If only the U.S. could start getting more cars like this...

[Erdrick]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Aygo

This car is awesome. Pure and simple, it is time for cars like this to start making their way outside of Europe.

I mean come on! It isn't even sold in the manufacturer's home country!!

[beatr911]

This appears to be pretty similar, maybe a little smaller, in dimensions to the original VW Rabbit, which was a huge seller in it's day, fun to drive too! America has become so safety obsessed in our litigous (sp) and prolific SUV society, I wonder if the US is ready for fun little buzzbombs again. Gas is still cheaper here than in Europe. I think the mfrs are betting subcompacts are on the bleeding edge of how small the US will buy in significant numbers.

[tjts1]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flKzjuDhFDs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26YkUdFgbuw

[Sludgy]

The fact that such a vehicle isn't available in America really torques me. I'd buy one for my commute, and leave the Blue Beast home for plowing and for my off road adventures.

[Red]

Diesel / AYGO 3 & 5-door 1.4L Diesel 5-speed Man

* Urban: 53.3 mpg or 5.3 l/100 km
* Extra-urban 83.1 mpg or 3.4 l/100 km
* Combined: 68.9 mpg or 4.1 l/100 km
* CO2 emissions: 109 g/km[1]

I think a ton of people would snap these up in a heart beat. Who knows if in 10 years with gas the way it is, minis like these would be imported.

[Bill in Houston]

That Top Gear guy is a dinky guy, and he fills the Aygo pretty full... It does look like a nice car.

[88HF]

[MnFocus]

T'ja! Heck I'd hit it!

[thisisntjared]

i want to play foot ball with cars.....

[Erdrick]

Keep in mind, those figures are imperial gallon based. Of course the l/100km is the same, but the mpg figures are higher than what you would see in the U.S. Insanity to the nth level I tell you. England and America need to get their acts together.

I would drive one of these cars in a heartbeat. I love the modular design that it has. I usually fix up my cars, and while hanging new parts isn't TOO bad, anything to save time and effort would be really appreciated.

I think that we need to start working on international standards for automobiles, to help open up potential markets, like super compact diesel markets! Of course, the USA needs to get its act together and first standardize itself!

50 states, 1 law.

[tjts1]

How does 74 US mpg (90mpg imperial) sound in a completely stock Aygo?
http://www.worldcarfans.com/rsslink....fuel-challenge

This Aygo was parked in front of my hotel in Gothenburg Sweden last summer.

[Erdrick]

Well, I must say that that is insane. A totally stock car? No aero mods?

Who wants to start the petition?

[Erdrick]

I actually just noticed that the above posted mileage (tjts1) was achieved on a closed course, at very low speeds. That makes the car lose points in my book.

However, it doesn't change the fact that I would still love to see the car make its way to the states. Aero mods and slight engine modifications could help it achieve numbers close to 70mpg... with a little work.

[omgwtfbyobbq]

Email Toyota about bringing a diesel Aygo to NA.

[Mike T]

The diesel engine is a Peugeot HDI design. The Peugeot 107 and Citroën C1 are built in the same factory.

[Radix Lecti]

PSA (Citroen and Peugeot) are ahead of the game in Europe and their engines are used by Ford, Land Rover, BMW (Mini), Volvo and others.

The HDi engines are very efficient - my large family car, a Citroen C5, does 60mpg and has even managed 70 mpg on a long drive to Bordeaux from Manchester.

They have one drawback and that is the cambelt. You need to change it in line with the service manual at 100,000 miles (not expensive to do) otherwise it can break and destroy the head.

My car has done 113,000 and I have owned Citroen Xantias that have covered 250,000 miles. There is a Xantia taxi in Manchester that has done 500,000 miles and is still going strong and returning 50 mpg - with the added advantage that it can run on straight vegetable oil.

The US needs to turn it's money and engineering might to fuel efficiency - come on guys, show the rest of us what the US can achieve, take us into the NEXT century!

And as for The Green Car of the Year - 21mpg, you are joking right!

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by theclencher

... and our engineering might has withered on the vine or been outsourced.

Hey now.... Those be fight'n words

Alas, it is quite a sad story... Moscow State is still one of the Top Engineering schools in the world - so I've been told

[Sludgy]

Originally Posted by theclencher

Our money is all tied up in the meddle east and our engineering might has withered on the vine or been outsourced. The rest of the US is too preoccupied with pro sports and/or britney spears to lead the world into the next century- I think the Europeans will have to carry the torch.

Let me see..... America can design Stealth bombers and nuclear submarines, Ipods and computers..... surely we can design FE cars.

