The best cheap first car? The Mk1 Toyota Aygo.

The CityBug Trio- Left to Right, Citroen C1, Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107.

What is the best small car from the 00s that you can buy in 2022 with nearly no money? The first generation Toyota Aygo+ 1.0 VVTi I say, here’s why, but first a quick history lesson. The Toyota Aygo was launched alongside the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 in a £1 billion joint venture project to create a new small city car from the ground up. All three cars , now in their second generation, are produced from the same plant in Kolín, Czech Republic . The advantage of a joint venture such as this, is lower development costs from each manufacturer, although Peugeot and Citroen being under the same group, as you can essentially build 3 cars for the price of 1. The 3 cars shared identical platforms (drivetrain and suspension components), with parts shared body. As far as I can work out, all 3 cars share the same roof, front doors, rear windows. The 3 cars, affectionately known together as ‘CityBugs’ have developed a strong community following on Social Media.

I bought my 2008 Aygo+ 1.0 VVTi as my first car in January 2018 and have loved every minute. I bought the car with 36,990 miles and I sold it in December 2020 with 53,300 miles. The Aygo was a pleasure to live with and it brought joy to every journey. I replaced the Aygo with a 2018 MG3, which you can read about here!

Love at first sight, my Aygo wearing it’s original number plate. SV58 VSO.

The best part of the any car is the beating heart under the bonnet, the engine. The Aygo comes with a very small one. The Aygo/C1/107 is powered by Toyota’s ‘1KR-FE’ unit. This engine was designed by Daihatsu, a subsidiary of Toyota, and assembled in Poland. The 1KR-FE engine is a 998cc (1 litre), 3 cylinder engine that is naturally aspirated, this engine came along well before the 1 litre engine craze that is taking over small cars today, Toyota have always been forward thinking. The 1KR-FE engine won the International Engine of the Year award for the Sub 1 litre category in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The engine is incredibly modern with 4 valves per cylinder and a Dual Overhead Camshaft, that is chain driven for less maintenance. This set up also means that the engine is incredibly willing to rev and will keep going all the way up to 6,500 rpm. The Aygo also has Toyota’s VVTi, variable valve timing, system. This allows for greater fuel economy at low revs and a boost of power at higher revs, almost like a pretend turbocharger. The engine also uses an all aluminium head and block, this aids the engine’s quick pickup and brilliant fuel economy. The engine produces 67bhp at 6,000rpm and 93Nm of torque at 3,600 rpm, taking the Aygo onto a blistering top speed of 98mph and will accelerate to 60mph in just over 14 seconds, feels faster than it sounds on paper, I promise. The engine is responsive and keen to pick up and makes a lovely thrum as you floor it up the motorway slip road. The engine is near silent when cruising in town at 30mph in 5th gear, great way to maximise fuel economy.

A main rival to the Aygo/C1/107 clan was the Volkswagen Fox, also released in 2005. The Fox 1.2 used an archaic 2 valves per cylinder and only a single overhead camshaft, this makes the VW less responsive and guzzle more fuel, The 2005 Aygo 1.0VVTi has a claimed MPG of 65mpg whereas the Fox only claims a pathetic 47mpg, which is what I actually managed to achieve in the Aygo, driving like Lewis Hamilton.

The Aygo interior has everything you need from a car: all but absolute base spec get electric front windows and a remote key, the entire range gets an FM/AM radio CD player with AUX input, 12v socket, hot and coldish air, driver and passenger air bags, isofix points in the rear seats, anti-lock brakes, and a heated rear windscreen. Air Conditioning was an option on my second bottom trim, the Aygo+, but standard higher up the range . I personally don’t think it is a necessity, as least where I live, the standard cold air is cold enough, and the window opens. The interior parts feel a little on the cheap side, but nothing was damaged everything still worked after nearly 12 years. There is a surprisingly large amount of storage space on-board, with 2 large cupholders in the front, a deep space for a mobile phone, a shelf above that. Instead of a glovebox, my car has a gloveshelf, I think this is a better idea because it allows to store larger items and is easier to access.

