The 2010 Toyota iQ will compete with the Smart ForTwo

I saw the iQ at the NY Auto Show, but it was Scion showing it...and in ugly neon green/yellow. It's a nice looking car but I don't think it will do well at all. It will fall in the fail category with the new Nissan Cube

 

European FE numbers, in L/100km (urban/extra-urban/combined):

iQ, 5-speed manual: 4.9 / 3.9 / 4.3, 99g/km CO2.
iQ, 'MultiDrive' auto: 5.7 / 4.1 / 4.7, 110g/km CO2
2G Prius: 5.0 / 4.2 / 4.3, 104g/km CO2
3G Prius 15" tyre: 3.9 / 3.7 / 3.9, 89g/km CO2
3G Prius 17" tyre: 4.0 / 3.8 / 4.0, 92g/km CO2

3G Prius numbers from Toyota's Geneva Motorshow brochure.

Lower numbers are better - this is fuel consumption. No, I do not understand how the combined figure for the manual iQ can be the same as the 2G Prius when the urban and extra-urban numbers are both better, as is the CO2 figure which comes from the same test cycle. Fuel consumption figures are back-calculated from the CO/HC/NOx/CO2 gas captures, so there could be some weird weighting problem there.

iQ toxic emissions are slightly better than Prius for CO - 0.150g/km vs 0.180 - but slightly worse for HC and NOx - 0.030 vs 0.020 and 0.020 vs 0.010.

Yes, hybridising a car really does make that much difference. I wouldn't trade in a Prius for an iQ, though I accept that the iQ is a lot easier to park, and a lot cheaper!

 

Thanks Mike. If you could throw in the new Insight to see how it compare against the iQ. It seems the Insight does better in the "gentle" European test cycle than the 2008 US EPA.

 

I don't think there is a weighting problem. The combined cycle is not an average of the urban and extra-urban numbers. The combined cycle (MVEG-A cycle)is 4 ECE cycles (urban) + 1 EUDC (extra urban) cycles done in a continuous series. These are done from a cold start with no time allowed for the engine to warm up.

In this kind of test a small car like the iQ would have an advantage over the Prius. A ICE car would come up to temperature quickly, especially one with a small engine that was run at higher loads. On the other hand the Prius would take longer to come up to temperature since the engine would shut off during the idle portions of the test. It may take several ECE cycles before the Prius is fully up to temperature.

The other thing to consider is that the Prius would use the normal EUDC cycle with a maximum speed of 120 kph. The iQ may be tested under the EUDC test for low-powered vehicles that has a maximum speed of 90 kph. (I don't know which test the iQ uses)

The fuel economy numbers for Urban and Extra-Urban also come from the MVEG-A cycle. The urban rating is from the 4th ECE cycle so this represents urban driving with a fully warmed up engine. The Extra-Urban rating comes from the EUDC portion of the test and would represent extra-urban driving with a fully warmed up engine.

Emission Test Cycles: ECE 15 + EUDC / NEDC

 

Re: The 2010 Toyota iQ will compete with the Smart Fhttp://tdiclub.com/misc/conversions.htmlorTwo

Hi Tony,

Your calculation shown is correct - 4.7 L/100km = 50 US MPG or 60.1 imp gal MPG.

I found this to be a very good site for conversion:
Unit Conversions

 

The Insight EU ratings are:
Urban ------------ 4.6 L/100 km
Extra Urban ----- 4.2 L/100 km
Combined ------- 4.4 L/100 km
CO2 ------------- 101 g/km


Mike,

You may prefer the Prius due to lower fuel consumption but remember that the iQ and Prius are two very different classes of vehicles.

The iQ starts at £9,495.00 and tops out at £11,495.00
The Prius starts at £18,370.00 and tops out at £21,210.00
(Toyota UK published "On Road" prices)

The Prius uses 7% less fuel than the iQ and is a much larger car but it also costs 93% more. Many people can't afford the extra money for the Prius especially if the iQ meets their transportation needs.

If I was looking to purchase a new vehicle today I would be looking at the Smart Fortwo pure, Honda Fit, Kia Rio 5 or Yaris 5 door. I simply don't need a car the size of the Prius to commute by myself.

Another serious option would be this:

2009 SYM Symba:
​

$2,598
50 mph
150 mpg @ 25 mph
(This is a copy of the Honda Cub, the best selling motorized vehicle in the world. SYM has made the Cub for Honda since 1962.)

This is about as basic as motorized transportation gets. I commuted daily by motorcycle for 5 years when I lived in Virginia and Tennessee. I still have the BMW but only ride it on long trips. A 650 pound touring bike in a urban area makes about as much sense as using a sled hammer to kill flies. This scooter on the other hand is perfect. It even has an manual transmission!!!

 

Tony,

You can't compare EU and US fuel consumption.

On the EU combined cycle the Smart Fortwo is rated as follows (L/100 km):
(33 KW diesel) ---- 3.3
(45 KW gas) ------- 4.7
(52 KW gas) ------- 4.7
(62 KW gas) ------- 4.9
(72 KW gas) ------- 5.2
(Yes the Smart ForTwo is available with 5 different engines in Europe while North America only gets the 52 KW (70 hp) version)

So on the EU cycle the 52 KW Smart is rated at 4.7 l/100km or 50 mpg. In the US that same engine is rated at only 36 mpg combined. The EPA test cycle is a lot more aggressive than the EU test cycle with higher speeds and faster acceleration.

If Toyota brings the iQ to the US you should expect an EPA combined fuel economy in the mid to upper 30's.

 

I think the IQ is fantastic. Can't wait to see it as a Scion.