearly upright C-pillar, the rear seats are easy to climb into (much better than, say, a BMW 1-Series).
The rear seats aren't particularly clever, though, as the only trick on offer is seatbacks that fold down for extra cargo space - they don't slide as with the new VW Fox. That means the Aygo's boot remains tiny unless you fold the seatbacks down.
Entry level Aygos get ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), body-colour-keyed bumpers, driver and passenger airbags, power steering, tilt wheel, heated rear window with wiper and a two speaker audio system with radio and CD player. There's even a connector for an MP3 player - how yoof is that?
Latest Readers' Drives About the Toyota Aygo
wrote on 25 02 2007
wrote on 17 09 2006