Toyota IQ road tests and consumer car reviews

Toyota iQ Multidrive 2009

What a brilliant car! It drives really well and is excellent on the motorway and down country lanes which is a big suprise considering its a city car. The CVT auto is fantastic too, really suits the car. It feels like a bigger car to drive and had loads of equipment. The only slight negative at the moment is the fuel economy which is around 47-40 mpg which is shy of the 60mpg promised but I am sure with more miles on the clock that will improve. The dealer service has been exceptional too and they gave me a great deal on the car.

Responses to this review

UPDATE: Three months on and 6000 miles later my iQ CVT is now returning between 52 - 59 mpg - Matt from Staffordshire

Toyota iQ iQ2 2009

Had this car for a full day test drive. I took it on all types of roads. It performed well on the motorway and felt like a proper car given its size. I even managed to squeeze two passengers into the back, although the passenger behind the driver would not want to travel far. The turning circle is brilliant, and great fun. I averaged 55mpg, not bad given the thrashy nature of a test drive. However, the iQ’s biggest problem is Toyota’s own Aygo. I took one of these out for a test drive too and it did everything the iQ did but at a much cheaper price and with more space. Of the two, I think I would probably save the money and have the Aygo.

Toyota iQ 2009

Took one for a test drive, good fun, can’t help thinking its a 2+2... but then I’m 6’1... would almost consider it as a run around... But!!!!!!!!!! Price...????? Way way over priced for what it is.... have to agree with previous post, £8000 max. At the end of the day how much engineering do you need in a car this size? Running 2 Toyota’s at the moment, have owned many over the years but the newer one’s tend to have more problems due to the so called engineering... thought that is true of most makes of car...

