Toyota IQ a Brainy choice for hard times

Small cars are big business in these troubled times. With petrol prices up and down and people looking to make saving with their motoring, car manufacturers are thinking small.

So here we have Toyota’s IQ proclaimed by the Japanese giants as the worlds smallest four seater car.

At least three meters long – only slightly longer than a Smart, it’s a little brother to less than enormous Aygo and Yaris.

But to make the IQ an attractive proposition there has to be a lot of car shoe horned into a little space. And Toyota has made a valiant effort.

The IQ comes in a one-litre petrol engine at the moment, with a 1.3 litre petrol model joining the line-up later this year. There’s a five gear manual and an automatic available. It’s a querky looking car for sure, which is certain to divide opinion. There’s a fine line between quirky and pig ugly.

Boxy and short, but wider than you might expect, the headlights rest up on high on the bonnet and the rear just seems to end, as if chopped off.

And the quirkiness isnt confined to the outside. Slide into the cabin and you’ll find an equally striking layout.

In order to maximise space Toyota has done away with the traditional glove compartment, which means the dashboard is flat right accross the width of the car.

A pop on pop off satchel bag can be attached to dashboard on the passenger side if you really must have some space for documents. I found popping it on and off easier said than done.

The CD in the futuristic looking console is a simple affair – basically a slit in the shiny material – which is controlled from the steering wheel. It’s a bit tricky to adjust on the move.

The heater is a push button effort which is a bit confusing opmn first attepmts.
Despite this simplicity is the keyword it takes some getting used to but it is very striking.

Naturally the IQ is most at home around town. With its diminutive dimentions and a wheel at each corner its a doddle to manuver in and out of tiny parking spaces. The tiny turning circle means that you can park in spaces you would normally pass by without even considering an attempt.

Its sprightly at low speeds and although a top speed of 93mph it will comfortably tackle longer journeys and motorway driving without much complaint.

With figures of 0.60 in arround 14 seconds, you’re not going to be leaving a plume of smoke behind you but you get there eventually.

Steering is a little on the light side and due to the IQ’s shape there is an amount of body roll when cornering but on the whole of it provides comfortable drive.

Wind and road noise get louder as the speed increases but its not too intrusive, and the engine in the manual IQ was refined. The gearbox is solid and direct.

Although the IQ is a four seater there are limitations the lack of a glove compartment area means that the front seat can be pushed further forward , allowing space enough for an adult. But there is no such leeway for the drivers side, and space behind is severley limited. The wheel arches also intrude making things a tighter squeeze.

But its fine for luggage which is just as well as the boot is big enough to fit the sunday papers in and thats about it. Literally!

The rear sears do split, however, so there is more space available. There is plenty of headroom.

kit wise the entry level trim arrives with alloy wheels and a decent six speeker sound system. The next step the Toyota IQ2 pronounced squared adds foglights, climate control and rain and light sensitive wipers and lights.

Although some of the plastics look a little flimsy inside the IQ is a funkily designed urban car.

Its solidly built with good visabiliy in front and side, although the rear passenger windows are little more than areoplane portholes and rear visability does suffer because of these and the high headrests of the rear seats. It’s a pieve of cake to park and comfortable either arround town or on the run. If you’re looking to economise, the fuel figures of 67mpg are going to be attractive and miniscule emission figures the one litre manual is exampt from tax because its less than 100g/kg of CO2.

With prices starting at £9,495 rising to £11,495 for the top spec model there are cheaper city cars to chose. but its quirky looks decent ride and expected reliability should make it a popular choice for those looking for something different.

TOYOTA IQ
Engine 1.0
Transmission five speed
Top Speed 93mpg

The All New Toyota IQ from Toyota.