Toyota iQ Saint Louis MO

Styling/Image
The iQ is one of those rare things – a genuinely unique car. Slightly longer than a Smart, it aims to pack in seating for four. But while its boxy shape and wheel-at-each-corner stance is distinctive it’s certainly not attractive. It’s aimed at thrusting young town dwellers wanting something small and desirable. However, the Toyota badge does the tiny city car few favours, and it simply doesn’t have the cachet of a MINI, Smart or Abarth.

Interior/Practicality
For a car measuring less than 3m long the iQ is a packaging marvel – but it’s sadly a flawed concept. Toyota claims its new baby is the world’s smallest four-seater, but with an average height driver there is precious little legroom behind. The front passenger seat is mounted further forwards to free up space behind, so the iQ is realistically a three seater. At least you can then fold the unused rear seat forwards to liberate some loadspace because with all of the seats in place there’s just 32-litres of carrying capacity – that’s the same size as the fuel tank! There’s also no load cover, so you can’t leave anything valuable in the back.

Engine/Performance
The only engine option is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol from the Aygo city car, although a bigger 1.33-litre powerplant will join the line-up later this year. Performance is predictably modest, although the iQ feels faster than the on paper figures suggest. The 0-60mph sprint takes less than 14 seconds and the revvy engine is characterful, while plenty of sound deadening and tall gearing make it surprisingly refined at motorway speeds. But where the iQ really scores is at the pumps, with a theoretical maximum return of 65.7mpg.

Driving experience
You would expect an ultra-short city car to be compromised on the road, but the iQ shows just what can be achieved. Forget its clever cabin design, the way the little Toyota drives is the most impressive thing about it! A turning circle of just 7.8m will help to make three-point turns a thing of the past, while a grown-up driving position, entertaining handling and smooth suspension combine to deliver an impressive drive. The choppy ride that identifies its Smart ForTwo rival is nowhere to be seen.

Ownership Costs
The biggest stumbling block to iQ ownership is the high list price. Whether you pick the entry-level model or the better-equipped iQ2 (pronounced ‘iQ squared’) you’ll have to fork out more than for traditional city car rivals. Standard kit is generous, with range-topping models getting keyless entry and start, climate control, high gloss alloy wheels and tinted windows. And at least fuel bills will be small, while the manual models don’t cost anything to tax thanks to CO2 emissions of 99g/km.

Safety/Environment
You get no fewer than nine airbags in the iQ and a five star rating from Euro NCAP. There’s even a world first rear window bag to protect back seat passengers, while ESP is fitted as standard. Impressive CO2 emissions of just 99g/km are hard to beat in the city car segment, and are low enough to qualify for free road tax. However, the auto produces 110g/km, so it costs £35.

Our Choice: Toyota iQ manual

Toyota iQ