iQ Review

[Smartdavis]

I haven't read anything that suggests the frame is going to be anything like the Tridon cell which explains the record number of airbags in the IQ. They are counting on an explosion of ballons around the passengers in a crash. Yikes.

[sandiegoway]

The reason the Scion IQ will come equipped with all those airbags? - it has 4 seats vs Smart which has only 2.

Also, I made a mistake in my earlier post:

The IQ will have a 1.3 liter engine/NON-HYBRID = 98 horsepower engine.

The city EPA will be 36 MPG
When idling or coming to a stop, the engine will basically turn off in standby mode (like a Prius) - so as to not waste gas.
The standard radio is great and you can order SIRIUS as well.
I am 5"10" and though it was tight in the back, for just going across town with most adults it should be fine.
The real advantage will be the extra 2 jump seats in the back.
Most likely it will come with standard hubcaps in order to reduce the MSRP by approx $700 less to $14,995.

The dash was simple but unique. You'll be able to custom order diff.console colors, custom mats to your design, and custom a lot of extras to make it pretty unique. I didn't like the all plastic door panels, though. They looked cheap. And the carpeting was a low-grade type just like the Smart. And yes, no paddle shifter which I love!

[tblackley]

hey SanDiego Way: It's does not matter if it's not for sale in the US. No use in waiting for a car that may never arrive for sale. Talk is just that, Talk. you can't drive talk. The "Scion iQ Hybrid" is not for sale (anywhere) and the iQ in any form is not for sale in the US.

Ok course GM is way worse in talking about what cars it may build, etc. It's all for not until you can buy one.

[Woody14619]

Not for anything... but I'm not sure I'd want a MHD, even in a smart. I'm sure it works great and saves gas when the car is young. But when a car gets older, it starts having issues. We've had problems already with the smart draining it's battery enough to prevent it from cold cranking. And while I know warm crank takes less power, I just know eventually these MHDs are going to get old and start stalling out at intersections. Personally, I'd rather not be in one when it does.

Now it we're talking about a pure electric, or an electric assist that can get the car rolling 20 or 30, at least you have the option to limp off the road. That I may go for. But most of the multi-drive cars are well out of my price range ($30K for a car?), or promised vapor ware post 2010.

[sandiegoway]

Originally Posted by tblackley

hey SanDiego Way: It's does not matter if it's not for sale in the US. No use in waiting for a car that may never arrive for sale. Talk is just that, Talk. you can't drive talk. The "Scion iQ Hybrid" is not for sale (anywhere) and the iQ in any form is not for sale in the US.

Ok course GM is way worse in talking about what cars it may build, etc. It's all for not until you can buy one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh yes it will be for sale soon. Toyota marketing is putting the final touches on the available options this year for the car. It will be released in the next 12 months.

That was the reason behind the 2 day focus group at AIM Research in Long Beach, CA.

[Bill Marshall]

Originally Posted by sandiegoway

The reason the Scion IQ will come equipped with all those airbags? - it has 4 seats vs Smart which has only 2.

Also, I made a mistake in my earlier post:

The IQ will have a 1.3 liter engine/NON-HYBRID = 98 horsepower engine.

The city EPA will be 36 MPG
When idling or coming to a stop, the engine will basically turn off in standby mode (like a Prius) - so as to not waste gas.
The standard radio is great and you can order SIRIUS as well.
I am 5"10" and though it was tight in the back, for just going across town with most adults it should be fine.
The real advantage will be the extra 2 jump seats in the back.
Most likely it will come with standard hubcaps in order to reduce the MSRP by approx $700 less to $14,995.

The dash was simple but unique. You'll be able to custom order diff.console colors, custom mats to your design, and custom a lot of extras to make it pretty unique. I didn't like the all plastic door panels, though. They looked cheap. And the carpeting was a low-grade type just like the Smart. And yes, no paddle shifter which I love!

How are they going to replace the current 1.0 l egine with a bigger one & reduce the price? Car & Driver has reported that the price will be about $20,000. We'll see when it gets here.

How can anyone possibly know what the EPA test results will be until the tests have actually been conducted?