Honest John Home | Good Garage Guide
Log in | New account
Toyota iQ (2008 - )  
Home » Car by Car » Toyota » iQ 2008

Triumph of 4-seater packaging 9' 10" long that still earned 5 NCAP stars. 99g/km so VED free. Better to drive than a Smart, or a FIAT 500.

Quite wide for a city car. Not cheap. CVT auto over 100g/km.

Introduction

Latest Update 16-3-2012: 1.0 manual has same engine clutch and transmission as Aygo, 107 and C1, so suffers the same clutch problems and will probably need a new one after 3 years.

Introduction:

"I-Cute" doesn't quite ring true. Pretty, it isn't.

This is a little car for the head, not the heart.

A FIAT 500 is cute. A Hyundai i10 1.2 is a brilliant suburban buy. A Toyota IQ is probably the most sensible, practical city car on the planet.

In a length of less than 10 feet, it packs in five star NCAP crash safety, four adult size seats and a turning circle of just 3.9 metres.

Now ten feet is one foot longer than a Smart ForTwo, but the IQ is For Four, occasionally, when it needs to be, and two or three plus their clobber when it doesn't.

Toyota very wisely held the launch in Milan, which is infested with cars parked haphazardly anywhere the owners can squeeze them in. Unsurprisingly, a lot of these cars are Smart ForTwos that command a practical kind of urban chic. And there are growing numbers of FIAT 500s that are actually less practical and more expensive then the Pandas they are based on, but are bought on looks and looks alone.

 

Next: What's Good »

Last updated 7 April 2012
More at the Toyota website  

Related News & Road Tests

Best monthly deals on new cars

More Monthly Deals »

Also Consider

  • Hyundai i10 2008
    The best very small car around. Cheap to own. All models have aircon, five seatbelts and flat folding rear seats. Rides and handles quite well for its size. 99g/km Blue model from early 2011.
  • Ford Ka 2008
    Fun to drive and economical, based on the FIAT 500 but handles so much better it donated its suspension improvements to the 500. More room in rear than 500.
  • KIA Picanto 2011
    Excellent small car for the money, high quality and neatly designed interior, spacious, great to drive, cheap to run, one of the best small cars around.
  • Toyota Aygo 2005
    Low road tax and insurance, 60mpg, cheap to run and drives decently. 99g/km CO2 from 2012.

Honest John's Car Buying Advice

Get the low-down on how to buy and sell cars the hassle-free way

Sign up for Honest John's Email Newsletter

Road Tests • Buying Tips • Deals
• Terms and Conditions   • Advertise on this site   • Contact