Toyota IQ

[jaytip]

Does anyone on here have experience of ownership?
I’ve just sold my Merc and I’m looking to get something small, cheap and hopefully reliable.
You don’t see many IQ’s about and I think they look quite quirky. I also like the idea of £250 insurance, £0 road tax and 50+mpg.
I test drove one the other day and while it was ok on a smooth road, on the badly surfaced road that led away from the car sales place, it rode awful. I don’t know if that’s the way the car is, or just that one I test drove.
Anyway, hopefully one of you guys or girls have had one and can shine some light on my query.

Cheers,

Ivor

[vagabond]

Know a few people who have had them and most have liked them, even loved them. They are quite quirky and compromised when compared to say a UP for example - limited rear space for both luggage and passengers. The UP is only very slightly bigger but offers much more practicality. Personally, I would go Aygo, or even Yaris if you're specifically looking for Toyota or Jazz (real TARDIS) if not. All very (VERY) boring but solid choices.

I do also seem to recall that the IQ's autobox (clutchless manual?) wasn't great.

[dschaen81]

They certainly aren't bad for what they are: an econo-box car that's designed to get you from point A to point B with good gas mileage and that fits into the tiniest parking space.
With a car this light and with such a short wheel base you're always going to feel bumps in the road a lot more than with a larger vehicle.

I'd stay away from the multidrive automatic transmissions and go for a manual if possible.

[AlphaOmega]

I looked into these as an ideal way of squeezing into small parking spots.

Look for the higher spec version which has a bit more power. I believe although short, they aren't narrow so bear that in mind.

[Omegamanic]

Any other options?

The missus has a Fiat 500, and will fit 4 at a push. Cheap insurance and it’s very short and easy to fit in small spaces. Maybe not as frugal as the 1.0 IQ though, and I do like the fact they’re quite quirky, it’s nice to see original thinking the IQ and old Audi A2.

I pay less than £200 for the Boxster though, so would expect to be paying far less than £250 for insurance. Saying that, the old man pays well over £1000 for his insurance for taxi and private hire cars.

[Rod]

+1 for the Aygo. I was pleasantly surprised how good this car was. Mrs. Rod had the 2017 model. It was great on the motorway, quietish at speeds over 60. Expensive but impressive.
She has the Yaris now

[yumma]

I looked at one but bought a Yaris instead, even at a modest 5’9” there was no room for anyone behind me with legs.

But it’s a Toyota and if you only need a two seater it will be great I’m sure.

Again, the Aygo would be my tip. I’ve done a five hour trip for a Golf break with a mate to Celtic Manor in his Aygo and I was amazed by the comfort and motorway refinement relative to its size and price point. Great little cars.

[Dave+63]

Or go for a cygnet!


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224125412199

As mentioned previously, the Aygo is a better bet.

[Fish]

I had one for a couple of years as a cummuter car, and the only fault I'd say they have is when there's a hill you end up dropping down the gearbox quickly.

Economy was great, surprisingly spacy inside. Only sold it as I got bored of the hills. They share the same chassis and engine as the Aygo.

Fish

[Mj2k]

Always loved the madness of the AM one.

I was looking for a small car to do the station run & wanted it to fit into tiny spaces left by poor commuter parking in a rush.

Ended up with a smart car, latest gen 0.9t and we love it. It is probably the least practical of our cars but gets so much use.

We can take it & leave it anywhere without worrying. Plastic panels on the doors, so dings don’t happen. Fits into tiny parking spaces.

Only down sides are people treat you like you’ve given up driving / can’t drive & it’s recently thrown a tantrum with the EML, new plugs, coils, battery & solenoid...hoping that’s the end of it.

I’d buy another small car without hesitation, and the IQ would certainly be on the list again; a few friends have them & think they are great value for a no nonsense car.

[pinpull]

Bought ours in 2012, it’s the cooking 1.0 manual, now with 100k on the clock and absolutely NOTHING has gone wrong it!

There’s just the two of us, and we downsized from Discovery’s (x2), then an A-class MB and then to the iQ. We lived in Oxfordshire at the time and were making many journeys up to Scotland and down to the West Country, and the iQ proved ideal. It swallowed all the luggage we needed for a couple of weeks, including hill walking kit, sat happily on the motorway at whatever (reasonable) speed you felt happy with, was adequately comfortable and quiet, and returned high 50s fuel consumption. Urban travel is regularly around 60+. The tank holds about 350 miles to the fill up. First set of tyres was at 38k, and the car has a turning circle taxis could only dream of!

Now, you can’t expect Jaguar comfort, diesel torque and SUV accommodation in a wee thing like this, and sure, hills will have her puffing a bit into lower gears and the ride is a bit lumpy at times, it’s not perfect but you need to accept it for the midget runaround that it is. However, it’s like a tardis inside for two people. There are rear seats but we always have them folded as we rarely have the need for them. You can actually quite comfortably carry 3 people using the seat behind the passenger, whilst pushing the front seat far forward. There’s no glovebox so all that space is legroom!

Unfortunately you cannot buy a new one in the UK any more as Toyota decided the market didn’t want it at the price, but I would have another one in a heartbeat, even would hunt out a used one. Mind you, the way this one is going, I think it’ll outlast me, so no need!


