The Crittenden Automotive Library

Toyota iQ - The Intelligent Choice

Topics: Toyota iQ

Toyota iQ - The Intelligent Choice

DriveWrite
December 2, 2013

The Toyota iQ is a stylish city car and the world’s first four-seat car measuring less than three metres long! The car was first shown to the public at the March 2008 Geneva Auto Show. Toyota says the ‘i’ stands for ‘individuality’, ‘innovation’ and ‘intelligence’ and the ‘Q’ for ‘quality’ and points to the iQ’s cubic shape. The iQ’s individuality is heightened by the fact that you are able to customise your iQ with a range of unique stamps. The artwork used in the stamps was created by car-art specialists Creative FX.

The iQ is an extremely diverse car, an iQ can and has made a handy coffee shop and also been called a track day hero! The creativity of the car has rubbed off onto the cars owners who have blazed a revolutionary trail and significantly repurposed the city car. It was earlier this year that one imaginative owner transformed his iQ into a mobile coffee shop. On the opposite end of the scale Fensport a Cambridge based Toyota tuner turned it into an effective track day car. Fensport installed a fully adjustable suspension package to lower the ride height of their top-spec 1.33 litre iQ 3. The combination of track suspension a larger and stickier footprint and optimised geometry has transformed the handling and appearance of Fensport’s iQ. It’s clear with an iQ creativity wise, the sky is the limit.

The design of the iQ has been dubbed as ‘groundbreaking’. The car has many innovative features which have been created to improve cabin space and reduce the car’s weight. This car’s design has been thoroughly thought out to provide a better environment for the driver and passengers. The inside of this compact car is surprisingly spacious. This roomy environment is down to the asymmetric cabin design and the thin but comfortable seats. The quality look and feel inside is similar to that of a car much larger than the iQ. As it is a small car, something had to give though and that came with the small size of the boot, however if you fold down the rear seats it does open up more luggage space.

Adding to the excellence of the cars design are the iQ’s numerous safety features. The iQ contains nine airbags including dual frontal airbags, a rear curtain airbag and a drivers knee airbag. In addition to this there is brake assist, vehicle stability control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution and there are anti-lock brakes. The iQ was awarded the maximum 5 stars after its Euro NCAP test. Its excellent designing has triumphed in relation to safety as it achieves the levels of protection normally only found in larger vehicles.

Driving the iQ has been made simple and pleasurable. The parking aid system allows you to confidently park in tight spaces and the easy manoeuvrability offers you agile driving in cities. The power steering complements its small sizing in allowing the driver to change directions speedily.

There are various engine types to choose from in the iQ range which can be chosen to suit individual driving styles. There is the lively 1.0 litre VVT - i Manual engine, this engine returns 64.2mpg (combined) and emits just 99g/km of CO2. The 1.0 litre VVT - i Multidrive Automatic is great for urban driving, this engine delivers 58.9mpg (combined) and it emits 110g/km of CO2. The 1.33 litre VVT- i Manual is suited to out-of-town driving, it withholds 97bhp, the combined economy figure is 54.3mpg and its CO2 emissions are rated at 119g/km. The final engine is the optimised 1.33 litre VVT – i Multidrive Automatic, there are no gear changes necessary and it has CO2 emission of 120g/km, it also returns 54.3mpg (combined).

This very clever car has loads is full of lovable features and is very popular with a variety of drivers. If you are after a compact car which is suited to city driving but doesn’t struggle with driving out of the city then the Toyota iQ is definitely worth a look. You can purchase a new Toyota iQ from Vantage Motor Group.