Toyota iQ Review: 2008 Model | iQ | Car Buyers Guide

If you own a small car, I’d like you to ask yourself a question. How often do you use the back seats? They’re probably spotless, unused and pretty much pointless. Yet in Ireland we seem to insist that our cars come with them fitted, just on the off chance that we need them. That might account for the total failure of the Smart car in Ireland. While other countries such as Italy, France and the United Kingdom embraced the idea of a two-door, two-seater microcar that was cheap to run and could be parked just about anywhere, here in Ireland the Smart was too expensive, costing the same as a ‘proper’ car but with customers seeing no real benefit in buying one. 
   
However, as we head into 2009 with less money in our pockets, less credit at our disposal and a greater need for cars that cough out less from the tailpipe, we are taking a long look at the cars that we buy. We are looking at CO2 emissions rather than cubic capacity and that dictates how much our car will cost to run each year. We have all over-indulged a little over the last few years. Now we are entering a recession, though, and there simply has to be some changes of behaviour. So why not change the way we buy our cars?

Picture the scene: It’s a chilly November morning and I’m standing beside new car Editor Conor Twomey. Both of us are 6-foot plus, both of us northwards of 15 stone [that’s kind, to say the least – Ed] and in front of us is a Toyota that is less than 3 metres long and looks like we could throw it faster than we could drive it. The iQ was first revealed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and there really is no doubt that this is Toyota’s take on the Smart car concept. Hell, they even nicked the name. The difference between the iQ and the Smart is that this car has four seats, all in a package that isn’t even a foot longer the Smart. Achieving this required some seriously original engineering, with the front differential being positioned in front of the engine and the relocation of the steering box to the bulkhead behind the engine liberating a whopping 12cm alone. But it isn’t just cleverer than the Smart, it’s a darn sight better looking, too. Its wide stance and aggressive styling make it look purposeful rather than cartoon-like. It’s a genuinely desirable and original little car and we haven’t said that about a Toyota in some time.

Now, Toyota says it has given the iQ four seats, but when we call them seats we aren’t quite giving you the full picture. The space for the front two occupants is very generous, with copious head-, shoulder- and legroom, but the space behind the driver is pretty limited – a limber child would be the only real candidate for transportation back there. On the other side of the car, though, things are better. Thanks to some clever repackaging of the heater matrix and the replacement of the glove box with a documents envelope (seriously) there is ample space for the front passenger to move his seat a long way forward, thereby allowing an adult to sit behind. Factor in some ultra-slim seats and the placement of the fuel tank under the floor and you have a fairly generous three-seater plus space for some luggage. The cabin design is a little odd, perhaps, with some 1980s-style digital displays and weird door fitments, but the squared-off bottom of the steering wheel looks and feels great and visibility is first rate.

There are a couple of options available when it comes to powerplants in the iQ: a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine and Toyota’s familiar 1.4-litre D-4D diesel. At launch we tried the 1.0-litre petrol and this will make up the bulk of the 250-odd sales that Toyota is conservatively predicting for 2009. The petrol engine sounds and performs really well though, with a growly three-cylinder bark and it manages to feel peppy while returning 4.3l/100km and pumping out just 99g/km of CO2. But it’s not just the engine that is impressive.

The steering is great, with the placement of all four wheels so far to the corners ensuring fun handling. Push the iQ on and sure enough it will understeer with the standard ESC blinking at you like a fairy light, but the steering at least feels connected to the wheels and the gearbox is a proper one with smooth, crisp changes. Around the city streets of Milan, it was the perfect tool for the job and the locals seemed to approve, too. We were waved down by some sharp-suited Milanese who just wanted to show their appreciation. You can’t see that happening in a Hyundai i10, worthy as it is. Quite simply put, two very experienced and very world-weary car journos both agreed in symphony that this was one of the best cars we had driven all year. It truly is a work of genius.

But there’s more. The iQ is also loaded with safety features. These include ESC, traction control, brake assist and a total of nine airbags, including a rear airbag that protects in the event of a rear collision. Small as it is, Toyota is confident of a five-star score in the Euro NCAP safety test, which is not the usual standard for a car of its diminutive dimensions. So, you get standard safety equipment in the iQ that you won’t find in some €20,000+ cars.

Speaking of price, the iQ comes to Ireland in the third week of January and is expected to cost around €14,000 for the entry-level Strata version, which comes with all the basics, including 15-inch alloy wheels, but no air conditioning. For cooled air you’ll have to plump for the €16,000 Luna model, which will also come with leather trim and automatic wipers and lights. That puts the iQ deep in the heart of supermini country and that may an obstacle to success for the car. We wonder whether Irish buyers are ready for something so radical and whether they are prepared to spend this much money on a car when they could get into something much more conventional for the same cash.

At the very least, do yourself a favour and take the iQ for a test drive. You don’t have to go very far to realise you’re in something very special – good looking, cool, cheap to run, safe and, above all, genuinely clever. It’s the car the Smart ForFour should have been and we simply love it.

The iQ is the first four-seater petrol car to dip below 100g/km, the first to have a rear airbag and the first small car to have an airbag built into the front passenger seat. It’s only available in black or white initially, although more colours are planned.

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