Toyota IQs spotted on Mulholland Drive

That's probably a road test result. For a proper comparison you need to look at repeatable dyno testing.

The 1.33L iQ 6-speed manual gets 58.9mpg (Imperial gallon) on the EU standard test, compared to the Prius at 72.4mpg. The 5-speed 'multi-drive' automatic gets 55.3mpg. The UK Prius is identical, mechanically, to the US one - the test is just much weaker.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Toyota USA stick a larger engine in there because the acceleration times aren't that quick: 13.4s 0-100km/h (62mph) for the 6-speed manual and 13.1s for the automatic (Prius: 10.4s).

The most efficient iQs are the 1.0L 5-speed manual at 65.7mpg but 0-62 takes 14.7 seconds.

 

Interesting... they have Michigan plates. I thought iQ is coming over as Scion, not Toyota.

 

What's with the talk to the mothership orbiting beyond Neptune attenae? Seems like they had regular attenae and then these monsters....

 

Michigan is where our main technical center is located. Almost all of our prototypes that are in road-testing phase have Michigan plates. They drive all over the country. That's what was seen.

If someone is roaming Torrance right now, for example, they may see something else with Michigan plates that would intrigue PCers.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

I assume you are referring to PHV Prius. A PC member spy should go check it out.

 

Nope.

Doug Coleman
Prius Product Manager
Toyota Motor Sales, USA

 

Being the eternal optomist, I take this to mean no time to waste making a hybrid I.Q. ... no, they're going straight to EV production!
:rockon:

See?
:rockon:

 

You honestly think the IQ is better looking than a MINI?!? LOL. I guess beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

The problem with the IQ and Smart Car is that if you get rear ended pretty badly, you will be crushed to death instantly. The MINI actually has an incredibly strong frame, that can withstand impacts much better. In fact, a guy in a MINI recently T-boned a family at 50mph in a minivan and killed them all. The driver survived but died because he wasnt wearing his seatbelt.

A family member of mine was rear ended in his MINI at 70 mph on the freeway when he/she was at a full stop in traffic. Anyone in the back seats wouldve died but luckily nobody was in the car as the back seats were crushed. But my family member is alive and well and with us today.

You think the IQ could take all that? I dont think so.

 

I wonder what the situation would have been without Tesla putting its electric vehicle into production and on the road.

 

In Orange County, I have seen numerous different cars on the roads before their official release, and they've all had Michigan plates on them. I remember one time, I was driving along side them, taking pics and they guys covered their faces. haha. (I don't remember what car - it was about 3 years ago) My most-recent sighting was the BMW 1-series about six months before they showed up on dealer lots. Most of the cars I've seen have been American manufacturers.

Toyota versus Scion: Maybe the iQ with the tape over it has Scion emblems. It would seem odd that they would cover one up with tape all over yet the other one had no tape - so have a strong reason to believe something was going on with those emblems. And, if Nissan were testing it, I don't see why they would be concerned with covering the emblems. I'm guessing the Nissan was there just to be a decoy, so that people wouldn't see a full-Toyota fleet. At the same time, I would think that all R&D teams regularly operate their competitors' products.

Once all the full-size SUVs end up in the landfills, junkyards, and recycling centers, rear-impacts shouldn't be a problem. If all passenger vehicles on the road were small and midsize, fatalities would be reduced significantly. Now if we can just get gasoline up to $5/gallon and seal the coffins of the full-size SUVs.

(FYI, crude oil surged from $68 back up to $75 today - pump prices should stabilize where they currently are, and if oil continues to rise, gas pump prices will go up - they are not going further lower. NOAA released a report today that this year's hurricane season could rival the Katrina 2005 hurricane searson; shutting down hundreds of gulf oil rigs. Added to that, Obama today suspended all oil drilling for the next 12 months, including Alaska, until further studies can be performed. Alaska had a big project planned - now it's on hold for 12 months. All of this together on the same day, today, is what caused oil prices to surge back up)

 

This IQ is really fun to drive, I have test drive it
About couple weeks ago it was in local ECO race with 1 litre engine model and get 642km with 3.479l/100km consumption. Race was in normal traffic with all kind off terrain.
Problem is that this car is very small from inside, I think it is just too small for my purposes. But it is feel like it is superb in heavy traffic city.

 

EuroNCAP results.

Note that the iQ got five stars while the Chevy Spark got four and the Suzuki Alto three.

The list of comparable cars is quite short as the testing scheme changed in 2009 - becoming much tougher - and they're trying to avoid comparisons across different schemes.

 

IQ has rear curtain airbag...

Toyota iQ Microcar to be First in the World With Rear Curtain Airbag : TreeHugger

I still remember how fun was to sit inside this car behind big bus. Just hope that bus driver remembers that I am behind in traffic lights. =D

 

An iQ-EV would work for me depending on price, head/leg-room, range and top speed. Oh, and feel free to rip out the rear seats and replace with cargo floor...batteries under the deck. I need a daily commuter for a 40mile RT commute (mixed city/hwy) plus enough juice left over for after-work NEV range shopping, etc. I would keep the Prius for long-distance travel.

 

The one with Toyota badge has a black wire going from the hood around A pillar to the trunk. Don't tell me it is the iQ EV caught testing.

 

Looks like a Japanese 'Yellow Plate' car. They have a registration scheme, signified by a yellow license plate, for small cars with limited seating and engine displacement that are much cheaper to register and re-certify(Shaken, every two years). Very common vehicle over there. Easy to park, cheap to operate and maintain, and easy to maneuver through the narrow side streets. Before you can register a car you have to provide proof of a place to keep it. As most residences have small footprints, the smaller car is easier to provide for. All parking is at a premium.

As to the 3+1 seating, the Japanese have legal limits as to the number of adults that can occupy a car while in motion, depending on the type of vehicle. Whenever we were traveling with my wife's 2 sisters in their yellow plate Daihatsu, my wife had to constantly scrunch down to look like a kid(at 5', not hard).