Toyota IQ review (2009 onwards)

What - Toyota IQ
Where - Milan, Italy
Price - £9,495
Available - January 2009
Key rivals - Smart ForTwo, Fiat 500, Ford Ka

Summary

Toyota aims for the Smart ForTwo magic, but with a new twist.

We like: Dramatic styling, economy and CO2, motorway ability
We don't like: mediocre performance in town, restricted visibility, high price

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First Impressions

It's about time that someone managed to beat Mercedes-Benz at the Smart city car game. Despite the incredible limitations of the ForTwo, the Smart has sold well to city dwellers keen to make a fashion statement. The Toyota IQ is intended to do the same thing in a very different way, with forward looking Japanese "techno organic" design.This squat, three-door city car is, it is claimed, the shortest four-door car you can buy. Toyota has developed a great deal of new and clever engineering to squeeze all the mechanical parts in, which partly explains the premium pricing. You can't buy an IQ for less than £9,500, which puts it on a par with the Yaris.

But there's also the funky styling and quality feel that sets this IQ apart from other ten grand cars. It looks and feels a bit special, and it's certainly more practical than a Smart. You can fit three adults inside and possible squeeze in a fourth if the driver can tolerate the steering wheel in his or her chest. There's just one engine initially, a three-cylinder 1.0-litre, but a 1.3 will follow. The excellent diesel won't make it to the UK - Toyota's experience with the Aygo is that the demand simply doesn't exist. There are just three metallic colours on offer to start with, white, black and grey, and you won't pay extra for the metallic until March, when more colours come on stream.

Performance

OK, the IQ has a small engine, but it only weights 850kg so it's a lightweight too. Yet around town the performance is distinctly pedestrian, and you have to drop back to first gear on the move at times, something pretty well unheard of in a modern vehicle.Does this matter in a city car? Possibly not, but it's hard not to have an expectation the IQ will be nippy and agile in town, dodging in and out of the traffic with gusto. But it won't unless you give it a bit of a thrashing.

In contrast, and somewhat amazingly, it's impressive on the motorway. 80mph is a very comfortable cruising speed, with the IQ relaxing into a high-speed rhythm with ease. It's remarkably quiet too, helped by noise reducing glass. A five-speed gearbox is standard and there's the option of automatic transmission for an additional £1,000. The manual change is light and easy, the steering powered and if it wasn't for the limited visibility cause by the low windscreen and heavy back pillars, it would make a great city car. A big surprise is how low this car is, in complete contrast to the Smart.

Watch a video road test of the Toyota iQ

Ride and Handling

An aspect that characterises the IQ's design is its wheel-at-each-corner stance. This, combined with its significant width, gives the little Toyota immense stability in almost every condition, from batting along the motorway to winding around country roads. The ride is comfortable too, noticeably better than the Smart.You could, if you wished, push the IQ quite hard in the bends and it will track round accurately and with confidence. Not that you probably would, for it's not really that sort of car. Instead, bathe in the reassurance that the Toyota has plenty in hand should you ever need it.

The IQ is certainly not short of gadgetry to help you along. It has a full electronic pack of stability control, traction control, brake force distribution and brake assist. Even it this doesn't mean much to you, these are normally fixtures offered only on cars costing rather more than even the IQ.Arguably the biggest limitation of the IQ is size derived. Sure, it cleverly offers a turning circle to rival a London black cab, but it's still challenged by its width. Though not as broad as it first seems. The IQ is wider than an Aygo and only slightly narrower than a Yaris, which limits its ability to duck and dive in and out of tight traffic, where city cars should really excel.

Interior and Equipment

Ho hum. Hasn't Toyota had some fun here trying to pack everything in? If only they'd built the car 100mm taller, it would have been so much easier... Instead, by doing some cunning things with the differential, the heater, designing some really thin seats and moving the dashboard closer to the screen on the passenger side, you can fit two 6'3" blokes one behind the other. Really?In a car that's, incredibly, shorter than the original Mini, conjuring space from thin air was always going to be a serious challenge and the reality is that only with two on board is there really no compromise on space. Better to think of the IQ as a very occasional four-seater and it makes much more sense.

Much of the time you'll probably drive around with the rear seats folded forward anyway. If you don't the biggest item of luggage you can slide into the boot space is a laptop computer. Seriously. But in two-seat mode the IQ can certainly carry some serious luggage.The V-shaped centre console is a "mathematical emulation of a manta ray fish", which must be applauded as this is surely a world first in a car. Otherwise there's little of the design pizzazz you find in the Smart. Intriguingly, if you don't opt for the £950 satnav/Bluetooth option, the only stereo controls are mounted on the steering wheel. Either way, the sound quality is superb for a small car. But the interior lighting is pathetic.

Economy and Safety

With small petrol cars getting increasing economical, you can see why few want to spend another £1,000 for a diesel engine. The IQ returns a claimed 65.7mpg on the combined cycle and the C02 figure is a delirious 99g/km. So no tax road for you, though the auto just falls the other side of the 100g mark.EuroNCAP figures haven't been released yet but Toyota is predicting five stars. Impressively there are no less than nine airbags, including another first: airbags that drop down in front of the rear window. We're still concerned, though, by the way rear passengers seem to be offered so little protection in a rear-ender.

The MSN Cars Verdict 3/5

So is the IQ going to be the next Smart car? It's certainly an interesting small car, and an impressive one in many respects. But it's also expensive, and to succeed Toyota needs to pull off the same trick that Mercedes did with the Smart - develop a cult following. It's already happened with the IQ in Japan. The question is, are British buyers likely to follow suit?

Watch a video road test of the Toyota iQ

Read more Toyota car reviews

Engines  1.0
Power hp 67
Torque lb ft 123
0-62 mph secs 14.7
Top speed mph 93
Mpg combined 65.7
CO2 g/km / Tax % 99/10% 

More pictures of the Toyota IQ
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