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[RobM]

Consider it a two-seater and it's one of the best in that category, IMO. The front feels larger than you'd expect and larger than other similar small cars, so if you ignore the back seat and consider it a boot extension you end up with a comfortable small car with loads of loading capacity.

[jaytip]

Thank you for the replies Gents. I considered the C1/Peugeot 107/Aygo but they are EVERYWHERE and I’d like something a little different and the IQ certainly fits that bill.
The compromised rear space won’t be an issue as we also have an E Class estate in the household for trips with the family. I’ll be looking at IQ2’s to get a little bit better spec and I’ll be going for a manual.
There are a number of them about for my budget so it’s just a case of shortlisting some now.

[pinpull]

Apologies, we actually bought it in 2012, not 2008 (wrongly thinking about another vehicle!).

So, 100k in 8 years, not 12!

Did I mention it’s got air-con, ABS and ASC?

Good luck OP in your search, find a nice one and enjoy!

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[Mr Tetley]

I’ve had a 1.0l IQ for almost 3 years and it’s been great.

A few points to note/look out for. Clutch vibration around 2000rpm, according to Google it’s quite common in some models. Mine has it but it’s can be prevented by easing off the accelerator around the 2000rpm mark. It hasn’t got any worse in my ownership. Also some of the Pearlescent white models had problems with the paint work bubbling. Think this was specific years (earlier models perhaps?). Finally if you ever get a clunk coming from the shock it could simply be the top nut of the strut that needs tightening. Apparently these aren’t locking nuts and can work loose. Very easy fix.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another, it’s a great little car. Very good MPG, zero tax for the 1.0l, phenomenal turning circle and solid engine. Also when driving it doesn’t feel like a little car, due to the space up front.

[jaytip]

Apologies, we actually bought it in 2012, not 2008 (wrongly thinking about another vehicle!).

So, 100k in 8 years, not 12!

Did I mention it’s got air-con, ABS and ASC?

Good luck OP in your search, find a nice one and enjoy!

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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I’ve had a 1.0l IQ for almost 3 years and it’s been great.

A few points to note/look out for. Clutch vibration around 2000rpm, according to Google it’s quite common in some models. Mine has it but it’s can be prevented by easing off the accelerator around the 2000rpm mark. It hasn’t got any worse in my ownership. Also some of the Pearlescent white models had problems with the paint work bubbling. Think this was specific years (earlier models perhaps?). Finally if you ever get a clunk coming from the shock it could simply be the top nut of the strut that needs tightening. Apparently these aren’t locking nuts and can work loose. Very easy fix.

I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another, it’s a great little car. Very good MPG, zero tax for the 1.0l, phenomenal turning circle and solid engine. Also when driving it doesn’t feel like a little car, due to the space up front.

I looked at one yesterday but sadly it fell way short of the owners description. A quick question for you guys though. The radio. I really struggled in my 10 minute test drive to get a decent reception, it was awful. I also couldn’t see any way of manually altering the search. It would just move from one preset to the next. Is that the way it is, and how is the reception in your cars, guys?
Cheers.

[Mr Tetley]

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I looked at one yesterday but sadly it fell way short of the owners description. A quick question for you guys though. The radio. I really struggled in my 10 minute test drive to get a decent reception, it was awful. I also couldn’t see any way of manually altering the search. It would just move from one preset to the next. Is that the way it is, and how is the reception in your cars, guys?
Cheers.

I’ve had no problems at all with the reception in mine, FM or AM. You can manually input presets. I have mine preset to chosen FM channels and AM (5-Live). I have the manual so if you need any info re: Radio controls etc just PM and I’ll take some photos.

[Sweepinghand]

Friend of mine has had hers fir years - never skips a beat

Ideal for simply two adults

Argo is the other go to model but not as cute it seems


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[pinpull]

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I looked at one yesterday but sadly it fell way short of the owners description. A quick question for you guys though. The radio. I really struggled in my 10 minute test drive to get a decent reception, it was awful. I also couldn’t see any way of manually altering the search. It would just move from one preset to the next. Is that the way it is, and how is the reception in your cars, guys?
Cheers.

Well, confession time... I’ve never RTFM to learn how to tune and preset the radio on mine in 8 years! Luckily, by trial and error, and a bit of patience I’ve managed to find both FM frequencies and R2 blares out quite successfully!

I find that if you simply hold the steering wheel tuning control down for a couple of seconds then release it’ll search and find stations on that band. I’ve relied on that so far, so apologies I can’t help further!

There are multiple speakers so the sound is quite acceptable but you do need the volume up around the 30 mark if you’re tramping along.


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[jaytip]

Cheers again guys. As much as I’d love one I’m starting to look at the UP!/Citigo/MII instead.
The pickings are just so slim around South Wales and I’m reluctant to keep travelling distances to look at them. I spent over 12 hours out of the house yesterday going to look at one in North Wales (and a wasted £100 on a train ticket) to view a car that was described to me TWICE over the phone as mint inside and out, but was anything but when I got there. Tried phoning another one three times today with no answer which makes me suspect it’s a dealer even though it’s advertised as private.
At least with the UP! And it’s cousins, it’s more plentiful and I won’t have to keep travelling so far.

[vagabond]

TBH I think it's the better overall choice anyway - that's not taking anything away from the IQ, just that the UP!/Citigo/Mii is a less compromised car (but perhaps less interesting against the IQ because of that too).

Good luck in your search.