Goodbye Iq

[mcneild]

Well, after 39 months and 27000 miles my leased IQ 1 is going back on Friday. Since I have benefited from other peoples posts I thought I could share a few thoughts with the community here and they may be useful to someone contemplating an IQ.

First off, let me say that I have really enjoyed this little car. It belies its size in the way it performs, capable of 80mph motorway journeys, has returned mpg figures in the high 40s in a mixed driving, and handles like a go-Kart. I will miss the fact that U-turns are easily achieved on single carriageway roads.

My 2009 car, although the basic IQ, was fitted with rear discs - not all were. This proved to be the source of an early problem, the symptoms of which were poor mpg (in the 30s) and a squeak when cornering. At first the dealership, tried to tell me that "brake squeal" was normal, but this was not happening when the brakes were applied, only when cornering. I persisted, suggesting wheel bearings, and on the second visit they diagnosed that a rear set of brake pads was incorrectly seated. New pads were fitted under warranty, problem disappeared and the mpg shot up to 45+ where it has mostly stayed.

I did try for one war story on the mpg front. On a trip from Manchester to Swansea, I kept my speed between 55-60mph and stayed behind the lorries. This resulted in an average of 84mpg for that trip, but that driving style would drive me crazy. Proved it could be done, though many people complain that they can't get near the official figures.

I often used the car three-up, when driving my two teenagers about. These journeys were generally short - less than 20 miles, but were perfectly achievable. The 4th seat was occasionally pressed into service by moving the drivers seat forward - I have short legs though and even I wouldn't try this for more than a few miles. Generally I kept the 4th seat folded and used the boot space for the weekly shop!

There were a couple of recalls - brake master cylinder and the steering rack. Both were carried out efficiently by the dealer. Apart from regular scheduled servicing the only other item that required attention was new front tyres at 20k miles. The car has performed faultlessly and even in the severe winter we had in 2010/11 it never missed a beat. The skinny tyres climbed over frozen slush where Mini's etc were getting stuck.

The IQ is quite refined around town but gets noisy at high speeds. I often found the radio needed to be up high on the motorway - ridiculously high in fact when I subsequently got back into the car. I cured an annoying rattle from the instrument binnacle by poking a bit of blutack between the speedo glass and the instrument surround. One other persistant rattle I struggled to trace came from the back tailgate area. I just cracked that one as prepared to hand the car back - the rear cargo compartment, which you lift out to access the wheel changing kit, has two lugs that locate it against the rear sill. It is easy to insert the box without locating the lugs in the corresponding loops - and the trim then rattles.

At the end of the day I considered extending the lease on this car (not an option from the hire company), buying the car (ridiculously high price quoted), or lease another one (big uplift in lease cost for essentially the same vehicle). So reluctantly i am moving on. I will be sorry to see the car go, and am toying with the idea of scanning the auctions and buying it back for my daughter.

Anyway, I hope that my experience will be of some interest to people. I recommend the IQ.

Good luck to the community!

[Soeley]

Some nice feedback on your car there. I hope your next car will give you as much joy.

[s44gtw]

I enjoyed that review and comments.

All the best and i hope you enjoy your next car.

george

[Dark Matter]

"Big uplift in lease costs" ? Im surprised that after the glowing report you didn't think it worth accepting this as the "price" of getting a brand new 2013 iQ.

I am particularly interested in this because at the end of my lease I am presently of the mind that I will hand it back and just get a new one. Frankly nothing else will come close, if it costs more than I currently pay so what, thats not my only criteria.