GM could engineer a 2 cylinder boxer engine of about 1 liter, equip it with direct injection and vvt, add an integrated starter alternator, add a 6 speed tranny, put it in a reasonably aerodynamic 4 passenger body and get 50 MPG city AND highway. A piece of cake to design, actually. It could sell for ~15K profitably.

But GM (or Ford, or Chrysler) won't build such a car, because the corporate types don't see enough profit in it. And Government types don't want to lose gasoline taxes, so they'll try to kill it with false "safety" and "environmental" regulations.

It's NOT the engineers.

[Lug_Nut]

Originally Posted by tjts1

How does 74 US mpg (90mpg imperial) sound in a completely stock Aygo?

Originally Posted by Erdrick

I actually just noticed that the above posted mileage (tjts1) was achieved on a closed course, at very low speeds. That makes the car lose points in my book.

However, it doesn't change the fact that I would still love to see the car make its way to the states. Aero mods and slight engine modifications could help it achieve numbers close to 70mpg... with a little work.

http://www.nesea.org/transportation/...%20Summary.pdf
http://www.autoauditorium.com/TdS_Re....html#Report50
Been there, done that, got two t-shirts.

[theclencher]

yes sludgy you are correct- we CAN but we don't WANT TO.

still our engineering leadership ain't what it yoosta be

[JanGeo]

Looks like a Yaris . . . with a smaller engine. Problem is in the USA that it would not pass the impact safety requirements just like the Smart would not.

[Erdrick]

Radix Lecti: My VW Jetta TDi has the same deal. Mine needs a change every 60k though. You win some, you lose some. I doubt if during my ownership of the vehicle that I will even have to replace it though. I am speaking of the timing belt of course.

Sludgy makes an interesting point. I can now see how the government would profit from having low-FE vehicles. Nice insight.

[DarbyWalters]

A whole list of little diesels that would help:

http://www.bovinebazaar.com/deisel.htm

[Brock]

For VW TDI (diesels), they now make a 100k timing belt that can be swapped out at any change with the older belts. As of 2003.5's they went to all 100k belts, smart move if you ask me. The funny thing is they still sell both the 60k and 80k belts. I suppose some just replace them with what was in there and the mechanics aren’t going to tell you since you would be back 20k or 40k sooner

[Lug_Nut]

There was a change in the belts (pulley width? tooth depth? pitch?) that makes the recent motors' 100k belt incompatible with the very early motors (like mine). I have to cope with the 60k limit as that's the only belt that fits mine.

[VXrunner]

i think the 60K mile rule on timing belts is a joke, i don't know anyone that has ever broken a belt, or changed one at the suggested interval, now i know it's a good idea to do preventative maintenance, but, take my 94 civic VX for example, at 220,000 miles i replaced the original water pump, and timing belt and timing cover seal. The pump and seal were leaking,(slightly) and i only changed the timing belt because i was in there, the original belt looked fine, it had some cracking in the roots of the teeth, but that was about it, and i had risked it long enough. I haven't been nice to this car either, i have over 50 time slips from taking this car down the drag strip, all in the name of fun cause it's not a very fast car, but launching the car off the rev limiter and not lifting to shift over 50 times, it's held up well. my car still has the belts that were on it when i got it, and it's now at 248,000 miles, and it still has the original clutch, it doesn't slip, but it doesn't grab until the pedal is almost all the way up. I'm at a point now where i don't feel the urge to race, and i've been more concerned with mileage in the past year or so, and my best tank full with my heavy foot was 47mpg and i get an average of 40 without the AC on (florida winter) and 35mpg with the AC on (florida summer) i drive 60 miles round trip to work every day, and i just can't drive slow or easy, cause that takes time, and my time costs me more than the gas. (for now)

[SD26]

For me, the car's too small. Won't fit all the kids that need to be taken to school.

Next, the EPA has put so many road blocks for small diesels. Ford has a Focus Wagon diesel. 50MPH stock. It's actually a familiar body style with room, and a platform that probably already meets US DOT safety requirements. Anyway, it can't come here...EPA.

I'll be interested to see what Honda has when their diesels come out. Is that this year or 2009?

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by SD26

For me, the car's too small. Won't fit all the kids that need to be taken to school.

Next, the EPA has put so many road blocks for small diesels. Ford has a Focus Wagon diesel. 50MPH stock. It's actually a familiar body style with room, and a platform that probably already meets US DOT safety requirements. Anyway, it can't come here...EPA.

I'll be interested to see what Honda has when their diesels come out. Is that this year or 2009?

Don't forget CARB. They're even worse, which basically takes California - the biggest single auto market in the nation - out of the picture.

[SD26]

Yeah, agreed. If they would just go ahead and ban cars in California, it might help the auto manufacturers in that they wouldn't have to develop and make specialized cars for unique markets.

[SD26]

Does anyone know anyone that has a Smart Car?