You don't seem to grasp that I'm not asking it to come modded, I'm asking for the stock DESIGN to look more like the 5axis version. $3-4K in body mods? roflmao, you have got to be kidding me.

On another note, you seem to be under the impression that this car will only be bought by teens/young adults looking for a canvas to express themselves. Yes, there will be lots of those, but have you looked around and seen who drives scions lately? Not to mention, this car will bring a whole new demographic to the brand, solely because of the size and fuel economy. Why should they have to mod it so that it doesn't look like wet cardboard? The kind of thinking you are portraying in probably shared by the designers and explains why a lot of cars today just plain look like warm wall paper paste.

The 5 axis iQ (gray) is not offensive, it is not even radical. It's good clean, attractive, slightly aggressive design.

Put the two in front of anyone and I'm sure 9 times out of 10, they would pick the gray car, even if it didn't have LEDs in the bumpers and both used the same wheels as the white one.

 

except front passengers have more room than in Corolla ;-)

 

I'm quite surprised how poor those iQ fuel economy figures are. My wife's FIAT 500 (which can seat 4 adults easily and has a trunk) gets real world figures of 44mpg city (36.6mpg US) and 55mpg highway (45mpg US) - and that's with the old 1.2 litre engine. The new 1.2 litre Multiair engine will improve those figures by 12-15% whilst emitting so little CO2 it'll be exempt from annual road tax over here (much like low emitting hybrids).

 

iQ easily gets 20-25% better figures than latest Fiat 500 engines.

What you are talking about is difference in official calculations in US and real world driving in UK... you are welcome to read UK magazine reviews on actual performance of both vehicles.

So... are you now disappointed at your Fiat performance or? ;-)

 

Yeah, the IQ is the most fuel efficient regular gas engine car on the planet. Why are we complaining? How is it disappointing that a car that is bigger, holds twice the passengers (or the ability to carry cargo), and is more powerful than the Smart and yet gets better mileage? Also without the need for premium.

People need to get their numbers right. You can't compare real world, EPA, or European numbers. They're all different.

 

I think you need to double-check the numbers Big Andy.

The iQ is easily more fuel efficient than a Fiat 500.

 

Mini Cooper (manual) according to their website gets 28 city 37 highway. That seems pretty darn good to me. It'll probably smoke the iQ in performance too.

I can't wait to see an iQ on the road.

 

The iQ will get much better EPA fuel economy than 28/37.

 

If you remember I didn't quote the iQ's figures, just commented how poor they were.

Having driven both and speaking to a neighbour who is disappointed with the real world fuel consumption of his iQ which, if he drives to keep up with traffic, struggles to get 45mpg, I'm happy to keep the 500 which can carry luggage and passengers and doesn't look like a refrigerator on wheels.

Couple of points my neighbour made re; his iQ;

It's not a 4 seater - it's not even a 3+1 seater. At a push it's a 3 seater but with the front passenger seat pulled forward to allow a rear passenger, he can't see past the front seat passenger, making the car extremely dangerous when exiting junctions.

Secondly, he is fed up with always having to drop the reat seats to get even the smallest shopping bag in or squeeze his bags past the driver's seat.

As he said to me; "I fell for the hype and should have just bought a Toyota Aygo, with 4 doors, 4 seats and the same engine for a couple of grand less."

 

Well the iQ is more of a city passenger car. It's not meant for hauling or anything. That would be like buying a Smart, and then being disappointed at the lack of cargo space in there.

 

2011 Scion iQ MiniCar Sales Delayed Until This Summer

If you're eagerly waiting for the first 2011 Scion iQ minicar to show up at your dealer, sit down and have a nice cup of tea. You're going to have wait a bit longer.

Scion's parent, Toyota, is delaying the U.S. launch of the iQ, originally scheduled to happen by March of this year, to sometime this summer.

tC in the spotlight

Spokesman Greg Thome said the delay stemmed from prototypes from Japan being delivered "a couple of months" late.

He also noted that Scion wanted to push the launch forward so it could focus its marketing efforts on the redesigned 2011 Scion tC sport coupe.

That car was unveiled last April at the New York Auto Show, along with the production version of the iQ, but is already on sale at Scion dealers. Thome said the company wanted the 2011 tC "to be in the spotlight by itself."

