FIRST DRIVE TOYOTA iQ:Toyota's iQ outshines its small car rivals, beating them on space, style and safety, writes Paddy Comyn
IT ISN'T often these days that you are truly surprised by a motorcar. In these days of multi-company tie-ups, collaborations and part sharing, you can have a good idea of what a car of a particular size and from a particular brand will be like before it has even gone into production.
We motoring hacks become increasingly jaded - not least because all the marketing people employed by car firms seem to be made in the same factory that specialises in smiling and hot air, while the designers also would appear to spend increasing amounts of time plagiarising the work of their peers. Car press launches have become a never-ending cycle of power-point presentations and Parma ham, with little difference between the products and the claims made by their makers.
We all squirm a little now in our supermarket-bought pants when we think of the amount of money that we have gorged on needless items back when the credit crunch meant accidentally driving over your wallet. And cars were one of the most gorged upon.
And while it would appear that the car market has come to a grinding halt, we must remember that a recent report in the Economist showed the world car park is thought to be around 700 million cars right now, but by 2050 that it will be about three billion cars, with China itself currently accounting for more than the world fleet. There is no doubt that the type of cars will need to change. To that end we have just driven a very different one, the Toyota iQ.
This little car was first revealed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show and there's no doubt that it has been pitched as Toyota's rival to the Smart car and a vehicle that would serve to reduce Toyota's overall CO2 average. The difference between the iQ and the Smart is that this car has four seats, all in a package that is under three metres. Its wide stance and aggressive styling make it look purposeful rather than cartoon-like. What's more, it's visually charming and desirable and we haven't said that about a Toyota in some time.
Spend time in cities such as Rome, Paris or London and you will see the locals there long ago embraced the concept of a car this size, which can be parked virtually anywhere, at some curious angles in many instances. Ireland whole-heartedly rejected Smart after a very brief flirtation with the brand a number of years back.
The problem was the price. Irish buyers liked the idea of a frugal city car, but didn't want to pay the price of a four-seat, five-door supermini for it. The Smart also came with a fiddly automatic gearbox that was prone to problems, and was only a two-seater and that put it at a distinct disadvantage compared to its rivals. So why is the iQ likely to be any different? Well, firstly because of our new CO2 laws, but more appositely because it's brilliant.
Toyota has given the iQ four seats, although this needs some clarification. The space for the front two occupants is very generous, with loads of head and legroom. The space behind the driver is pretty limited, with a child most likely to be able to remain there whilst still maintaining proper circulation.
Thanks to some clever packaging, there's more space for the front passenger to move their seat forward to allow an adult to sit behind and, thanks to slim seats, the placement of the fuel tank under the floor and the repositioning of the differential and the take-off steering gear, it has allowed more space in the cabin and the placement of the wheels, the four extremities of the car.
The cabin design is a little odd, with some 1980s-looking digital displays and weird-looking door fitments, but the squared-off bottom of the steering wheel looks and feels great, and the gearbox is a proper five-speed manual, with an MMT CVT transmission an option.
With all the seats in place, luggage space is pretty much non-existent. You might squeeze in a couple of supermarket bags, but not much else.
However, you can flip down these seats to give a capable 238-litres of space. There are compromises, that is for certain, but this is more than made up for by everything else.
Firstly, it drives well. Power initially comes from a 68bhp, three-cylinder engine that sounds great (1.3-litre petrol and 1.4-litre diesel versions will follow) and while it isn't fast, it is immensely frugal, returning 4.3 l/100km and just 99g/km of CO2, meaning that alongside the Ford Fiesta Econetic, this will be the cleanest car you can buy.
The steering is brilliant, nothing like we expected, with the wide stance of the car and the placement of the wheels making the car both feel and act very stable, even on the motorway.
This car can be turned on a sixpence and this makes it incredibly easy to park, brilliant in traffic and ultimately great fun.
Driving the car in the streets of Milan it caused a stir, with sharp-suited gents flagging us down to shower the car with finger-kissing compliments and adoration. We reckon they liked it.
The iQ is also loaded with safety features. These include Vehicle Stability Programme, Traction Control and Brake Assist and a total of nine airbags including a rear airbag that protects in the event of a rear collision.
Small as it is, Toyota is confident of a five-star score in the Euro NCAP safety test, which is not the usual standard for a car of its diminutive dimensions.
The car comes to Ireland in the third week of January and is expected to cost around €14,000 for the Strata version, and for that you will get most equipment except air conditioning, which will be in the higher Luna spec, which we are told will be under €16,000.
This makes the iQ far from a bargain. Many "proper" city cars and superminis don't ask for any compromises from its owner and are available for significantly less, including Toyota's own excellent Aygo. Yet the iQ is a serious option.
It's hard to describe how quickly you will charmed you will be by the iQ, it would be a waste of column inches and newsprint. It would be like trying to describe why Guinness tastes nice to a teetotaller.
If you don't always need rear seats (and we know many of you don't), if you don't like spending money on petrol or road tax (700km from one tank and €104 per annum road tax), then you must try this car.
It is fun, frugal, immensely safe and from January 2009, without equal in Ireland.
Initial batches will be only available in black or white, with further colours coming in March, with a 90bhp 1.4-litre diesel around the same time.
Factfile Toyota iQ
Engine:998cc, 3-cylinder petrol engine, 68bhp, 91Nm torque
Performance 0-100km/h:14.7 seconds
Maximum Speed:150km/h
Fuel Economy:4.3 l/100km
CO2 emissions:99g/km
Tax Band:C, €104 per annum
Price:Expected to cost around €14,000
Available:January 2009