New TOYOTA IQ review at a glance:
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Advantages: Incredible fuel economy, deceptively spacious, cool interior, makes the Toyota badge trendy for the first time, more neat moves than an Olympic gymnast, plenty of safety kit

Disadvantages: Rough ride when push comes to shove, slightly pricey to snap up (more than the practical Toyota Aygo perversely), glaring absence of a diesel as yet

Summary: The automotive equivalent of the iPod, the Toyota iQ is every bit as technically-savvy, futuristic and in demand as the portable music-fest, and should be viewed with the same de rigour in no time at all. Bigger than a Smart, funkier than a Mini and less obviously a fashion accessory as a Fiat 500, the Toyota iQ delivers economy, style, adaptability and flexibility by the bucket load.



(1) AutoeBid customer TOYOTA IQ Reviews:
30-January-2012 New TOYOTA IQ Deals(1.0 VVT-i 2 Nav Plus Leather 3d)
“Excellent little car but fuel comsumption is no where near what is stated by Toyota.”
New TOYOTA IQ Review:
Cute. Other than being the patronising phraseology levelled at you by the fairer sex if you’re categorically not the high school jock, it’s the term that a multitude of women label anything from a lapdog to an iPod with. And certain cars don’t escape the one word that even makes ‘sweet’ seem an achievement of sorts too. Take for example the ubiquitous Mini and Fiat 500. Well now there’s another name to add to the nauseas list, and it’s the Toyota iQ. Not so much a micro-car in the eyes of those with shoe and handbag obsessions, rather the motorised replacement for a gurgling infant.

But thankfully where the Mini and Fiat 500 rely heavily on more than a pinch of bygone motoring nostalgia to make their marks in the here and now, the Toyota iQ looks more into the crystal ball for its visual stimuli.

We’re not talking Blade Runner or Fifth Element type hovering vehicles here though, not just yet anyroad, although that Toyota signpost can’t be far off if the iQ’s logical and lateral thinking is anything to go by. And it’s not just in terms of its aesthetics either; it’s the iQ’s propensity to cram as much into its small dimensions as is humanely possible. That’s four people in a space time continuum measuring less than three metres for the mathematicians amongst you.

Naturally the truth is not always as the marketing blurb would have you buy into, and in all honesty is a little stretched with regards the Toyota’s ideal occupant count. Three adults and a cuddly toy seated directly behind the driver being closer to the mark. If you have personal space intrusion issues with elevators, then the iQ’s interior constraints might leave you a tad flustered, but if you can live in very close proximity to others, nay problem.

The boot however is an altogether different story, and by the time you’ve read the preface, it’s all over. Still, an ideal storage space to shoehorn a laptop into.

Engine-wise and the Toyota iQ wont be enrolling in any downtown street-racing activities any time soon with its 68bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder power plant, acknowledging that it salutes 62mph at the 14.7 second mark and continues to gather steady momentum all the way up to the dizzy heights of 93mph. however, drivers otherwise bask in the radiant knowledge that states the iQ will travel a distance of 65 miles to each gallon in its fuel tank, and contributes a nonsensical 99g/km of CO2 emissions towards the melting of the polar ice caps.

Out on the road the Toyota iQ feels like a proper car, unlike the more compact Smart car for instance, which makes you feel more like Dr. Who’s Dalek leader, Davros must. i.e., thinks he’s in control of his own destiny, but thwarted at every turn by his adversaries. There’s body roll through corners and the steering isn’t as precise as one would hope, and as for any semblance of acceleration, you can forget it. For all that the iQ is comfortable, rides more than satisfactorily and can keep mix it with the bigger boys when it stretches its legs on the motorway. Well when pressed. Very hard.

Not surprisingly the iQ’s natural stomping ground is the cityscape where it holds court over just about every other player. And that’s largely due (a contradiction in terms, but bear with us here) to a highly improbable turning circle that makes it look like a dog chasing its own tail such is its flexibility in tight spaces, absolutely no overhangs to speak of and a driving position more akin to an MPV than a micro-car-cum-time capsule.

The Toyota iQ is ushered into existence with the two trims initially, with the base model bagging air-con, alloys and a six-speaker CD player with MP3 attachments, whilst by opting for the iQ2 drivers will score automatic lights and wipers, climate, front fogs and keyless entry.

Stability control and an impressive nine airbags come as standard in all iQs, even brandishing one that inflates across the length and breadth of the rear window to counter the serious injury threatening effects of rear-end shunts.