We get the question often. “I'm looking for a new entry-level hatch but I'm on a serious budget, what should I get?”
It's a difficult question as the fact is that the bottom end of the market has simply exploded with choice. This two-car shootout by no means aims to answer that question holistically, but provides an indication of how different two players in this field can be when making that purchasing decision.
In one corner we have Toyota's recently launched Aygo Wild from Japan, priced at R122 500, and powered by a 1-litre 3-cylinder engine pushing 50kW and 93Nm. In the other corner stands Hyundai's recently-facelifted i10 1.2 GLS from Korea, priced at R109 900, and driven by a 1249cc, four-cylinder making 64kW and 119Nm.
Let the games begin.
Looks are always a subjective area, but we reckon the Japanese got the funkiness-factor right with the Aygo, and the six year old car (yes, it took that long before Toyota decided to launch it in South Africa) still looks fresh.
The young buyer the car aims to attract will dig that fresh face and flat bum. Both cars are five-door models, but where the Hyundai looks like a genuine box-shaped hatch the Aygo is sleekly disguised with concealed rear-door handles to give it a more two-door look. The Toyota also has alloy rims versus the Hyundai's cheaper-looking wheelcaps.
But you'll immediately notice cost-cutting measures in the Toyota, like a single windscreen wiper instead of two, manual mirror adjusters, one-piece seats with fixed headrests and rather cheap-looking plastic in the fascia. There's also no cubby hole, and the doors house only one electric window switch each so the driver needs to lean over to the passenger's side to operate the left front window. The Aygo's rear glass is of the pop-out vent window type while the i10's are all electric, and all operable from the driver's seat.
For a competitor in this segment the Koreans have pulled out all the stops and provided a comfy and quality-feeling cabin.
The level of spec is also generous with audio controls on the soft-touch steering wheel, a good quality radio with MP3 capability (we couldn't get our test car's USB port to work though), and classy backlighting and dials (including a rev counter which the Toyota didn't have).
Little touches like interior light activation from the back doors in the i10 (and not the Aygo) also add up. From a practicality and space point of view the Hyundai wins hands down with more rear legroom and a boot which expands from 225 to 910 litres with a folding back seat. The Toyota's fixed rear seat means a permanent and hardly usable 138 litres and all-round spaciousness seemed better from the Korean car.
In fuel economy there's very little to choose between the two cars, with Toyota claiming 4.6 litres per 100km and Hyundai 4.7, but in real life expect to burn around two litres more.
Having the slightly bigger and stronger engine, we expected the Hyundai to pip the Toyota in the performance stakes, which it does. But outside of the i10 being quicker in a straight line, the Hyundai was better in various other areas.
The Hyundai is notably more sure-footed through the twisties than its Japanese rival, remaining more composed on the handling limit. There's a fair amount of understeer in both cars, but the i10 handled extra urge with more aplomb. From the driver's seat the i10 is the quieter car too, but having said that there's a definite charm to the Aygo's buzzy 3-cylinder engine.
The gearbox in the Aygo is of the traditional sort with a long gearlever and, at-times, notchy action, whereas the i10 has a stubby, raised gearlever which sits about waist high and falls more easily to hand. It's also a lot more user-friendly with a smooth feel even during quick shifts.
Other driver inputs such as clutch pedal action are incomparable between the two, with the i10 offering a quality perception that's far better.
Both cars get petrol-saving electric-power steering systems that, when combined with such short wheelbases, need to be constantly corrected when driving at high speeds in a straight line. The Hyundai's may have been a little worse and we noticed the need for a slow and continous weave in a single lane on the highway.
Both cars are on par safety-wise with driver and passenger airbags, and ABS brakes, but in this specification only. Lower priced versions are compromised with the deletion of passenger airbags and ABS.
VERDICT:
The i10 is the obvious winner here on so many counts.
It's twelve grand cheaper yet offers the bigger engine and more power, the comfier interior with more bells and whistles, a better perception of quality and the better handling package.
The i10 also gets Hyundai's impressive 5-year/150 000km warranty versus the Toyota's 3-year/100 000km. But the Aygo hits back with its standard 4-year/60 000km service plan, while the i10's service plans (a choice of three) are extra cost options.
Also bear in mind when looking in this segment that the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 107 are almost exactly the same as the Aygo, and the i10 is virtually the twin of the newly-released Kia Picanto beneath the skin. -Star Motoring