My sister have this car and it really has a big space. It may look like you cant fit your grocery in it but it does. so cute plus very comfortable inside.
You are right. The iq is an urban car. I am a total tightwad who wanted the smallest reliable car on the market. I also live in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert. A few years back I had a massive tire blowout on my 2000 Echo on a lonely highway where cell phone service was non-existant. My doughnut spare tire saved the day and we made it home safely. But in a city, sure, you could go without a spare.
I really think small cars are the future, but manufacturers insist on making them look as dorky as possible. it's almost like they dont want people to buy them. the fiat 500 isnt bad if you are into retro.
Scion first made the xA, xB and tC. The year they discontinued the xA was the year they began making the xD. Lots of nice used xA's out there for anyone willing to look.
I love my Scion IQ, I have to admit it wasn't my first test drive and I didn't notice it in the car lot. I was talked into driving it by my husbands brother, and fell in love with it.
People will buy cars like this because they're small, get very good mpg, and are designed to be surprisingly safe. Handy in the city or where parking is at a premium. mpg is also an important consideration. Had a Toyota Yaris Now own a Fiat 500. Love it's handling, fun to drive, high mpg, easy parking. Just drove an iQ. Remarkably stable and quiet with good acceleration on the freeway, and feature laden. At $15,500 (including 17" alloys, and $1100 in options), I'd buy one, but w/the std wheels!
Hatchback sedans which essentially have a shorter back are also popular, The things like the Jazz the Yaris, I20 and getz etc etc are all your entry level cars, and then you got your Corolla's and Accents and Civics for your medium but still want a small car kind of people. The advantage of a hatchback is the rear window is nearer to the end of the vehicle which makes avoiding back up troubles easier, but unlike a proper trunk you get no rear balance for speed bumps I like Sedans with a tailgate
i just bought my scion iq for the simple reason that i'm a new yorker who lives in that city that day by day struggles to find parking on the street...i have my fiancee,we have no kids...this car gets us from point a to point b.its the perfect car for people like us...but yes i would advise to have another car besides this that can fit all your stuff in case you want to get out of state...but this is the perfect car for those single and couples without kids and to ride around the city..
My thoughts exactly. A coworker of mine has a Yaris. He loves it. For getting from point A to point B the Yaris seems like a good fit for a cheapskate like myself. But I'm still searching for somebody who has ditched the fix-a-flat and has installed a doughnut spare somewhere on their iq. Or maybe installed "run flat" tires.
Don't forget the Ford Festiva and Geo Metro gems. If companies could make cute efficient cars back then, just imagine what they could do NOW. There's no excuse.
As a 2013 Versa owner wanting to switch to the Scion iQ as bad as I want to, I wouldn't recommend this. If a city car is a remote possibility for you, I'd say test drive all options and consider them carefully. True, the Versa commutes efficiently and has rear leg room, but for me just translates to my rear tires always running over curbs trying to manuever in the city, dislocating my back if I have to reach items in the back seats, knowing I'd have much more fun if I'd gone with the iQ.
i have a smart, it's 300 pounds lighter with maybe 80hp, it does 0-60mph in 10 secs, slightly modified (intake, exhaust, sprinter circuit) iQ will be ok, i have my eye on them after 4-1/2 years of smart ownership (maybe keep it 3-4 more years)
I went to an auto show with a friend, and both of us fit in the back seat. We then asked two random people to get in the front to pose for an incredibly awkward picture. I'm 6'1'' as is my friend, and it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, but not terrible. Toyota definitely spent time engineering the layout of the car.
BECAUSE some people in the city really need a small, compact car other wise they wouldn't be able to even park. It's not about the milage ( which isn't bad anyway), you don't really go on the highway in an urban area, you just walk everywhere.
Since the car wears the Scion badge. I personal believed that Scion should has offered this little warrior a 5 or 6 speed stick. That would attract A LOT more YOUNG and the YOUNG AT HEART buyers to Scion dealers. Are u listening Toyota ???
I have a 2012 iQ with 38000 miles. The blizzard pearl paint has been peeling off the car in sheets over the past year or so. I've discovered at the IQ online forum that dozens if not hundreds of other owners of the same car with the blizzard pearl paint have suffered the same experience. Take a look at my video about it: @
I have yet to break 70mph so i can't really say. It feels very stable with the wheels pushed to the corners and I'm averaging about 34mpg in city driving with the unbroken in engine.
i think it needs the buick "quiet tuning" or lexus treatment [electronic noise cancellation, thicker suspension bushings, triple door seals, laminated window glass]. the technology exists to make it seem more civilized.
it all depends on where you live and how are you willing to travel with this car....its a small car that will fit almost everywhere in case you don't find parking....the mpg is good of course you can find bigger cars with that but this car is perfect for 2 people without kids and for those who live in the city who don't have a garage or driveway...the point is to take you from point a to b,i would advise having a bigger car besides the scion iq.
