Aygo Fire Review

[mrb338]

I've had my Fire just over 2 months and have clocked up 2200 miles. Here are my latest thoughts on the car.

I find it generally very easy and fun to drive. I love the sound it makes when its revved, though its not too loud on a normal motorway cruise. Its a great looker, with the orange paint, tinted windows, alloys wheels and LED lights making it stand out.

The ride and handling are not as good as the Corolla and Civic I had before, but I expected this in a cheaper car so it is not a major disappointment.

It can lose speed very easily on hills, but changing down a gear or two will maintain speed. If you rev it, the acceleration is actually pretty good for a one litre. It certainly doesn't feel any slower than the 1.4 VVTi Corolla, even though figures one paper would suggest otherwise.

I would have liked a smoother gear change. I've driven other cars such as the Hyundai i10 and 2006 Fiesta, in which there is no resistance when changing gear. The Aygo, like other Toyotas (Corolla, Yaris, Starlet) I have driven sometimes feels like it doesn't really want to go into gear. It is not bad enough to make me think it has a problem, but I've learnt that there is a technique to changing gear smoothly that requires a bit of thought. Other cars don't seem to require the same amount of effort. Does anyone understand what I'm talking about or am I just talking nonsense? :)

I like being able to use my i POD, though I find the sound system so disappointing I often just don't bother listening to anything. Will look into upgrading the Speakers in the future.

MPG first few weeks was around 53-55, mostly round town but with a few longer motorway and A road drives at speeds of 60 to 70mph. I have done a trip of 250 miles mostly sticking to 55mph and this achieved 63mpg. More recently, I've been driving a bit harder, probably half in town and half at 70 to 80 on the motorway. MPG has dropped to about 49 as a result, which I still think is not bad for uneconomical driving. Certainly a massive improvement on any car I've had before.

The dealer told me fuel economy should improve over time. Does anyone know what sort of miles I should start to see an improvement?

Overall, I really like the Aygo. I can forgive it for its flaws. It has lots of character, it is cheap to run, has a 5 year warranty, the finance is 0% and the tax is free. For getting from A to B round the city it is outstanding, and it does the job on longer journeys too. Simple, basic, worry free motoring is what it has been designed for and it does it really well. I used to think owning a bigger, more powerful, more expensive car would satisfy me more, but with the amount of money I save, I feel happier and less stressed with the Aygo.

I look forward to hearing thoughts of other owners. I will update with how things are going again in the future.

[Aygocraig]

I pretty much agree. I've got exactly the same model as I traded in my seat Leon cupra as like you say the running costs were stressfull! But I love it. I like just filling the tank and not worrying about a thing. I thought I'd miss my cupra, and although sometimes I miss the motorway slip road, the money I save far out weighs this!

Great car!