We review the Toyota Aygo from price to economy and all its features
NO firm can say their car is fit for a family until the Dorans have run the rule. Jon, Sheila, Jamie,20, and Christie, 18, and Alfie the labrador take no prisoners ...
I HAVE come to the conclusion that Sheila may have an illness.
Funky ... Toyota Aygo Go
She seems incapable of going near any retail establishment without buying something.
And when she has a short list, she will simply ignore it.
It doesn't matter whether we go into a supermarket with a list of ten items, or 30, the resulting bill is the same.
Taking Jamie and Christie along just adds grief, because they add a selection of "treats" that no one had budgeted for.
In hindsight, Toyota's Aygo is not the first-choice car for such a trip.
It is funky. It is bright and airy. It is the ideal commuter car, especially as the 1litre petrol three-door Aygo Go! gives you almost 63mpg.
But not even Toyota would claim that it is big. And the boot doesn't really do the word any justice. It is more a baby bootee than a boot.
Murphy struggled to get in the back with his gammy leg, so he was left to ponder the innards of the fridge while Sheila and I went off.
more motors
The Aygo Go! can shuffle along at a fair pace for a little car. It has to work to get there, and it struggles to hold that pace on a steep hill, but then this is no racing car.
And 0-62mph in 14.2 seconds and a top speed of 98mph are both perfectly acceptable on city roads.
It is a comfortable place to be and it hugs the road with gusto. Speaking of gusto, any sudden crosswinds tend to rattle it, but the final drive experience is plenty of fun.
Which only leaves the space. Front-seat passengers have loads of room and everything is easy to use and close at hand. The new version even has TomTom sat nav as standard.
The baby bootee can take about eight supermarket carrier bags full of shopping.
More than that and you need the back seat, which means leaving the kids at home in the first place or even leaving them at the shop!
Forward planning in place, and the £10,250 Aygo Go! can swallow the weekly shop and still provide that funky trip home without feeling overloaded.
Now that sounds like a result, provided Sheila learns to stick to the list and we have taken enough money!