Topic: Test Drive: 2012 Scion iQ

[Autos_Editor]

The urban-friendly Scion iQ turns on a dime, parks with ease and can even carry a rear passenger.

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[JohnM]

The upcoming hybrid version of the IQ is a fairly compelling package for me.  This is a decent very small car without the transmission issues of the Smart.  It should also be more reliable.

The one I was in looked decent enough on the inside and I like the 2k cruising rpm.  Too bad about the lack of a manual mode as one would think this would merely be matter of software to implement.

The seats seemed to be fine to me but I wonder if Greg's comment about them being comfortable for half an hour contained a hidden warning.  Was 30 minutes the longest he spent in one??

The IQ would be first on my list as a recommendation for an urban car and it would be fine for mostly secondary highway use.  Commuting maybe but hard driving on the 400 series highways probably not.

Cheers,
John M.

[JohnnyMac]

This vehicle is what I think of as the perfect vehicle for the teenage daughter and son.  It isn't really fast enough to get into racing, it's very cheap to run and I'm assuming to insure, its small size means you probably can't get too frisky in the back seat if you know what I mean, it should be very easy to handle for a first time driver and good in the license test, and its cheap price means it won't break the parents bank.

Other things that it has going for it is that it should be very reliable (it's made by Toyota and has been proven in other countries), it's kind of cool and funky, has the bluetoothe that is required now for the kiddies, and the stereo should be decent.

[Gwido]

The upcoming hybrid version of the IQ is a fairly compelling package for me.

When is the hybrid iQ coming? I've only heard about the all-electric version.
Looking at the pictures, I find the center stack hideous. Other that that, it seems like a great urban car.

[5 Wheel Drive]

I would rather drive just about any other sub-compact on the market (Mazda2, Yaris, Accent, Rio5, Sonic, Fit, Fiesta  For roughly the same) than this.  I haven't driven one, but from what I saw when I looked at it at the auto show I didn't like it one bit.  For roughly the same money, or a little bit more, you get so much more car with any of the cars I mentioned above.

[paul246]

I would rather drive just about any other sub-compact on the market (Mazda2, Yaris, Accent, Rio5, Sonic, Fit, Fiesta  For roughly the same) than this.  I haven't driven one, but from what I saw when I looked at it at the auto show I didn't like it one bit.  For roughly the same money, or a little bit more, you get so much more car with any of the cars I mentioned above.

I'm sure everyone here already knows that.

[D70]

I enjoyed driving this car, great visibility, peppy enough, well equipped and has an unbeatable turning circle. Plenty of space for my 6ft 200 lb body. If it's good enough for Aston Martin to sell as a Cygnet its good enough  for me

The Toyota version spotted in a land starved situation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/d70w7/6759985687/

[Brig]

its small size means you probably can't get too frisky in the back seat if you know what I mean

 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I tried one out and liked it pretty well. It really is in a different category than the Fiesta, Mazda2 or Accent. It's a better smart car really. It's a shame about the very noisy CVT. I could likely get used to it, but it would take some effort. In around town driving I was getting about 5L/100km indicated.

Oh, one note about the rear head rests. You can place them on the rear seat and the contour in the seat is deep enough that you can fold the seatback without interference. I thought that was pretty handy in a vehicle with limited storage.

[Frontier1]

Why anyone would sink money into something like this is beyond me, Accent as a teenager first car is perfect.

[Solstice2006]

I just can't see anybody buying one of these.  Yes I understand you can't compare it to subcompacts (because they are about 10% more expensive, 10% worse fuel economy, 10% faster, but 40% quieter and 40% more room)  But that this vehicle is easier to manouver for parking, and drive thrus, is absolutely stupid.  Toronto is the busiest it gets around Canada, and I have no trouble parallel parking, and in the spots where there are drive thrus, the big Impalas that the police drive, don't have any trouble.  This is not Europe, where every automaker offers one of these, like the millions of Fiat 500's, our roads are wide, the parking spots are wide.  The people will speak, as sales for the Fiat 500 have been crap, even with the J-LO ads, this car will do worse!

Probably no cruise control, because you don't engage the cruise when staying below 60km all the time, and wouldn't want to listen to the CVT and engine noise above those speeds!

[MJMontreal]

They should have allowed us the manual transmission option like the other markets...

