1.0 Vs 1.33 - Test Drive Opinion

[ChuGNutS]

Hi all,

Had the pleasure today of test driving both petrol engine models and thought I might share my opinions. Please remember that they are just that, my opinions, before anyone screams I am wrong or takes offence :)

I was lucky enough to have both models for 2 hours each so I could appreciate the cars and the differences between them. Both cars were a similar spec, an iQ2 and an iQ3, both with leather seats.

Firstly opinions on the car in general; seating position was very comfy and higher than I expected although after driving a while it became apparant that the seat had very little lateral support, in fact my bum ran out of grip round bends before the car did!! I suspect the cloth seats would be better in this respect. The car was extremely easy to drive but the steering had a strange vagueness to the straight ahead and was a lot heavier than I expected for a city car. I found the interior to be a strange mixture, some styling parts were a sucess and others like the stereo controls a big failure. Why not fit a normal stereo with a normal display? that tiny screen displays far too much information for its size and trying to operate the radio via a tiny wheel mounted joystick is just silly. It also means the passenger cannot operate the radio. Some of the plastics also felt very cheap for a 12.5k car. The climate control worked well but again I dont really see the point in cramming all the controls on to one dial, it forces the driver to take their eyes off the road for too long to set the temp, vents, fan speed etc. Separate dials are much easier to use like in the iQ1. In my opinion while the dash is functional and I know Toyota were sving as much space as possible, it could have been much more attractive and easier to use. For example, the rev counter is tiny, way too small, you can see it but it doesnt catch your eye in an easy to read way, why not fit a dash mounted pod or make the speed and rev unit wider and a bit funkier to match the cars image? The display above the cd slot was rather a waste of space, the rev counter would be better up there or even better use it for the stereo display! Big display to tell you not a lot and a tiny display to show 20 functions....

I was impressed with the amount of room the driver and passenger had, I took 2 other out for a spin and the rear passenger still had loads of room and was quite happy and comfy in the back, something they didnt expect before getting in :)

Ok now the differences between the two engines. Around town and in traffic you would be really hard pushed to tell the difference between the two. When the 1.33 is below 4k revs it is very similar to the 1.0 in power and performance. If you were spending most of your time driving like this, in a city centre for expample it really wouldnt be worth getting the bigger engine. HOWEVER... I live in a town surrounded by countryside, lots of town driving in traffic then 5 mins out of town into nice countryside and fast lanes. Plenty of dual carrigeways and a close motorway network to Mnachester, Liverpool etc. Once out of town the 1.33 is streets ahead of the 1.0 BUT you need to work it hard :) If you are prepared to rev the little engine then the 1.33 can really fly. It only opens up above 4k revs but will quite happily fly round to the red line. I used some very familar lanes to compare the cars and at the same point from standstill the 1.0 had reached 58mph while the 1.33 had hit 83mph - a significant difference. In gear performance was much better in the 1.33, but again only if you are prepared to use the engine fully. I would have NO reservation using the 1.33 on the motorway (on my private test track it easily shot up to 95mph and was very happy sat at that speed, very stable and 6th gear meant the revs were still quite low) in the 1.0 it was a struggle getting above 70mph.

It is a shame I couldnt reset the trip computer to test the average mpg. Having said that, fuel economy is not high on my list for reasons to own an iQ. My current car manages 24mpg so anything above 35 is a bonus for me :) on a separate note, neither cars would not show a figure above 60mpg on the computer for the instant mpg.

All in all I really like the iQ, the styling is fantastic, the drive is good, the 1.33 engine is fine for my needs (I personally would not buy the 1.0l but thats because of the roads I use) but would I buy one??.............. That depends on the price and thats down to my dealer lol. I have left him to work out a deal :)

the big question for me is whether its a 12.5k car.. I dont know. Would the cuteness and looks wear off over time and the cheapness of some of the design annoy me? again I dont know. I will let you know what deal the dealership come up with and what the Fiat 500 is like I will be comparing the iQ to this week.

Oh nearly forgot to mention that not once during the two hours of driving the iQ3 did the engine turn itself off when stopped (yes it was in neutral and handbrake on) what factors infuence the stop start system? Also was it just me or are the brakes really bad? They had no feel at all and no initial bite, I had to really stand on them!

