Everyone knows a rental car revs higher and harder than one you own yourself. One of our readers decided a review needs to be done to decide which rental is king of the crop.
He calls it, “The ultimate mate guide for the petrolhead who damaged his car and needs to decide the perfect courtesy car”, starring 3 competitors: Hyundai i10 vs Suzuki Alto vs Toyota Aygo (aka Citroen C1/Peugeot 107)
Written by: Pitso Mokoena
BUILD QUALITY
i10 – 0
Alto – 1
Aygo – 0
The i10’s interior really is kak. Cheap plastics, unbelievable road noise (It’s like they insulated it with air) and the cabin echoes when you shout. By comparison, the Alto is built really well inside and has a better feeling of quality. The Aygo is just kak.
DRIVE
i10 – 1
Alto – 0
Aygo – 0
While none of these cars are memorable on the daily commute, the i10 gets a point because of the stupid, stupid clutch on the Alto. There is no travel; you can’t ease off it; it’s like a light switch, either on or off. It’s as if you have 2mm of travel, if you haven’t accelerated by then, you stall; it is really, really bad – like they used a racing clutch. It’s like the clutch pedal is really mad at you from pressing it so it kicks you back, every time. The Aygo is just kak.
ACCELERATION
i10 – 1
Alto – 0
Aygo – 0
Now this is where the i10 shines, it accelerates like a man who just won the lotto; like a rat out of hell, on fire, and it just got stung by African killer bees – it really is amazing; it captures the spirit of the Corsa Lite. The Alto; it goes forward, yes that’s what it does, it goes forward when you press the accelerator. There is no low end or mid range or high end surge of acceleration, nothing. It just goes forward. Interestingly, the i10 is out of puff at about 5000rpm, but the Alto lives on the red line, this should make a petrolhead happy. Now the Aygo – accelerating the Aygo is like being woken up with a strong hangover and being told to go farm on a hot summer day, the Aygo is just kak.
HANDLING
i10 – 1
Alto – 1
Aygo – 0
After doing 100 in a 60 zone, you are surprised by a corner that suddenly appeared where a corner had never appeared before. Both the i10 and Alto are simply superb around corners and can show bigger cars a thing or two; no matter how hard you throw them around corners, they grip and grip and grip, no sign of understeer. Sometimes you enter a corner and think “OH SH**” and they surprise you, lovely little machines they are. The Aygo is just kak.
BURNOUTS
i10 – 1
Alto – 0
Aygo – 0
This is where the i10 really shines; you can create plumes of smoke that look like Cumulonimbus clouds. These things are important when you are driving a courtesy car; what if there are baddies behind you, you need a smoke screen to get away? The Alto just bogs down and shuts down when you attempt to create a smoke screen and the Aygo, well it barely has enough power to carry my 100kg weight. It is just kak.
HANDBRAKE TURN
i10 – 1
Alto – 0
Aygo – 0
While none of these are masters of rear lock up, the i10 handles them the best out of the 3. The Alto just does not know what to do, and the Aygo locks, nothing happens then you get an unexpected wild swing from the rear. Frankly, handbrake turns in the Aygo are just downright dangerous and should not be tried at home.
BOOTSPACE
i10 – 0
Alto – 0
Aygo – 0
None of them can fit a ported 12inch subwoofer making them incredibly useless. As for the Aygo, it is just kak.
INTERIOR CLOCK
i10 – 0
Alto – 1
Aygo – 1
The i10 quite simply just does not have a clock, which is a problem when you need to know some important information, such as the time. The other two, by default, get a point each.
RESULTS
i10 – 5
Alto – 3
Aygo – 1
Clearly, a crushing victory for the i10, making it the perfect rental/courtesy car for the discerning petrolhead who wishes to drive a car that does not belong to him to the very edge of its limits.
*Torquing Cars R supports responsible driving within the limits of the law. Always drive responsibly, be aware of your surroundings, and don’t drink & drive. Please do not try any of the above at home.
