Autocar - First for car news and reviews

What is it?

This is ‘the world’s smallest premium four-seater’ according to Toyota. It is also one of the most innovative small cars to have entered production.

The Toyota iQ was also created as part of the company’s New Small Car strategy, which aimed to “revolutionize vehicle packaging”. Toyota engineers also sum up the iQ as a “car with A-segment dimension, performance surpassing a B-segment car and interior and exterior quality in line with a C-segment car or higher”.Read the full article

I like it, and I think it's certainly innovative - but the original Mini was innovative and it didn't cost the earth!! £10,000 is too much for the iQ. I know it's innovative and displays some clever technology, but a starting price of £8500 would have been much more reasonable, to compete with the Fiat 500. Still, it'll probably do well, and deservedly so.

I believe the iQ price is a smaller proportion of the current average industrial salary than the Mini list price was in 1959.  I think its main problem is that it doesn't look quite cute enough, (especially in profile), to win the hearts of its intended market.  The Fiat 500 will cane it.

Paul J:

I think its main problem is that it doesn't look quite cute enough, (especially in profile), to win the hearts of its intended market. 

Not sure about this one.

The smart isnt cute but it is functional and this is what the iq is.  I recon it will pick sales up from people who want a better more refined smart.

ecokarter:

The smart isnt cute but it is functional and this is what the iq is.

Take a look at the picture of the Smart and iQ next to each other.

A Smart car will carry two people, the iQ will take three or even four. That's not just functional it's extraordinary.

I want one..............with 120bhp.

Mini1:

I like it, and I think it's certainly innovative - but the original Mini was innovative and it didn't cost the earth!! £10,000 is too much for the iQ.

 

Well said. How quickly people seem to have forgotten the sub-10 foot Mini - a real ground breaker. It taught the industry what "packaging" meant, although the term was not current then. I cannot be sure about average wages then and now, but having £438 play £10000 does seem to make the iQ expensive.

Sadly again we see the east trying to copy the west. This car looks great but sadly its a smart car wannabe.

Here we see what technically I am sure will be on of the best in class with a good chassis, good choice of engine and good build quality, but the design of the car is the mostr imortant part, and where a smart for two looks sofisticated this looks like something you'd expect to find in an Early Learning Centre catalogue.

Good car, bad shape.

Hirsch Performance:

Sadly again we see the east trying to copy the west. This car looks great but sadly its a smart car wannabe.

Here we see what technically I am sure will be on of the best in class with a good chassis, good choice of engine and good build quality, but the design of the car is the mostr imortant part, and where a smart for two looks sofisticated this looks like something you'd expect to find in an Early Learning Centre catalogue

So this car 'Looks great' but also looks like 'something you'd find in an Early Learning Centre'

Which one is it?

And if it was a Smart car wanabee they wouldn't have designed it as a four seater.

It's faster than a Smart, more refined, handles better, rides better, can carry four and looks, at worst, utilitairian.

I like it but I think that the majority of the market might want to pay a lower price for a small vehicle like this etc. I think the Smart also carries some brand value that the Toyota doesn't have, that gives it that 'classless' image that other cars like the Mini and Golf seem to have. However, the fact that it can seat four could open it up to a much wider audience who were put off buying a Smart due to the 2 seats.

To me the interesting thing about this reportis the apparent improvements gained by changing the front suspension and steering design. Having driven front wheel drive cars (mainly Renault) before the transverse powertrain with MacPherson struts became standard fit I have always felt that this setup is too compromised to provide a truly rewarding drive.

Hopefully these items could be developed further and not just in the cause of overall compactness. If so they might justify the price premium which obviously concerns you with this model

 

Ok, so it's a development of the Smart concept. The Smart has been around a while now and has taken this long for anyone to come up with a viable alternative.

Maybe if extra development costs were offset by a higher retail price as well as adding 29cms to the overall length of a Smart it could also be a so called fancy minuscule '3 or 4 seater'.

Well done Toyota for actually doing this - it's a shame Smart/Mercedes didn't capitalise on the brands existing reputation and do the same (the ForFour, hang your heads in shame!)

The Smart still is and always will be one of the most innovative concepts of recent times, indeed since the Issigonis Mini.

In ten maybe 15 years, if not maybe sooner.. Remember these words.. This is the real Mini, the famous Issigonis would have designed, approved or dream't off it. Just ask Alec Moutlon one of the few remaining Mini engineers.. and with Toyota reliability which makes it greater.

 The repackaging of the engine, is the most logical and practical development in engineering, design and packaging since the transverse, front wheel drive Mini.

I hope it handles like the original Austin Morris Mini.

Please give it more 'feel' Toyota, especially in terms of body roll and handling and rally it,

Also add a webasto roof, for long items as well, as for the pre-global warming summertimes, and you must do a wicked 'cooper' version, additionally make the seats  fold completely flat in the boot for additional practicality, dogs etc,

You could make most of these packs or options, ala BMW MINI.

The car is obviously designed for the IPOD and Apple generation, the paralells are there with the styling.. in black or white it will look very fashionable.. a matt paint option could appeal too and in its name.

Smarts tend to appeal to that generation, brought by the very young, fashion concious post metrosexuals, but is severely limited as an every day, due to the lack of additional seats, wayward handling, build quality and performance, bad gear change.. The Smart has consistantly been poor value in terms of running costs and the environment than simular priced Superminis and simply scary to see let alone be in on the motorway

 The Smart is a truely a  modern unrevoloutionary sucessor to the BMW Isetta

The IQ moves things on in a way the Smart so could have done.. In fact its BMW shame on you for the MAXI-MINI.

The IQ will have its innovations will be copied, widely!  which equals I hope to a Austin Morris 1300 again with bits that work and don't rust

Its feel is upmarket and trendy and should it will do for most people 95-100% of the job of a car, especially for the single, trendy, young, old, people in the city and second car owners, ala Mini

If the Smart equals the BMW Isetta, The IQ definately at least equals the Issigonis, Austin Morris MINI.

Funny enough next year is 2009 and the Issigonis's Mini's 50th..