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Toyota rethinks city car with iQ - Toyota IQ Car Review

Review

Added: 01 Dec 2008
Last update: 23 Dec 2009

IT doesn't require a lot of grey matter to appreciate the brilliance behind Toyota's latest creation.

Indeed you don't need to have a fully paid up membership for MENSA to recognise the importance behind this rather clever space saving mini car.

The iQ certainly doesn't test the brain because everything about it is either simple or downright clever.

Standing less than 10 feet long - a mere 2.985 metres to be exact - it is the world's smallest premium four-seater.

But if you think that it would only be suitable for Snow White and her mates then please think again.

This is not only a rather intelligent piece of kit but, without doubt, the way ahead for modern motoring trends.

The days when the only thing you required while travelling in a city car were industrial sized incontinence pants and a balaclava to hide your identity are thankfully long gone.

Toyota is about to change many people's thinking surrounding its value with this brilliant buzz bomb.

To be entirely honest I've never been a great fan of those tiny Smart cars although I can see their value in today's bleak economic climate and congested city streets.

However the all-new iQ is set to breathe new life into this sector and make ownership of such a toy much more acceptable.

Toyota hopes to sell around 80,000 of them next year alone across the UK and Europe although there are no plans at present to extend it worldwide.

More is the pity as the iQ is one of the cleanest cars on the planet with CO2 emissions of just 99g/km which means it is exempt from vehicle tax duty.

The 1.0-litre VVT-I engine is specifically designed to get the most out of a gallon and the newcomer will comfortably squeeze more than 65 miles out of one.

And talking of fuel tanks this has been rather innovatively hidden flat underneath the floor of the iQ to maximise space inside.

You see a great deal of thought and effort has gone into the creation of this little wonder including its shrunk down heater and air conditioning units.

It may be small but this is one amazing box of tricks that never ceases to amaze you.

Indeed normally city cars have been rather freakish and are seriously restricted when it comes to space inside the cabin.

Not the iQ, however, which is almost like stepping into the Tardis thanks to its nifty design.

From the outside you would seriously question whether one person could get in, far less three adults and a child.

But once you get on board there is an abundance of interior space available through clever design and thought.

The flat bottom steering wheel gives the driver more legroom and contains all the audio controls at the same time.

Even if your front seat passenger happens to be six feet plus there is still plenty of leg and head room available thanks to the cutaway dashboard.

Everything about the iQ is so matter-of-fact and simplistic that you quickly forget just what an exhilarating machine it truly is.

Previously such mini cars have been rather freakish in design but not this tiny Toyota which won incredible approval from the good folk of Milan where it was launched.

And let's face it the Italians know a thing or two about how to look their best even when the temperature gauge was plummeting faster than the FTSE.

All the design lines are clean and precise to serve up a rather pleasing, eye-catching modern shape.

The materials and fabrics used throughout the interior including the ultra slim front seats are of the highest quality and imaginative.

Let loose around the crowded city streets and the baby Toyota delights like no other.

Bright, breezy and even daring it easily darts in and around the traffic with a lively gusto.

The five-speed manual gearbox is a sheer joy to play with although you can select Toyota's new multidrive automatic system for an optional £1,000.

My advice is to keep your hard earned cash or instead invest in the rather slick satellite navigation system that costs an additional £750 but well worth it.

Prices for the iQ start at just under £9,500 which may seem on the steep side but when you consider the standard spec on board it probably bottoms out.

You get 15-inch alloy wheels, for instance, as well as air con, electric power steering, six speaker audio system with MP3 compatibility and powered door mirrors.

There are two trim levels available as well as a host of safety features to ensure five-star Euro NCAP protection.

Without question Toyota is about to rethink today's motoring needs by using its very own brain power.

Words: Bill Caven

Keywords: toyota, iq


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