3 + 1 seating

Though only slightly longer than a 2011 Smart ForTwo, which is a 2-seater, the Scion iQ offers three seats for adults plus one more for a child. It was previewed as a concept at the 2009 New York Auto Show.

A media preview of the car, planned for this month and then canceled, is likely to be rescheduled for early summer. "Summer is a great selling season for the launch of a new car," said Thome cheerfully.

He couldn't say whether the Scion iQ models that launch this summer would be designated 2011 or 2012 models. The iQ has, among other features, 9 standard airbags, including 1 across the rear window to protect the heads of rear-seat passengers.

Or, buy a baby swan

Assuming it's a 2012 model by then, eager minicar buyers may have a 2nd way to buy the little iQ. If they want to pony up more than 3 times the price that Scion will charge, they may be able to head over to their local Aston Martin dealership and purchase a Cygnet.

1 of the more unusual vehicles to come out of the fabled Briish marque, the Aston Martin Cygnet is a Toyota iQ (as it's sold in Europe) that is largely refurnished and retrimmed at the company's British factory. (A cygnet is a baby swan.)

The goal is to reduce the brand's average emissions by adding a smaller vehicle to its lineup of fast, thirsty sports cars. Aston Martin buys the cars from Toyota, re-creates them, and then sells them at its dealers--but only to existing Aston Martin owners, it says.

Car as dinghy tender

Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez calls the Cygnet "akin to an exclusive tender to a luxury yacht." Translated, that means it's the car you drive to the garage where your proper Aston Martin is maintained by your staff.

While it may be only 127 inches long, the Cygnet boasts a lengthy list of standard luxury features. A full leather interior is de rigeur, along with heated seats, satellite navigation, and keyless entry and start. The 1st Cygnets will come with a 5-piece bespoke luggage set made especially to fit into the car.

Aston Martin said this week that production would start in April, and that it hopes to expand Cygnet sales beyond Europe to other markets, including the U.S.

The list price is a cool £30,995, or just a hair under $50,000 at current exchange rates. Thankfully, the zebra-skin patterned body wrap is only an option.

 

This delay confuses me. The TC and iQ are two entirely different cars and the idea is to get showroom traffic. Some may come in to look at the iQ and decide the TC is better for them and visa versa. Sounds like marketing spin to cover another issue.

 

1st Drive: 2012 Scion iQ

Inching along in shoulder-to-shoulder rush hour traffic in a roaring city with pedestrians swarming crosswalks -- all while desperately searching for a parking space -- is nobody's idea of a good time. Scion has a proposition for urban dwellers in the form of its new 2012 Scion iQ city car.

The Toyota iQ (the car the Scion is based upon) is not a new car. The Scion version is -- technically. Designed to blend into densely populated cityscapes, the iQ does everything small, but in a big way. Dimensionally, it's slightly bigger than a Smart Fortwo, but it's still a runt when placed next to a Camry. While its size is the iQ's most eye-catching asset, it presents inherent packaging dilemmas. It's not just the challenge of stuffing 4 seats for 3.5 people in between a wheelbase shorter than a Lotus Elise's (78.7 versus 90.6 inches). There's also the engine and associated running gear, suspension (front MacPherson strut, rear torsion beam), and interior amenities to cram in, and some empty space for cargo. It demands expert engineering.

We're pleased to report the latest addition to the Scion family fulfills its city duties to a tee, though we're certain our first drive was helped immensely by the venue. San Francisco is a very romantic city -- after all, Frank Sinatra left his heart there. The rolling hills are steeped in history and cable car tracks, and it's one of the most culturally diverse locations on Earth. The City by the Bay is also home to a criss-cross set of roadworks that makes more logical sense in some neighborhoods (mostly in the west side) than others. Plenty of 1-way streets, pedestrian crowds, interconnected residential and commercial communities, aggressive public bus drivers, and never-ending construction stand ready to confound out-of-towners. With the iQ at our disposal, we dived straight in.

The sheetmetal blends into the import car-friendly locale beautifully, quickly finding its place among the Japanese and European locals. Still, we noticed more than a few onlookers on the sidewalks pointing and giving the stubby Scion double takes. Publicity acquired.

There's a special engine stowed below the pint-sized hood. The iQ receives Toyota's 1st North American application of the 1NR-FE, a port-injected 1.3-liter inline-4 offering 94 horsepower and 89 lb-ft of torque. It's recessed neatly toward the firewall and takes up barely any room in the engine bay. The tiny Scion is just 1 of 3 cars on sale today in the U.S. with fewer than 100 horsepower.

