I'll Be Leaving Here Soon...

[Jan van de Wouw]

I'm sorry to say that my last weeks on this forum have started...

Last friday I signed the deal on a brand new Kia Picanto, PX-ing my 2006 Aygo...

I've had loads of fun here, but now that my Toyota is leaving and having met a

great girl who's moved in with me allready, I won;t be spening my time here anymore...

When I've taken delivery of the Picanto I'll post some pictures, but then it'll by bye bye...

[Mistermena]

Hope all goes well wuth the new motor mate and with the Mrs... Happy days

[Unklian]

Hi Jan.

You'll be missed!

Thanks for all the really helpfull advice over the years.

All the best with the Kia.

Ian.

[dwilson]

It will be interesting to know what you think of the Kia in comparison with the Aygo.

Enjoy your new car :D

David

[Raistlin]

Jan

Its sad to see you go, who else will have all the answers and be brave enough to pull their car apart :)

Good luck with the new car and your partner

[Red Yaris 54]

Thanks for your informative and fascinating contributions to the forum over the last few years

You will be missed on the Aygo forum as you always seemed to come up with the answers when others had problems!

Good luck with the Picanto......I think that you should find it a worthy replacement for the Aygo

You can always pop back in occasionally!

[Uncle Bob]

All the best Jan, you have given loads of great advise to members during your time with the club, hope you enjoy your new car

[AygoIronman]

Good luck with the Picante Jan! Been fun following your posts on here and on Youtube.

Be good to see your new car, and maybe catch up on another site.

[zakelwe]

Jan, you have been great on the Aygo forum over the years. The Picante forum will be very lucky.

So the Kia makes people more attractive to girls eh? I must get one ! Or two.

All the best.

Andy

[Jan van de Wouw]

Thanks all for the kind words. I will certainly pop back here once in a while...

I still have to wait for about 3 weeks, but so far I think the Picanto is a WAY better offer than the Aygo is or can be.

Yes, I've spent more £££ on the Picanto now, but I'm getting kit that isn't even available on even the most luxurious Aygo.

Things linke 4 electric windows, electric mirrors that are heated and electrically retractable, climate control, an audio-

system with bluetooth and steering wheel controls... I can go on and on, but I won't. ATM the Picanto is a more

adult car than the Aygo. And since I feel I've grown up the past years, a more adult car is fitting...

@zakelwe: I met my girl before I even gave the Picanto serious thought, so I'm sorry: she fell for me, not my car :D

[AYGOgummy]

Thanks all for the kind words. I will certainly pop back here once in a while...

I still have to wait for about 3 weeks, but so far I think the Picanto is a WAY better offer than the Aygo is or can be.

Yes, I've spent more £££ on the Picanto now, but I'm getting kit that isn't even available on even the most luxurious Aygo.

Things linke 4 electric windows, electric mirrors that are heated and electrically retractable, climate control, an audio-

system with bluetooth and steering wheel controls... I can go on and on, but I won't. ATM the Picanto is a more

adult car than the Aygo. And since I feel I've grown up the past years, a more adult car is fitting...

@zakelwe: I met my girl before I even gave the Picanto serious thought, so I'm sorry: she fell for me, not my car :D

Jan, I think I speak for everyone when I say that you've been a big help to many people on this forum, certainly since I've been here and probably going further back than that!

I've been intrigued by the Picanto myself - it looks like a quality product. What spec have you gone for? Be sure to post some pictures and your thoughts when it arrives in 3 weeks! Be interesting to see how it compares to Aygo. But yes, even after that, do pop back! :)

[Jan van de Wouw]

I just got an email from my dealer: my Pica is on their lot! So I might just have it on my doorstep by next weekend!

Mine is a 2011-spec "Comfort, Style, Exterior". It's a model that was on the boat when I bought it.

If it hadn't been afloat allready I'd have gone for the 2012-spec "Comfort, Plus, Super", which is

basically the same exept for some minor details. Only then I'd have ordered the factory-sunroof too...

ATM my only modifcations that are planned are fitting CruiseControl (not myself due to use of CAN-bus)

and fitting my Pioneer TS-WX11A underseat-sub: the audio is fine, but really lacks some bass.

I listen to percussion and rock a lot, so I really "need" bass for accurate playback :P

[Jan van de Wouw]

Too bad: they didn't call last week.

But they DID contact me today: I'm picking up my Pica next saturday!

Now all I have to do is come up with a catchy nickname like I had...