Toyota iQ Top spec manual 2009

Having put Toyotas perky little urban runabout to the test, I have to say that the only cloud on the horizon is the one threatening a deluge of dreadful puns. Perhaps they were asking for it by calling their car IQ. Starter for ten: why IQ? Well, it shows how clever its designers have been for one thing; for another, it shows how smart its owners must be in choosing the IQ over its rivals in this market niche. Not only that, you might argue that any car with ABS, EBD, TRC, GCSE (and bar) on offer, is well on the way to becoming a little mastermind all on its own. Don't worry if you can't decipher all those acronyms. Taken together, they simply mean that Toyotas bright sparks have been `hard at it` to provide a vehicle that smoothes away its owners worry lines - no need for Botox here. All the serious thinking has been done for you already. `Smart` isn't the word - literally - if you see what I mean. To get down to basics, the boffins at Toyota have asked themselves just what todays `here, there and everywhere` motorist really requires of a contemporary, no-fuss vehicle with economy, ease and space-saving functionalism as priorities. In a climate of concern, both environmentally and economically, it makes sense to downsize - not least because the grossly proportioned gas-guzzlers at the so called top end of the market are, more and more, attracting scorn; not admiration, with their appearances radiating all the stylishness of a shell suit stretched over a barrage balloon. Want to look `the business` today? Then look sensible. Look as though you have a rational brain. Think like a philosopher. Say to yourself: `I drive; therefore I am not an idiot. ` My choice will be - well, why not an IQ? Start with its looks. Yes, it does share a family resemblance to its competitors. But that's car design for you. Try to stand out too far in a crowd and you can end up looking like an Edsel, which as the initiated will know, is just another name for a prat. So, all cars partake of the form applicable to their time, if one may do violence to another clever thinker called Plato. (Your reviewer apologises for all these intellectual references: perhaps IQ is contagious). Of its kind, the Toyota IQ certainly, impresses. It has a cheeky charm. You look at it and smile. Most important, you want to get behind the wheel. Yes, you do. Another test to try: park the IQ anywhere where people are likely to be. Wait for a few moments. You won't have to wait for long. It's rather like being the owner of a particularly appealing pet. People come up, smile, say `Aaah! ` And want to take it home. So, the IQ quite decisively passes its SATS test: that is its STATIONARY ATTRACTIVENESS TARGET, for those unfamiliar with the jargon. Now open the door, climb in and take the IQ for a practical examination. How far does it tickle your fancy? It's really meant to be a two-seater most of the time, but when you do have to take two six-foot passengers (and you really can), they don't have to adopt yoga positions. But there's no room for anymore luggage than four toothbrushes and seven ham sandwiches with four aboard. Rear passengers must ensure that they wear cargo pants if going shopping in one of these. (Put down the seats though and there's room for the two of you and your pet hippopotamus). I tested all this by taking my six foot son and his pal Corpulent Christopher on a twenty mile trip. Settled on luxurious leather seats, not a murmur of discontent was heard as we bowled along the motorway absolutely effortlessly in a quiet cocoon that is truly remarkable for a small car: next to no wind noise, no rumbles, no buzzing from that little 1000cc three cylinders, 68bhp engine that would bring credit to a Swiss watch maker. And to cap it all there is absolutely no halitosis from the exhaust. Fragrantly fresh, the pollution levels are so low that the Ministry of Eternal Interference awards it such high status that no road tax is payable. This, of course, is positively shocking, since IQ owners are not paying their dues to the public purse. (A copy of this test will go straight to The Chancellor who will, no doubt, cleverly devise other ways to make these wicked pollution evaders pay. Hit `em hard, I say. Tax the `fun` element.). ` Oh! But it will obviously suffer from asthma and huff and puff up hills` I hear you say. Well, I'm pleased to report that it's as lively as a cricket: You don't have to thrash it to make it go: it just does; so consequently fuel consumption is good at around 62/63 mpg overall. There's a downside, of course, to all this magical packaging and cutting edge engineering constructed to the very highest standards, with its super safety courtesy of lots of airbags. Quite simply, it costs lots of money. Prices start at £9495 for the base model, rising to a breathtaking £11495 for the Multi Drive (Auto.) model with lots of extra kit. However, since I've mentioned philosophers earlier, I must continue in that vein and rationalise that one doesn't get a single malt whiskey for the same price as a Tesco blend, if you see what I mean. In town where it will spend much time, it out- zips most small cars and will turn on a sixpence - but strangely, it's out and about on the open road where you really appreciate this little gem. It reminded me of the fun I had in the original Mini when Queen Victoria was on the throne. It's a fun podule of the first order that whizzes along quietly, smoothly and briskly - and believe it or not, those Toyota magicians have even managed to make it ride like a bigger car. Perhaps I should have realised that the best has to cost and shouldn't have jibbed at the price after all. I've started, so now I'll finish....

Toyota iQ iQ2 2008

Positives: Excellent build quality, good safety rating, 0 tax bracket. Negatives: The mpg sucks in real driving environments; no where near manufacturers figures.

Toyota iQ 2008

£9500 - £11000 for an iQ - are Toyota are having a laugh? For similar money you can buy a Fiat 500 multijet which is quicker, more economical, better spec. etc... and most certainly better looking. Anyone paying those prices must have fallen out of their tree. OK, the 500 is marginally longer - so what? If you don’t want the car of the moment why not try a panda for half the money? I’ve had a 500 for a year and the build quality is bullet proof. Get real Toyota - £8000 list max??????

Responses to this review

Why write a report which appears to be completely based on a perusal of the Toyota price list and a need to justify your purchase of a Fiat 500? - Donna from England

Fiat 500 better! You are having a laugh. For starters the 500 is small inside and cramped. It has all the unpfft of a comatose snail. It costs for me £400 less but I get more for my money and the IQ is quicker with better handling. The insurance is cheaper, fuel consumption is better and the customer service from Toyota is so much more friendly and professional. The Fiat 500 is a car that tries to sell some retro chic and fails miserably. The IQ is modern efficient and looks great and defines its own style while the Fiat 500 tries to recreate something from a historical design icon and fails really badly. Kieran Rose from England