Toyota Aygo - Taking off and hill driving. Am I over-revving it?

[Mastro]

So about 6 or so months ago I bought a used 2006 Aygo. I love how cheap it is to run, very small city car, durable engine (from what I have read) and what not. Loving it overall.

But does anyone feel that it needs more throttle compared to other cars in order to move? Especially when it comes to hill starts, or moving in 2nd gear on an incline at low speeds. It struggles a lot and I should slam (well not really slam but you get me) the throttle to move.

It also doesn't help that I don't have a tachometer. So I don't know how many RPMs I give when taking off, however they do sound quite a lot. Maybe they sound a lot because it's not very sound proof as some people have claimed? I don't know. 

Do you guys have similar experiences with your Aygos? I am very tempted to install a tachometer. I start obsessing over it and I am afraid I over-rev the engine and wear it prematurely, or the clutch itself.

 

[Hornet3D]

B

1 hour ago, Mastro said:

So about 6 or so months ago I bought a used 2006 Aygo. I love how cheap it is to run, very small city car, durable engine (from what I have read) and what not. Loving it overall.

But does anyone feel that it needs more throttle compared to other cars in order to move? Especially when it comes to hill starts, or moving in 2nd gear on an incline at low speeds. It struggles a lot and I should slam (well not really slam but you get me) the throttle to move.

It also doesn't help that I don't have a tachometer. So I don't know how many RPMs I give when taking off, however they do sound quite a lot. Maybe they sound a lot because it's not very sound proof as some people have claimed? I don't know. 

Do you guys have similar experiences with your Aygos? I am very tempted to install a tachometer. I start obsessing over it and I am afraid I over-rev the engine and wear it prematurely, or the clutch itself.

 

Being a small engine with limited power you do need to keep the revs up and it is not very forgiving.   I moved from a Honda CRV to an Aygo and it is a different driving technique.  There is nowhere near the same torque so this means when I pick up the in-laws (who have a steep hill up from their house) I have to use first gear in the Aygo where the CRV would be happy with second or even third.  It also means to keep momentum you need change gear while the revs are relatively high.  There should be no real damage to the clutch if gears are changed at the optimum point without slipping the clutch.   My guess is that, if you rev it too far the engine and the ECU would let you know that you were on limits as the power increase would stop.

My only other experience of Toyota was a MK1 MR2 many years ago which had a lot more torque, but it was still a high revving engine.   If you 

[Donrald]

You get used to it and learn to adapt. You will find a difference depending upon how many are in the car. Just a small engine. But fun to drive. Our old Aygo has gone and I now have an Aygo X Exclusive automatic and that takes a little learning to get the balance right for the gears to change without over revving. Great car, very pleased with it, quiet and comfortable considering its size. Not much room in the back though, same as the old model in the back, but it is not often we need to put anybody in the back.

[PCM]

Our daughter has one...

I think as long as it's serviced regularly, oil level is checked, should be fine.

Try some V-Power? 

[Cyker]

TBH it's a small displacement petrol engine and it's japanese so it's no wonder it's quite gutless at the low end! The 1KR definitely needs a bit of revving to get the power out of it.

I must admit I had a bit of trouble adapting at first when I had one as a courtesy car, as my D4D had far more torque at low RPM and the clutch didn't bite as high as it did in the Aygo, so going to such low torque at low rpm and that nasty high-biting clutch gave me a bit of PTSD from my BSM Corsa learner driver days  

If you have good clutch control tho', you can adapt pretty quickly - Even without the tacho you learn to feel it; The trick is to feed in power as you're engaging the clutch so that you can feel the car pull without the revs surging. When you get the hang of it you will be able to move off in even the most gutless car with a shagged clutch, but until then don't worry about wearing out the clutch, just learn to feel how the power is transmitted through it.

A great trick my instructor used to help learn clutch control was to make me balance the car on a hill with just the clutch and accelerator, then disengage the handbrake and make me hold it there for a few seconds, then gently creep up a few metres and hold, then down again and hold, using nothing but the clutch and accelerator. When you can do that without overshooting or over-revving you'll be able to drive even the most gutless of engines  

It also helped me get over the fear of wearing out the clutch - I figure it's his car and if he didn't mind me abusing it like that it was fine  

 

[Hybrid21]

Antonis, its an older car with a very small underpowered engine, it will struggle especially if it has passengers.

You just need to make sure it's properly serviced, brakes not binding, etc and adjust your driving style accordingly to help the poor wee thing manage steep inclines 👍

[APS]

No tachometer needed. You can hear the engine really well and you just need to get used to it. The 1KR-FE is a really good engine with a super flat torque curve - the in-gear pull is great (relatively speaking) regardless of rev. Hence, you don't necessarily need to rev it highly but you need to slip the clutch. Of course, it is a small displacement engine without any forced induction - your brain just to need calibrate itself accordingly.

[Blue Bumble]

We call our Aygo 'Bumble' because it doesn't like hills.

Super Unleaded - Shell V-Power fuel makes a significant difference, providing more power without sacrificing miles to the gallon. It is 99 octane as opposed to 95 octane.

I also use it in my 2.5litre V6 Jag which means I don't have to use as much throttle and it improves MPG.

Especially Shell V- Power it's a better quality fuel more -  additives - and also is E5 rated as opposed to the newish E10. I.e. 5% Ethanol content as opposed to the 'greener' 10% Ethanol. There are plenty pf complaints that E10 fuels are causing problem with engines.  

The smallest cost difference between regular unleaded and super unleaded I fond is at Tesco's.

I'll stick with Super Unleaded in the Aygo and Jag (plus my 92 Range Rover and 98  BMW Convertible. That said - I do enjoy driving 'Bumble'. 

[rich146]

Currently drive a pre X model (Auto) 2021/22 registered. Seems to have plenty of power for a small city car. I do use high octane fuel (V-power) that I notice makes a difference   

[Donrald]

On 10/6/2022 at 9:58 PM, Cyker said:

TBH it's a small displacement petrol engine and it's japanese so it's no wonder it's quite gutless at the low end! The 1KR definitely needs a bit of revving to get the power out of it.

I must admit I had a bit of trouble adapting at first when I had one as a courtesy car, as my D4D had far more torque at low RPM and the clutch didn't bite as high as it did in the Aygo, so going to such low torque at low rpm and that nasty high-biting clutch gave me a bit of PTSD from my BSM Corsa learner driver days  

If you have good clutch control tho', you can adapt pretty quickly - Even without the tacho you learn to feel it; The trick is to feed in power as you're engaging the clutch so that you can feel the car pull without the revs surging. When you get the hang of it you will be able to move off in even the most gutless car with a shagged clutch, but until then don't worry about wearing out the clutch, just learn to feel how the power is transmitted through it.

A great trick my instructor used to help learn clutch control was to make me balance the car on a hill with just the clutch and accelerator, then disengage the handbrake and make me hold it there for a few seconds, then gently creep up a few metres and hold, then down again and hold, using nothing but the clutch and accelerator. When you can do that without overshooting or over-revving you'll be able to drive even the most gutless of engines  

It also helped me get over the fear of wearing out the clutch - I figure it's his car and if he didn't mind me abusing it like that it was fine  

 

That is how I was taught to drive and handle hill starts over 50 years ago!