It is worth trying another Toyota dealer. When I bought a new Corolla in 2006, and my current Auris new in 2009, I found the sales experience at the Birmingham dealership very disappointing - in 2009 the salesperson failed to follow up the test drive the following week as promised, and left it three weeks before contacting me. Instead I used the Inchcape dealership at Burton-on-Trent for both of the purchases and subsequent servicing. The difference between the two was like chalk and cheese. The forty mile round trip is well worth it for me.

Edited by Auristocrat on 17/09/2011 at 23:30

I can recommend Pinkstones Toyota Stoke on Trent. Excellent service.

Thanks again all for your replies. This has got to be one of the best sites for car enthusiasts, as the replies are honest & respectful, thank you. I'm based in East London, spoke to the assistant manager over the phone who assured me ( pinch of salt ) that she would send an e-mail to my salesman, as he was not at work.

She said the key was on order ( hope I'm not being fobbed off, sorry couldn't resist it! ) and that she would request my salesman to mark it as a priority order.

The plus side is that I'm enjoying the little Aygo, any excuse to buzz around town and hear that rorty exhaust note. The interior space amazes every time I step inside, I'm 6ft and have more than enough leg / headroom. The most impressive feature IMO is the ride quality, it really is grown up. It verges on supple around town, and there's no pitching or diving when braking, obviously a lot of development time was spent here.

The magazine reviews rate the Aygo/C1/107 as only average because their greatest strength isn't being hurled a full pelt along twisty B-roads. Have a look at Car Reviews on this site, where HJ, who judges cars on how good they are at what they're designed to do, gives it four stars and mostly favourable comments. This tallies with the customer satisfaction surveys where it does well.

Edited by Avant on 25/09/2011 at 22:37

I think a lot of people buy them as an inexpensive & reliable runabout or 2nd car. Then they realise how much sense they make. The simple ergonomics, engine rumble and exhaust note all add to the fun factor. You really do feel like you're going a lot faster than you actually are, I think of my Aygo as a 4 seater weather proof moped!

It's one of those cars that until you drive it, you don't realise how good it is.

Totally agree Bobbin, I'm by no means a boy racer, but because the Aygo is so energetic, especially when pulling away from standstill, I've left many bigger cars way behind! Also the engine / gearing is so flexible it's quite similar to a diesel in a way. You can pull away in 4th at lowish speeds, no problem.

My Qashqai provides better comfort & more usability, but for driving fun the Aygo wins outright!

The Ford alternative to the Aygo/107/C1 would be the Ka rather than the Fiesta - which is a supermini-sized car rather than a city car, and more expensive.

Most people considering the Aygo would also be looking at the Panda, Picanto, Aguila, Alto, Splash, i10, etc. In and around the Birmingham conurbation, we see quite a few Aygo's, 107's, i10's and Picanto's. Conversely we see very few Ka's and Pandas (although no Fiat dealers in Birmingham).

The original Ka was based on the floorpan of the Mk IV Fiesta but was about eight inches shorter - built on the same production line in Spain for the European market. The current Ka for the European market is based on the Fiat 500 (itself based on the Panda), and is built by Fiat in Poland using Fiat engines, etc. Same length as the Mk 1 Ka, and about twelve inches shorter than the current Fiesta.