[AYGOgummy]

Next Saturday as in... today?! Post some piccies when you've got it :)

[Jan van de Wouw]

Yes, that was last week... Meanwhile I've driven the Picanto for a week and over 800km and I love it...

The car drives great, it's sprung a bit softer than the Aygo, but to be honest it feels like the Aygo was

sprung hard and the Picanto "normal". Handling is good, the tyres are wider, so it steers tighter.

Mileage is hard to comment on after only a tank and a half...

Overall I'm VERY happy with my choiche of new car. It takes some getting used to but mostly the

"creature comforts" like the Climate Control and Smart Key: I still have a tendency to grab the key

out of the ignition when exiting the car, or turning off the lights...

I've had the two things I missed instantly put into the car last wednesday: a CruiseControl (a better one)

and I've had the guy who did the CruiseControl put in my existing Pioneer TS-WX11A subwoofer. When

the wheather improves I'll be putting on a "visor" with some tinting film and I plan on 2 decals on the rear.

"The" Apple-decal and one from my favorite musical group, then the car is "finished" to me...

Delivery went a little different than I'd planned, but actually that's a funny story:

the evening before I had collected everything I neede for PX-ing the car, all papers,

both keys, the key-number, you know the lot. Put everything together on my desk.

Only normally I have my keys and wallet on a small shelf on my desk.

So you've guessed it: I forgot my wallet. Holding my bank-card and drivers

license. Hence the car couldn't be put in my name, nor could I pay for it...

So instead of this:

this became the last odometer-reading I have of the car...

I even had to fill the tank a little bit, as I couldn't make it home and back on what was left...

The Picanto had 18,5km on the odometer when I took delivery, but it took me 1,2km to realise I had to take a picture...

I DID manage to get some pictures of the Aygo and my Picanto next to each other at the dealer:

Last week I made a list with everything I like better on the Picanto or is an improvement.

Some of them I'd made on the Aygo myself over the course of 65 months / 128854km,

but lots of them are impossible to retrofit and/or can't be ordered on an Aygo (or C1/107)

A "small" summary:

- Power Mirrors with heating and electric folding

- Power Windows all round, with an "auto" function on the drivers window

- Courtesy light with delay AND control through the ignition and remote

- Courtesy light in the trunk

- Keyless Ignition with Start/Stop button

- Keyless enrty

- Separate unlock for the trunk-lid

- Anti-highjack locking (auto-locks the car when going over 15kmh the first time

- Shift-indicator (can be disabled)

- Extended trip-computer (MPG (tank, average and current), time traveled, range)

- Outside temperature with ice-warning

- two trip-meters

- CAN-bus for allmost the entire car

- DRL as standard

- LED-taillights, brakelights and DRL

- Adjustable intermittend windscreen wiper

- Comfort-indicators (tap once, blink three times)

- Automatic lights

- Coming Home Lights

- Welcome Lights

- Climate Control

- Illuminated switches for most functions

- Better seats

- Better factory-audio

- Steering wheel controls

- bluetooth Carkit (with A2DP-streaming)

- MP3-playback, AUX, USB & iPod-connection

- More practical pockets for my stuff

- Larger trunk with actual door instead of hinged glass

- Bottleholders in the doorpockets

- "flip away" bottle/cupholders in the center console

- 5 seats with better accessability in the rear (larger doors with greater angle of opening)

- Height-adjustable seatbelts

- Seatbelt-warming on ALL setbelts with lights AND sound

- Height-adjustable drivers seat

- Knee-airbag

- Active (and adjustable) headrests

- 15" alloys 175/55/15

- Better view to the rear passenger side due to larger windows in a better shape

- More comfortable ride

+++++

Downside;

- the seatbacks adjust in steps, just like the Aygo, I'd hve loved an adjuster-wheel...

So putting all of this together, I've got WAY more car/kit for only €1000 more than I've paid for

the Aygo in 2006. IMHO TCPA (Toyota Peugeot Citroen Automobiles) have clearly missed out

by doing a second facelift (a version 1.2) instead of releasing an actual NEW car (a 2.0 version)...

[AYGOgummy]

Yes, that was last week... Meanwhile I've driven the Picanto for a week and over 800km and I love it...

The car drives great, it's sprung a bit softer than the Aygo, but to be honest it feels like the Aygo was

sprung hard and the Picanto "normal". Handling is good, the tyres are wider, so it steers tighter.

Mileage is hard to comment on after only a tank and a half...

