Struggling with my new Aygo

[EmilyB]

Hi! Very recently purchased a 2017 Aygo 1.0 WVT-i X-Style. It is my second car after my corsa had endless problems going into limp mode and I had broken down on the motorway one too many times in it. I love the spec of it and am really happy, although really struggling to drive it up hills. My corsa was a 1L ecoflex so I thought it wouldn’t be that different, but I’m really struggling. The biting point is obviously much higher, and I feel like I’m massively over-revving it when I change gear. To get any speed up I feel like my revs are going up too high, and I’m getting up to 4+ on the rev counter before I change gear, as if I switch up earlier all the speed just cuts out. Is this bad for the engine? I do love the car I’m just worried I am not driving it properly! 

[APS]

When going up hills you need to rev the engine higher than when driving on flat ground. The engine in the Argo is small and needs some revs to make progress. Nothing bad to rev it to 4000 rpm at all. In fact, it's better for the engine to rev it than to overload it at very low revs. In normal driving you shouldn't need to take the engine above 5000. The rev limiter cuts in at 7000. So you are nowhere near the limit.

Of course, check that you have the correct tyre pressures and don't drive around with something incredibly heavy in the car. If you are still unsure if it's driving as it should, take it to your dealer (or someone familiar with the Aygo) to get a second opinion.

[zuh]

Hi,

I drove my Aygo mk1 on many steep roads. Uphill, I generally stayed in 2nd, on high revs. If I used upper gears, I had to literraly keep changing gear at every turn. Sometimes I remember launching the car and shifting into the 3rd to immediately find myself underreving and going back to 2nd. So better overreving 2nd.

 

Uphill, you need to change gear rapidly, otherwise you lose your momentum.

Driving the Aygo takes some getting used to. It can be a little tricky at first: the clutch bites high, the engine has little power so you have to give some gas. It is even harder if your car is heavily loaded, if thick-soled shoes offer little precision...

Don't forget also that the sound insulation is minimal, which can make engine sound and others louder.

[flash22]

It's a 1 litre, you need to work the engine and get up and down the box a bit more, don't be afraid to give it some throttle and change up later if the engine is labouring (no progression in speed) drop it down a gear and build up rpm and speed then change up

you may want to try some different footwear and have a play with the seat, too close to the wheel, and it makes driving a lot more tiring

we are all still learning, it takes time to settle into a new car and get use to it

 

[Cyker]

Don't be afraid to rev it - It's a small japanese petrol engine! They love being revved!  

I'd frequently take the one I had to 5-6k  (Admittedly it was a courtesy car and I was having a lot of trouble adapting, coming from a Yaris diesel! The 2 cars' power delivery couldn't be more different!! )

Just make sure you're giving it good quality annual oil changes, and it'll be happy to rev to the moon and back - Might even do it good, as putting a good heat cycle through it can help burn off any cruddy deposits on injectors and stuff. (What people call an 'italian tuneup'  ) Especially if it's primarily used for slow/short urban journeys!

[mrfixer]

It's probably ok, but if you are uncertain then get someone who is familiar with the mk II  Aygo/C1/108 to give it a test drive to confirm it drives normally...  I dealer would likely check it for you.

[phillev]

The Corsa may well have also had lower gearing, the Aygo is geared for economy which means that you can hold the gears longer, also keeps the revs down at cruise speeds therefore less racket from the engine. It's a tough little lump!

[ColinJ451]

Obvious things to check are the tyres are properly inflated 34psi or so, the brakes aren't binding and given its size try to keep it as empty as possible as you will notice weight load a lot

[Eddie G]

Just need to get use to using the engine more and rev it, great little tough engine when you get used to it but bear in mind with a passinger especially up hill it will struggle a wee bit even giving it the beans.

[haelewyn]

Even in a flat area, like the one where I live, you sometimes have to push the pedal harder than you would in a 130 hp car.
For example when you are entering the highway on a short entry..    You need to make it rev in 3 IMHO, up to the speed that you are already not in the way of the big trucks.

So, no worries.
Once you have the car longer you will find out more easy where it really needs to rev and where not.

I haven't driven this one in an area with some steep hills yet and I am honestly a bit afraid to go there. It might make me feel like bying a 130 hp turbo car again.

[Bitch1001]

21 minutes ago, haelewyn said:

Even in a flat area, like the one where I live, you sometimes have to push the pedal harder than you would in a 130 hp car.
For example when you are entering the highway on a short entry..    You need to make it rev in 3 IMHO, up to the speed that you are already not in the way of the big trucks.

So, no worries.
Once you have the car longer you will find out more easy where it really needs to rev and where not.

I haven't driven this one in an area with some steep hills yet and I am honestly a bit afraid to go there. It might make me feel like bying a 130 hp turbo car again.

My hubby got a ST , the power in that is fab and I love driving it   , but I still prefer  my little aygo 

[Cyker]

1 hour ago, haelewyn said:

I haven't driven this one in an area with some steep hills yet and I am honestly a bit afraid to go there. It might make me feel like bying a 130 hp turbo car again.

Or get a Mk4 Yaris instead...?   

The torque you get from a turbo diesel is really nice too tho'. It was always funny how my old Mk1 would out drag other cars on hills and stuff because it weighed to little but had so much low and mid-range torque!

 

[haelewyn]

I am going to stop buying new toyota's for a while now.

They have become too expensive...and me too poor.

[152bobby]

15 hours ago, haelewyn said:

I am going to stop buying new toyota's for a while now.

They have become too expensive...and me too poor.

My first NEW Toyota ever and it will be the last.  Over the last 30 years, I've purchased well looked after Lexus and Toyota and they are just as good as new.  Still expensive, but far cheaper than NEW.  But I've stuck with Lexus/Toyota for a reason and that's reliability and their warranty.  I would generally have put in "solid build" in that statement, but Toyotas are just not as solid as they once were.  I guess that's the same for all or most manufacturers....and don't get me on the subject of things that are not as good as they used to be...Wagon Wheels for example !! They used to be covered in thick chocolate, lovely big biscuit inside, loads of jam and they were the size of a steering wheel 🤣

[Eddie G]

Have to agree, the MK4 Yaris is good but even the indicator storks feel cheap compared to a MK3 Yaris and it is nice to clean the MK3 and not feel like am going to put a dint it the bonnet or sides! as to chocolate these days chocolate is that small you have to double up on them to get a normal size 😆

[zuh]

21 hours ago, haelewyn said:

I haven't driven this one in an area with some steep hills yet and I am honestly a bit afraid to go there. It might make me feel like bying a 130 hp turbo car again.

I drove through many passes in altitude with my Aygos. There is nothing to worry about.

Uphill, it is not comfortable if the car is heavily loaded, but with only 1 passenger, it is perfectly fine. Downhill, the sole problem is that the long gears offer little engine brake so you might have to brake a lot.

Now that I have the S-CVT, it is the same thing. I have to lock a low gear otherwise the car gets speed very rapidly. When driving in the mountains, I would prefer a manual by far.

[rich146]

I only use high octane fuel such as V-Power and makes a significant difference in power compared to standard.