It's one of the smallest cars on the market, it shouldn't really be that interesting.
And I hadn't driven a Toyota Aygo for some time. But one was offered my way recently and I slotted into my schedule.
Happy I did. Even if every time I came out to it I couldn't help but be reminded of a song from the late 1950s, Sheb Wooley's 'Purple People Eater'.
I don't expect you to remember it. At a time when there was a relatively innocent interest in alien life, it was a short-lived pop song about a space being who came to Earth to eat purple people. There weren't any, though, so he (she? it?) joined a rock and roll band instead.
Aygo, purple people eater? Well, the review car was a purple one, with black and chrome trimmings. A really distinctive motoring machine. Which someone with better taste than I said she liked, but wouldn't like to own one 'because everybody would know where I was'. Point.
That said, it gave the review car an extra level of personality to the technical bits that already make it one of the sassier small (tiny?) cars around.
The style changes this year to Aygo follow the theme of the rest of the Toyota range, a bit pointy for my taste but like all the happy buyers in the brand I've gotten used to it. And they haven't taken away from the positive essentials of the model since it was first launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2005 as part of a triumvirate venture with Peugeot and Citroen.
The interior is a tidy matter. Good finishes. Simple instruments. The most practical heater controls in the business. Not purporting to offer Lexus tech, but at the same time it warns of upcoming danger and provides driver assistance systems that are now the expected in more upper segments but not necessarily here.
In space it's essentially a car for two people. Unless those in front are short, there's really no leg space in the back. Us beyond beyond family at home age would probably use it with the rear seat down to give a decent boot. At the earlier end of demographics, it's a great starter car for a young single in an urban setting.
Which last is not to say that it won't be good for long distances. I remember renting one in France for a surprise anniversary motorway dash and it was both fast and comfortable. And recent experience with the latest version elicited positive comfort vibes from both me and my wife of that previous event.
The engine has remained essentially the same, a 1.0 petrol 3-pot that responds well to an enthusiastic right pedal. The 5-speed gearbox is quite enough in cog numbers, and shifts in the neat way that we have come to expect from Toyota for at least two decades.
If the Purple People Eater came forward to 2019, it (he? she?) would likely be very happy indeed with this year's Aygo as its transportation between rock and roll gigs.
PRICE: From €14,355; review car €17,265.
Written and Produced by Brian Byrne.
Credits:
Brian Byrne/Irish Car