A practical and slick-handling alternative to a Smart ForTwo

What is it?

This is the Toyota iQ 2, the plushest version of Toyota’s take on the Smart ForTwo. Except that that the Toyota iQ is front-wheel drive, front-engined and has two (albeit occasional) rear seats.

This is our first chance to sample a right-hand drive version of the Toyota iQ on UK roads.

What’s it like?

Not bad at all. The ride is fine for starters. The Toyota iQ 2 is restless on some surfaces and a tad jumpy across speed ramps, but that’s inevitable with a car this short. I’d also anticipated some high-speed wobbles, but the iQ 2 is more stable than I’d expected.

If (curiously) you didn’t know the iQ 2 ended within touching distance behind you, you wouldn’t be able to tell from the driving refinement alone.

The Toyota iQ 2 is also decent for covering longish distances. The driving environment is spacious, the cabin wide and noise levels unintrusive.

The iQ is curiously long-geared, though, perhaps to help it hit CO2 emissions of 99g/km. Second gear is good for the best part of 70mph. On roundabout approaches where you’d leave most city cars or superminis in second, you sometimes find yourself dropping the iQ down to first.

You’d expect the Toyota iQ’s gearing to mean that the 67bhp, 845kg car feels depressingly slow. It’s not that bad. The thrummy three-pot engine revs willingly, and, even though the car’s optimum gear indicator advised me to change down to fourth under mild acceleration at 70mph, fifth is geared conventionally enough. You don’t feel the need to change down too much on the motorway.

The view forward from the driver’s seat of the Toyota iQ isn’t shabby, either. Trim and materials are acceptable, while the design of the dash and heating controls is neat. Less so are the fiddly switches around the (optional) navigation screen. We’d opt for an aftermarket system at a fifth of the price, but there’s nothing new in that.

The view behind depends on what you’re carrying. Always, though, the iQ is easy to park. It’s like a Smart ForTwo in that respect, but the iQ’s big advantage (superior driving characteristics aside) is that you get choice: a bit of luggage or people space, rather than just an even smaller section of luggage space.

Should I buy one?

The answer to that depends upon which cars you see as the Toyota IQ 2’s rivals. If you see the iQ as a ‘premium’ city car, a direct alternative to a Smart, then the more practical, better-driving Toyota would be a sound choice.

But as a practical, four-seat city car, the iQ seems expensive and cramped. On that count a Hyundai i10 is a better (and much cheaper) alternative.

Nonetheless, the iQ is an easy car to live with – and easy to like.

Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes. 

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stagg 25 January 2009

Re: Toyota iQ 2

eein wrote:
Ah, yes. I see what you're saying. The credit crunch is directly caused by the iQ. To have a better future we should remove free choice and people should only be allowed the bare minimum functional car they need. In fact, it should be issued by the state. You are clearly a fan of communist system. I understand. But you should watch what you say about it on the internet, you never know who's listening...

Free choice is fine, but so many people make bad decisions ;-)

dgate 24 September 2013

Toyota iQ2

stagg wrote: Free choice is fine, but so many people make bad decisions Wink

I suppose you feel qualified and driven to educate them to "your" way of thinking even without having owned an iQ!
Having run one for two years now maybe as a non owner you can tell me how I went wrong and made a bad decision, I would truly like to hear the error of my ways.

eein 24 January 2009

Re: Toyota iQ 2

stagg wrote:

eein wrote:
the iQ is mainly being considered on it's funky and novelty values. This causes it to be consider more alongside cars like the Smart or Copen or 500.

 

This is absolutely true, it's a car people buy to be seen in, in the same way they want the newest phone or Ipod.  That's why so many young people are in debt at the moment... wasting money on things they don't need ;-)

Ah, yes. I see what you're saying. The credit crunch is directly caused by the iQ. To have a better future we should remove free choice and people should only be allowed the bare minimum functional car they need. In fact, it should be issued by the state. You are clearly a fan of communist system. I understand. But you should watch what you say about it on the internet, you never know who's listening...

david RS 23 January 2009

Re: Toyota iQ 2

But its interior is cheap...