production toyota iQ

[E-SMART]

another winner ... always been impressed with how rock-solid reliable but a bit ho-hum on styling. The first-gen Xa my son drives may not look like much but it won't be in the shop or put him in the poor house. Anyone notice how large those wheels/tires look in proportion to the car ... appear to be at least 16"'s (maybe 17"'s?) look like they would fit larger wheels as well. I'd also be curious on the crash ratings as I'd feel safer with the tridion cell that a standard unibody in something that small

[RLove]

I know that when I read the initial article about this car, it mentioned something I wish the Smart had - a rear airbag.

[smarTIKI]

Originally Posted by rwcmick

Here's a shot of the production version of the iQ.

Wow, it is nowhere near as pretty as the original concept vehicle.

Still, I think it looks nicer than the smart.

Where did you find the photo?

[BandSofC]

The only reason I have a smart is because they were the first to the US. The manufacturer who brought their microcar here first was getting my money. 10 years ago I thought is was going to be a Honda. By the time the IQ is on sale here, I may trade the smart for it.

[rwcmick]

Originally Posted by smarTIKI

Wow, it is nowhere near as pretty as the original concept vehicle.

Still, I think it looks nicer than the smart.

Where did you find the photo?

The photo is from an Autoblog story. You can find it here.

[Suze]

Yikes! no head room!

[E-SMART]

From AutoWeek:

http://www.smartcarofamerica.com/gal...imageuser=1485

[SmartPassion]

As much as we love our smart. The fact is that if Toyota comes out with this or something like it, it will probably give the smart a good run for the money. Too bad Daimler chose not to place a "Mercedes Benz" badge on the smart.

[2micro4u]

Originally Posted by SmartPassion

As much as we love our smart. The fact is that if Toyota comes out with this or something like it, it will probably give the smart a good run for the money. Too bad Daimler chose not to place a "Mercedes Benz" badge on the smart.

Hmm I will love my SMART but yes I too think if the Toyota IQ is released I may trade my SMART in for it unless there is a SMART 42 that is Micro Hybrid then I will just get that instead.

[timhood]

I, by no means could be called a Toyota fan, but the reality is that if this car came to the US and was even roughly comparable, it would win out over the smart for me. The access to a nearby dealer (or multiple dealers) is a huge advantage to the car owner, as is Toyota reliability. The car basically looks like a smart but has the added ability of taking an extra passenger for those times when that would be helpful. (When I take my kids to school, they wouldn't have to share one seat). All Toyota has to do is be close on price and meet-or-beat on power and/or fuel economy. Ideally it would be a normal gas engine that doesn't require premium fuel.