Reply With QuoteI had one for a bit. It was certainly economical but I got so bored driving it I sold it after a year or so.
No, not that.
The Toyota iQ. With annoying capitalisation.
I know Kerry had one for sale in SC the other day but I'm tentatively thinking about a small city car. Not a car for small cities. A small car for cities.
Has anyone owned one?
TIA
AO
I had one for a bit. It was certainly economical but I got so bored driving it I sold it after a year or so.
^Thanks - no mechanical problems or issues?
I've a weekend car so this will just be a daily runabout - I'm looking at the auto 1.3 so handling is not a priority.
They're nice enough. Don't tend to wear high mileage very well but that's not a massive worry to most owners.
We had one and I loved it I thought it was a superb city car really well built and a good spec.
MX-5 is pretty small :)
I drove a BMW I3 a couple of days ago - that was fun.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
I have had mine for 3 years and its superb, comfortable and reliable and never leaves me wanting. The perfect city car although when the family car delivery was a little delayed we took it to Europe and did 2000+ miles around Germany and Holland and again loved it. Of all the small cars out there it comes packed with Zenon Headlights, Aircon, Climate Control, few airbags and has plenty of room due to design and also handles very well at all speeds
RIAC
Originally Posted by Dave O'Sullivan
Thanks - sounds good.
Hadn't thought of that, thanks Niv. Budget might preclude but I might pop in to the local MD for a spin.
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The latest Smart car is a brilliant city car. Very smooth auto and incredible turning circle. My wife has one with heated leather seats, for me its the perfect city car.
But you dont get 4 seats!
RIAC
I had one for a couple of years. No real problems other than a lack of guts when you go outside of the city or find a hill. I would own one again, if a) they started making them again and b) if they put a half decent engine in them.
Fish
I had no mechanical issues with mine at all. Just very, very boring in all respects.
^Damned with faint praise!
Sounds perfect actually. Provided I don't have to drive it at the weekend.
Yes, getting an iQ is a good argument for getting something like a 911 for weekend use!
Driving in a city is boring by definition. Just sayin'.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
That really depends on the city, driving in Bogotá is anything but boring!
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
That's because it doesn't have cycle superhighways.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Who mentioned 4 seats?
Nor Bangalore (or any Indian city for that matter)
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
The Smart Forfour has four seats.
That's my reasoning.
If I'm doing 10mph then I might as well be in something with a smaller engine.
I'm more and more finding myself stuck in traffic lately, thinking 'what a waste’ (petrol, 02 and engine/transmission wear). Perhaps it's time to switch to fully electric one. The only thing what I hate is wires sticking from the house, so if I see a reasonably priced, pleasing to the eye solution with at least a week battery life (few hundred miles range), I may well be up for it (as a city runabout).
Fas est ab hoste doceri
I had an IQ2 for around a year, where I work parking is a nightmare so I thought it was a good idea
Never had a single problem with it, did 15k in a year, average 55/60mpg, however i found it wasn’t really suited to a 55mile round trip each day, amazing amount of room inside and as you can see no problems for a weekend away
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The only slight issue is that city drivers tend to be quite aggressive when switching lanes and at the traffic lights. If I go down this route I'm going to ensure I've got enough power not to become a mobile chicane. It can be quite stressful to be in an underpowered car in such conditions - lots of bumper hanging will ensue. Hopefully if you go electric, the torque will allow swift take off even if top speed is relatively lethargic.
Thanks for the pic - nice to see it with some additions. Apparently Thule do a roofbox as there's nothing Toyota sells for it (they zero rate the roof for loading). I've checked with my insurer and they're happy to cover with a roofbox so that's good.I had an IQ2 for around a year, where I work parking is a nightmare so I thought it was a good idea
Never had a single problem with it, did 15k in a year, average 55/60mpg, however i found it wasn’t really suited to a 55mile round trip each day, amazing amount of room inside and as you can see no problems for a weekend away
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You are right about the roof box, that’s why we got the rack
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That was the pleasing thing about the I3 - there were a couple of times when I had to get out of the inside lane because of double-parked taxis etc and the ability to either get away from the lights or accelerate into a gap were really useful. I'm sure it would be gutless at the top end; unfortunately to take one on a stretch of the Autobahn without speed limit near Berlin would involve exceeding the range. I daresay there are charging points in the greater Brandenburg area but sod's law says they'll be offering a replacement bus service. The other pleasing thing about the I3 is that it appears to be quite a narrow car; at least compared to the "new" Mini I had driven the same day (car-sharing). Coming to think of it - why don't you just go and get a proper Mini?
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
We looked at the IQ for Liz but decided the Aygo was roomier. Aygo is great to drive too. Quite sporty looking, here's ours...
I was looking at cars on Friday. They had one parked between two modern Fiestas which dwarfed it. The IQ was also more expensive than two Aygos despite being smaller, three years older and with higher mileage.
Narrowness is a definite plus for me as the car parks I use always have three or four spaces left that those in wider vehicles can't get into.
I did have one of the last of the original Rover Minis. Wonderful little thing - 13" wheels, leather and sparkling BRG! I was always let out of junctions in it.
It was just too unreliable in the end though. Mrs AO had the throttle stick wide open on an A road. And I managed to lock up the wheels on the M25 and skidded a looooong way. Luckily I had left decent space between me and the car in front. Of course, I could have locked up any car without ABS but this was especially scary as I was only doing about 60mph. And the crumple zone is... well, not great. Apparently the engine has a habit of making its way towards the passengers at high speed.
I remember the day I sold it - I felt a tinge of regret immediately.
Very nice, Rod. The Toyota MD has suggested I pop in and drive a few of their cars - the Aygo, the GT86, the iQ and the new HRV competitor (called something like the CHR). Quite looking forward to it.
Yes, it's not cheap. I'm hoping the money has been spent on development somewhere...
I must admit, I did used to enjoy doing full lock clown car style circles in the car park where I live, whilst humming . Doot doot doodle oodle oot doot doo doo…...
But my mates 4 year old named the car Hotpoint as he said it reminded him of his washing machine
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if it's purely for city driving and you have the logistics to be able to charge at home then I'd urge an electric car of some sort. If charging at home is not an option then go hybrid as the next best thing. Sitting in traffic wasting petrol or (god forbid diesel - and slowly killing your engine to boot) is a horrible thing.
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