Overall I'm VERY happy with my choiche of new car. It takes some getting used to but mostly the

"creature comforts" like the Climate Control and Smart Key: I still have a tendency to grab the key

out of the ignition when exiting the car, or turning off the lights...

I've had the two things I missed instantly put into the car last wednesday: a CruiseControl (a better one)

and I've had the guy who did the CruiseControl put in my existing Pioneer TS-WX11A subwoofer. When

the wheather improves I'll be putting on a "visor" with some tinting film and I plan on 2 decals on the rear.

"The" Apple-decal and one from my favorite musical group, then the car is "finished" to me...

Delivery went a little different than I'd planned, but actually that's a funny story:

the evening before I had collected everything I neede for PX-ing the car, all papers,

both keys, the key-number, you know the lot. Put everything together on my desk.

Only normally I have my keys and wallet on a small shelf on my desk.

So you've guessed it: I forgot my wallet. Holding my bank-card and drivers

license. Hence the car couldn't be put in my name, nor could I pay for it...

So instead of this:

this became the last odometer-reading I have of the car...

I even had to fill the tank a little bit, as I couldn't make it home and back on what was left...

The Picanto had 18,5km on the odometer when I took delivery, but it took me 1,2km to realise I had to take a picture...

I DID manage to get some pictures of the Aygo and my Picanto next to each other at the dealer:

Last week I made a list with everything I like better on the Picanto or is an improvement.

Some of them I'd made on the Aygo myself over the course of 65 months / 128854km,

but lots of them are impossible to retrofit and/or can't be ordered on an Aygo (or C1/107)

A "small" summary:

- Power Mirrors with heating and electric folding

- Power Windows all round, with an "auto" function on the drivers window

- Courtesy light with delay AND control through the ignition and remote

- Courtesy light in the trunk

- Keyless Ignition with Start/Stop button

- Keyless enrty

- Separate unlock for the trunk-lid

- Anti-highjack locking (auto-locks the car when going over 15kmh the first time

- Shift-indicator (can be disabled)

- Extended trip-computer (MPG (tank, average and current), time traveled, range)

- Outside temperature with ice-warning

- two trip-meters

- CAN-bus for allmost the entire car

- DRL as standard

- LED-taillights, brakelights and DRL

- Adjustable intermittend windscreen wiper

- Comfort-indicators (tap once, blink three times)

- Automatic lights

- Coming Home Lights

- Welcome Lights

- Climate Control

- Illuminated switches for most functions

- Better seats

- Better factory-audio

- Steering wheel controls

- Bluetooth Carkit (with A2DP-streaming)

- MP3-playback, AUX, USB & iPod-connection

- More practical pockets for my stuff

- Larger trunk with actual door instead of hinged glass

- Bottleholders in the doorpockets

- "flip away" bottle/cupholders in the center console

- 5 seats with better accessability in the rear (larger doors with greater angle of opening)

- Height-adjustable seatbelts

- Seatbelt-warming on ALL setbelts with lights AND sound

- Height-adjustable drivers seat

- Knee-airbag

- Active (and adjustable) headrests

- 15" alloys 175/55/15

- Better view to the rear passenger side due to larger windows in a better shape

- More comfortable ride

+++++

Downside;

- the seatbacks adjust in steps, just like the Aygo, I'd hve loved an adjuster-wheel...

So putting all of this together, I've got WAY more car/kit for only €1000 more than I've paid for

the Aygo in 2006. IMHO TCPA (Toyota Peugeot Citroen Automobiles) have clearly missed out

by doing a second facelift (a version 1.2) instead of releasing an actual NEW car (a 2.0 version)...

It looks very nice, and the equipment indeed is very impressive. I was looking at the equipment lists for the new Fiat Panda yesterday, and it doesn't stack up anywhere near as well as the Picanto. They charge £50 extra for things you'd expect standard - electric mirrors, split rear seat, body-coloured mirrors/handles etc.

I do think it's a strange decision for Toyota/Citroen/Peugeot to simply 'refresh' their ranges, but hopefully next year's all-new models will compete with the Picanto a bit better. I'll certainly be keeping my eyes open to see what they do, as when I finish uni, I can see I'll be looking to change - and the Volkswagen Up, Skoda Citigo, Seat Mii, Kia Picanto and the PSA triplets will quite possibly be on my shortlist!

Keep popping back every now and then, hope you're settling in to the 'Picanto club' or whatever the equivalent is! :)

[viper262]

Take care Jan you will be missed good luck with your Kia and your new girl :)