About parking in Canada vs Europe -- some of Montreal's central residential neighbourhoods are really congested. Walking 10 blocks home during snow removal sucks. A friend of mine has a smart and we swapped cars while her parents were visiting, I loved that I could park anywhere, always found a spot. I have a Yaris and the smart was just small enough to fit where no one else would try.

[canuckystan]

Please don't buy this as a first car for a teenager.  New drivers get into accidents, and micro cars have a statistically much higher death rate, despite the safety features (nearly all newer cars have these anyway, so it comes down to weight).

A 2009 Impala with airbags all around is the car of choice for a new driver - much greater chance that new driver escapes the inevitable wreck unscathed.

I personally would never drive a micro car under any circumstances - your are one pick-up truck running a red light away from massive injuries.

Trading safety for ease of parking?  To each his/her own.

[5 Wheel Drive]

@MJMontreal:  You must have been glad to get your Yaris back after driving that thing...

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Please don't buy this as a first car for a teenager.  New drivers get into accidents, and micro cars have a statistically much higher death rate, despite the safety features (nearly all newer cars have these anyway, so it comes down to weight).

A 2009 Impala with airbags all around is the car of choice for a new driver - much greater chance that new driver escapes the inevitable wreck unscathed.

I personally would never drive a micro car under any circumstances - your are one pick-up truck running a red light away from massive injuries.

Trading safety for ease of parking?  To each his/her own.

And the pickup driver is one Kenworth away from heaven. You should ride the bus. You sound nervous.

[dkaz]

MJMontreal, Scion has said a few times on their Facebook page that Release Series Scions could come in manual. I'll probably wait until then. I'm starting up a business and this could be the perfect car for that purpose once I get it up and running in full swing.

In Downtown Vancouver, parking is a premium and sometimes there's that space that's 13 feet long because @$$holes can't figure out how to space out their vehicles properly that's useless to every other vehicle except the Smart and iQ.  At just under 12 feet, the iQ can take that very space.

I remember once parallel parking into a space with my old Civic wagon where there ended up being 6 inches in front and behind me when all was said and done. Bit of a squeeze. canuckystan, my Civic wagon was a death trap too, do you have a problem with that? I bought it in grade 12 with a tax refund and cash saved up, no parents involved. And if you see the accident Fobroader got into with his Suburban vs. the Matrix, small cars are very capable of protecting its occupants in an accident with vehicles twice its weight.

Cops in their Impalas can make their own parking space if needed.

[canuckystan]

Your greatest risk of death from age 6 to 40 is a car wreck.  Do you really want to stack the odds against yourself by driving a micro car?

http://voices.yahoo.com/microcar-safety-hidden-safety-issue-about-4864346.html

As I said, to each his/her own.

Please don't buy this as a first car for a teenager.  New drivers get into accidents, and micro cars have a statistically much higher death rate, despite the safety features (nearly all newer cars have these anyway, so it comes down to weight).

A 2009 Impala with airbags all around is the car of choice for a new driver - much greater chance that new driver escapes the inevitable wreck unscathed.

I personally would never drive a micro car under any circumstances - your are one pick-up truck running a red light away from massive injuries.

Trading safety for ease of parking?  To each his/her own.

And the pickup driver is one Kenworth away from heaven. You should ride the bus. You sound nervous.

[dkaz]

Accident avoidance is the best way to stay safe. I don't feel any less safe driving a Smart vs. say a Tacoma.

Then again, to each their own.

[canuckystan]

I don't really want to get into it, but seriously, you are way off according to the numbers.

If accident avoidance was the best way to stay safe, then the most nimble and manoeuvrable cars would have the least fatal and serious accident numbers. 

In fact, it is the exact opposite.  Those cars have the highest rate of fatals and serious injuries, many times higher than even a mid-size sedan.

The idea that you can utilize your driving skills to avoid an accident is non-sense (other than a single vehicle accident perhaps).

Cars come through intersections, rear end you, and cross the center lines in a second.  You won't avoid those.

Accident avoidance is the best way to stay safe. I don't feel any less safe driving a Smart vs. say a Tacoma.

Then again, to each their own.

[Fobroader]

I sat in this glorified golf cart at the auto show, the thought that someone would spend their hard earned money to park this in their garage. It was cramped, the interior was cheap and the thing was so small it would be useless.  Trouble parking??? Take the bus, plus, in a crash, I think a Corrolla would turn this thing into a flaming ball of crap that it is.