In our modern world of 300-horsepower, 30-highway-mpg vehicles, it feels intuitive to dismiss the iQ as underpowered. But offsetting the low power figures is a Scion-claimed 2150-pound curb weight, made possible in part by a front differential matched to a lightweight continuously variable transmission -- there will be no manual shifting option for the U.S. The diff is essentially flipped over for the sake of packaging, and the half-shafts are moved forward from their conventional locations. The air-conditioning unit is installed directly behind the center stack to conserve precious space. The plastic, 8.5-gallon gas tank is a shallow 4.72 inches deep and mounted beneath the iQ's floor like a pancake, helping to contribute to the car's short 120.1-inch length. When fully fueled, the requisite 87-octane combustible liquid should contribute no more than around 52 pounds to the bottom line.

Think the teensy tank will barely get you through the week? The estimated 36/37 mpg city/highway looks more appropriate for a hybrid, given the narrow ratings spread, and offers a maximum hypothetical range of 314.5 miles. Even when getting lost around San Fran, there was more than enough gas to play with, and we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice to venture north into Sausalito and the Muir Woods National Monument area. In the city proper, 94 horses and the smooth-operating CVT felt more than capable of jumping from stoplight to stoplight, even when hills entered the picture. On the 101 freeway heading in and out of Marin County, the 1.3-liter struggled for power at 55 mph and beyond, encouraging deep accelerator pedal depressions to hold constant speed. The alternative highway driving method is to slip the CVT into the S or B "gears," which tell the CVT to relentlessly vary its 2 pulleys to clutch engine speed to about 4000 or 6000 rpm, respectively.

The electric steering has quick reactions but doesn't offer much feedback from the car's 175/60-16 tires. Because of its compressed measurements, the iQ can be susceptible to pull and wander from road disturbances such as dips, grooves, and cable car tracks. The ride feels firm, yet there's obvious body movement in the corners. The fact that the rear shock absorbers are canted backwards (reducing damping efficiency but also freeing up more backseat hip room) may partially explain the road feel. However, it feels remarkably secure at highway speeds with no noticeable crosswinds to terrorize us.

The iQ is pretty good in its element. Because the wheels are splayed as far out to the corners as possible, it has a 25.8-foot turning circle, so pouncing on a parking spot across the street is a cinch. There's no getting around the fact that the 4th seat is for a child; luckily, the 3rd seat is actually usable. The front passenger seat is located slightly ahead of the driver's seat and is specially shaped to allow additional rear leg and knee room. But what about that front passenger, you ask? Due to the asymmetric dashboard and deep footwell, there's room to sit. And even with the seat slid all the way forward, the driver's view of the side mirror always remains unobstructed.

The diminutive Scion will have 11 standard airbags: 2 front passenger, 2 front seat-mounted side, 2 seat cushion, 2 front knee, 2 side curtain, and 1 rear window. Safety has become 1 those intrinsic things we just expect from modern-day cars, especially small cars like the iQ, and if worth were measured in the number of airbags, the iQ would be much larger.

Production of the first all-new car for Scion at least since 2004 begins in August, and starting in October, the iQ will be available for $15,995. The base cost includes a mandatory $730 delivery, processing, and handling fee, and complimentary Scion Service Boost that covers factory-scheduled maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles. Only West Coast Scion patrons will have iQ access at first, and the delayed rollout will continue in waves into 2012. The eastern U.S. follows California and company before the Midwest and inner parts of the country will take stock by March 2012.

2012 Scion iQ
BASE PRICE $15,995
VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD, 4-pass, 2-door hatchback
ENGINE 1.3L/94-hp/89-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4
TRANSMISSION cont. variable auto
CURB WEIGHT 2150 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE 78.7 in
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 120.1 x 66.1 x 59.1 in
0-60 MPH 11.8 sec (mfr est)
EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON 36 / 37 mpg (est)
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY 94 / 91 kW-hrs/100 miles (est)
CO2 EMISSIONS 0.53 lb/mile (est)
ON SALE IN U.S. October 2011

 

Uhhh...why does this car cost $16,000?

 

Fuel econ numbers aren't all that impressive either. I was expecting 40.