Second HandSense: Toyota Aygo/Citroen/Peugeot 107The motoring year ended on a rather green note, prompting queries about second-hand cars that are low on emissions, and not too expensive. There are plenty of small petrol and diesel cars that come in under the 120 grams of CO2 per kilometre, and five petrol cars that come in under 110, which is very respectable and about as green as you can get.
Of this five, the two most advanced and therefore more expensive, are the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic - both with hybrid engines. The other three are actually the same car in effect - the Toyota Aygo, the Citroën C1 and the Peugeot 107. This is because Toyota and the PSA group in France decided to team up some years ago to produce a city car based on a joint development and cost-sharing basis.
The result is the fact that some 92 per cent of all parts are common to the three cars. The rest is about badging and marketing.
Until now none of the three cars has made an impact, but Toyota has the strongest profile - as it would - with the Aygo. All three have sold in numbers that reflect the market share enjoyed by their manufacturers, despite the fact that you could buy the Citroën model for a good deal less money than the Toyota one.
The Aygo/CI/107 is a city car and designed mostly by Toyota - although Citroën and Peugeot styled their own - as a sort of Japanese Smart car.
It is built in the Czech Republic, where labour costs ensure the car can be sold at a price to appeal to young and first time drivers.
It is a definitive city car with a three-cylinder engine and a power output of 68 horse power. It is not a car for long journeys, nor is it commodious.
It will take two adults in comfort, and four for a short trip, but the rear and the boot area reflect its minimalist nature. The rear seats do not slide or fold down, and the boot will take a gym bag and some shopping rather than serve for bulk movement.
It nips around town with the greatest of ease, and you can practically park it in a motorcycle slot. When you push it, however, you soon realise its limitations in terms of things like body roll. The engine is lively and reasonably quiet, thanks to the fact that care has been taken with noise levels - you don't get the usual city car rattle intruding. The different makers have different levels of equipment, but you can count on twin airbags, power steering and a CD player at a minimum.
The car comes in three- and five-door versions to suit individual requirements.
It has a four-star rating out of a possible five in the EuroNCAP crash test programme - other new small cars have five. With all the Toyota input you can expect trouble-free motoring and no major faults are being reported.
It is wise to shop around, and be aware of the premium usually attracted by the Toyota name. The car has only been on the market for two years, but there are bargains. A 2005 Aygo with 25,000km on the clock is on offer at one garage for €8,950. A 2006 model with 33,000km is €10,950. A 2006 Peugeot 107 with only 16,000km up, has an asking price of €9,950, while you can get one with about 57,000km for less than €8,000. Cheaper again is the Citroën. You can get a 2006 model with only 8,000km for less than €10,000, and one with 22,000km for about €7,500.
FOR:Great city car. Economical and green
AGAINST:Rear and boot space limited. Not for long journeys