The steering wheel is a delight to use, the patterned rubber circumference provides a great feel and grip, coupled with the small size makes it a doddle to blast round bends with. The Aygo’s steering is equally impressive in towns and carparks, the electric rack and pinion power steering means you can flick the car around easily without strain, it is a little bit numb though. Electric power steering was also very advanced in a small car for when the Aygo was released.

The suspension design on the Aygo is rather conventional, MacPherson strut suspension on the front with ventilated disc brakes and a rear torsion beam suspension with drum brakes on the rear axle. This is a tried and tested set-up with minimal development costs, the ride quality is fine around town, although the tiny 14 inch rims can easily feel the bumps if driven hard. The Aygo grips surprisingly well at faster speeds, although the rear can become unsettled due to the lack of weight. The Aygo will have a tendency to understeer, this is to be expected from a front wheel drive, front heavy car with very skinny tyres, you learn the limits pretty quickly.

The Aygo is a doddle to work on mechanically, and parts are really cheap. A full service, (oil, filter, air filter, spark plugs) costs a mere £45 and took me only an hour to complete, this is much less than what people with new Fiestas pay, the saving comes from cutting labour costs and doing it yourself. The 1KR-FE engine is chain driven, rather than a belt, so it should not need changed, so long as the engine has seen regular oil changes and hasn’t been thrashed. Below is a photo of my Aygo receiving his annual service in December 2019.

Below is the service schedule for the Aygo 1.0VVTi taken from the Toyota service book from my car handbook. A full service is every 20,000 miles or 2 years, whichever comes first, and an intermediate service is every 10,000 miles or 1 year, again, whichever comes first. I have been getting in to the habit changing the oil, oil filter , air filter and spark plugs every year, I covered around 7,000 miles annually. I appreciate this was a little unnecessary, but it is really cheap and keeps the engine in tip top shape.

I would recommend the Mk1 Aygo to anyone who is looking for a fun, cheap and easy car. Most models are group 2 or 3 insurance, either £20 or FREE road tax depending on the age and a guaranteed 45mpg. All three models of the CityBug clan were updated in 2014, still sharing the same old platform but with a few changes, mainly widening the track of the wheels and tuning the suspension. The Peugeot 107 name was dropped and instead changed to 108, to fall in line more with the rest of the Peugeot range. The French cousins also come with a 1.2 3 cylinder engine developed by PSA (Peugeot Citroen Group), producing 82bhp. What's next? It was reported at the tail end of 2021 that the 'Aygo X' would replace the Mk2 Aygo, and orders are now open, reviews are looking favorable so far, but we will have to wait and see!

Source: Auto Express

Thank you for reading the story and learning about the fantastic Aygo, if you've found this article interesting please remember to 'like' and leave a comment below: which car would you like to learn about next? Have you owned or driven an Aygo?

Thanks for reading and see you again soon!

-Mackland.

Sources Cited: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/three-city-car-kind https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/car-reviews/toyota/aygo/aygo-2005-2011/ https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/aygo-2014/history/ https://www.parkers.co.uk/toyota/aygo/hatchback-2005/specs/ https://www.ultimatespecs.com/car-specs/Toyota/1560/Toyota-Aygo-10-VVT-i.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_KR_engine#1KR-DE2 https://toyota-club.net/files/faq/19-10-20_faq_kr-engine_eng.htm https://media.toyota.co.uk/wp-content/files_mf/1330425734120224MAYGOTECHNICALSPECIFICATIONS.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Engine_of_the_Year https://europe.autonews.com/article/20181130/ANE/181139997/toyota-will-buy-out-psa-stake-in-czech-minicar-plant https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/toyota/aygo/357294/new-toyota-aygo-x-2022-review