@forestgreen98 You're missing the point. It's small for a reason. You could also buy a four door Yaris for less or a four door Corolla for about the same. Both getting around 40 mpgs and better crash test ratings. People will buy it for its size, not mpgs, not crash test ratings or how many people it can carry.
Yes I know but at the same time I think everyone would agree that being in a car like this is less than ideal for safety. This car would literally go flying if it got hit with something like an SUV or a truck at +30 mph. I was just making a point to that guy up top who thought this car is fun to drive that this car is super bumpy if you go anywhere near a freeway and that no matter how strong the little car may be size will always win.
My 1992 Honda certainly doesn't. They sell ethanol free gas here for $4.59 a gallon. I was able to get 5 MPG more using that over the regular 10% ethanol blend they sell everywhere else. It's not worth the extra cost, but I did it to prove my theory that the 10% ethanol blend is robbing our fuel economy. I'm sure it doesn't matter as much in newer cars though.
ok so im a dude and i actually like this. my current car only gets 15 miles to the gallon well cause its a jeep. This car is pretty practical its small has just the space you need and does what its made to do. Looking queer in this doesnt seem like something to happen especially since its a scion and you can customize the crap out of it
@matrixloader The Elantra gets 40 mpg on the highway, but only 29 mpg in the city. The iQ only gets 37 mpg on the highway, but it gets 36 mpg in the city. 90%+ of my driving is in the city. Which one is more economical for me on a daily basis, I wonder? And the Accent gets 28/34 or 27/36 city/highway mpg, depending on the transmission. Don't make up numbers.
A big problem today is the fuel; we didn't have this ethanol crap in gasoline back in the 1990's. This E10 crap robs your engine of power and, due regulations, makes fuel cost more too.
BTW - I know it sounds hypocritical criticizing a car that gets almost 40 mpg while driving a 2 ton 'Merica mobile, but it was a decision I made many years ago and fit the bill at the time. Longest I've ever kept a car, actually. But I miss my past smaller cars (84 Fiero@35mpg and 87 Tercel@40mpg) and if I can ever get this dang thing fixed up and painted she's getting sold for a more efficient car once again. Definitely want a lil hot hatch!!
I've checked around on some regional car finder sites and see lots of iQ's listed that are maybe a year old or so, some certified, with 1,500-12,000 miles on them for $12K to $14K. Seems plenty of people who buy one later find that it doesn't exactly meet their needs, and decide they don't want to keep it long-term. Factory warranty still in place, dealer serviced since new, thousands less than sticker, what's not to like about that?
LOL touch screens in cars... the only tech I need is a cassette radio and I'm good, could care less about that crap. Car does look good and I totally agree about smaller cars being more spacious. Larger cars would have more room if they stopped making the dash pannel so damn big
Price seems high, but might be okay for 36 mpg city. That is around 9 cents per mile at current gas price. I bought a Think City EV for $4K more and get 2 cents per mile. I'm thinking city and urban freeway commute only. Not road trip stuff.
Sigh. I live within the United States as well, but there is a Scion xA. It's an earlier model from Scion. Man, people on the internet never look up anything anymore. Google it, and amaze yourself.
Yeah, I thought of buying a spare tire and jack and storing them behind the drivers seat. I don't know any legless midgets who I would be driving around anyways. I also considered "run flat" tires. I guess I'm waiting around for somebody else to come up with a workable solution I can copy. But I was impressed with everything else about the iq.
i hate it when they talk so condescendingly about the engine size of a compact car. it´s obvious the car will not be fast. they should really admire it for its packaging in such a small space!
I test drove the iq when it arrived in my town. It drove like the Xa my daughter owns. I was sold and was ready to put my deposit down when I found out there is no spare tire. The iq comes equipped with a can of "Fix-a-flat". I walked out of the dealership and am still looking for the right subcompact......with at least a "doughnut" spare tire.
great review, thanks! i'm trying to determine through youtube videos if the iq has the same sketchy, jerky automatic shifting that the smart has... my search continues.
I have seen this car just 2x on the road. It has been here in my state since November 2011, Shouldn't that tell you something-nobody in their right mind wants it. If you get in a wreck-despite 11 airbags, you may live but the car will be totalled. Who the heck wants that? I dont.
I have a scion iq i weigh about 190 5'10, I once had 5 mates each 6 feet or taller and weighing plus 200lbs each, i felt the extra weight driving added 60% weight to the bugger
How does it handle at freeway speed? I have a 2005 xA and it feels a bit unstable at 70-80 mph. These smaller cars are sure easy to park. They fit right between two cars that parked a bit too close together. Not so comfortable on long road trips. The mpg doesn't seem all that impressive.
This is a City car, if you drive this here in Miami, Clearwater Florida or California inner city, major accident isn't gonna happen. The speed limit here is 35 on all road, and if u hit 38mph when passing another car expect getting a ticket real fast. Cop here is strict about speed limit with camera on every corner. And if anyway is taking this car on the inner state well, that's stupid cuz this thing top out like 60 mph