Hope that helps anyone in the same situation as me :D

[swindonblackiq]

Nice post, ChuG! However I am sure you meant to add, "Theorectically", that " the 1.33 had hit 83mph" :P :D

[Salsadicto]

Interesting opinion !

I think toyota first planed to install sat nav on all IQs with the screen displaying radio... and then decided to make it optional because of its price and had the bad idea to display radio and audio settings on the tiny screen... sat nav display is just perfect.

As far as stability is concerned... i could drive my IQ on autobahn... and could see at max speed (107.5 mph limited by an electronic way, checked with tomtom one sat nav) the car is as stable as at a usual motorway speed. It's juste amazing for its size.

The price is far too high but as it fits perfectly my use i decided that if i had to buy an expensive car, for same price, i prefer to find the most "needs matching" than the biggest car.

Start and stop that take engine off when you stop the car only stop the engine if the car isn't mooving and if you don't have your foot touching the left or the right pedals (don't know their name in english). you can have your foot on the brake if you don't puh too hard. no need to have handbrake on.

The other point is that the system takes care off Battery level... That means if the weather is cold, if the lights are on, if the climate control is on, if the driver's seat heater is on, radio is on, phone bluetooth is on and that you connected your mp3 device by bluetooth... it means that the batery works a lot and the ECO system don't turn on very often, and when it does it turn back the engine on after 10-15 seconds. Thats what happens on my IQ3.

[ChuGNutS]

Nice post, ChuG! However I am sure you meant to add, "Theorectically", that " the 1.33 had hit 83mph" :P :D

That was on my private test track

Funny that I miss the little car already, hope the dealer comes up with a good deal!

[geo13647]

nice post.

Start/ Stop will not function if:-

it's switched off.

you have the aircon on demist.

are using lots of electricals, eg stereo loud with lights & wipers on.

are moving.

a few other restrictions, i.e. the car always makes sure there is enough juice to re-start.

well it does on mine anyhow.

buy it! you know u want to.

no regrets here.

G...

[Salsadicto]

Nice post, ChuG! However I am sure you meant to add, "Theorectically", that " the 1.33 had hit 83mph" :P :D

That was on my private test track

Funny that I miss the little car already, hope the dealer comes up with a good deal!

I know in france 5% is a normal deal (seller can do it), 7% is a good deal (seller can do it by asking his boss), and 8% is a very good deal and can be done for people that owns a company (don't ask why...). And you can order in foreign european countries and have a 10% but you don't know exactly what is on your IQ... rear drums ? exterior fittings ? interior fittings ?

[Durham IQ]

Keep shopping around.... I got £1,300.00 off my IQ3

[ChuGNutS]

Keep shopping around.... I got £1,300.00 off my IQ3

Main dealer or internet agent?

[reece]

The Stop/Start is controlled by a computer chip, it won’t self terminate itself by draining the power to the point of not being able to restart. You also have to make sure your foot is off the clutch, just touching it lightly or resting your foot on it is enough to restart the engine.

[SallyIQ]

Just one thing i picked up on

The climate control worked well but again I dont really see the point in cramming all the controls on to one dial, it forces the driver to take their eyes off the road for too long to set the temp, vents, fan speed etc.

After about a month or so of owning the car, it was easy to remember which part of the big round dial does what so I can easily adjust fan speed, heat or position without taking my eyes off the road now. It does take some getting used to but I cant live without it now. Also think it looks 100x better than the IQ(1) dials. Just my little input!

Hope you get a good deal and make a decision soon :)

[macabeus]

Funny that you know the climate control works well with this temperatures.

[ChuGNutS]

Funny that you know the climate control works well with this temperatures.

?? Didnt quite understand that.

Climate control keeps the cabin at a pre-set temperature and has no relevance to the outside temperature. set it to 22 and it stays there, if its cold outside it will use hot air to warm the cabin, if its hot outside it will use the aircon to cool the cabin. What point are you making?

[macabeus]

Yep i'm aware of how it works and with this temps (airco does not work below (about) 4 degrees centigrade) it will not cool so the funtionality is not proven. ;)