Learning To Drive In An Iq / First Test!

[5drive]

So, tomorrow’s my big day with the iQ - first pupil to take their test in Oxford.

Everything’s going really well and they have a good chance of passing.

But... the first time pass rate is only 34%!!!

I wonder if they’ll be the first person in the UK to do so?

Anyhow I’ll let you all know how it goes – keep your fingers crossed, please.

[justin7]

So, tomorrow’s my big day with the iQ - first pupil to take their test in Oxford.

Everything’s going really well and they have a good chance of passing.

But... the first time pass rate is only 34%!!!

I wonder if they’ll be the first person in the UK to do so?

Anyhow I’ll let you all know how it goes – keep your fingers crossed, please.

are you some sort of driving instructor?...because a "3 point turn" in this car is practically cheating haha infact parking in general....LOL

[steveybaby]

So, how did they get on?

:(

[sundance]

So, tomorrow’s my big day with the iQ - first pupil to take their test in Oxford.

Everything’s going really well and they have a good chance of passing.

But... the first time pass rate is only 34%!!!

I wonder if they’ll be the first person in the UK to do so?

Anyhow I’ll let you all know how it goes – keep your fingers crossed, please.

[turniphead]

So, tomorrow’s my big day with the iQ - first pupil to take their test in Oxford.

Everything’s going really well and they have a good chance of passing.

But... the first time pass rate is only 34%!!!

I wonder if they’ll be the first person in the UK to do so?

Anyhow I’ll let you all know how it goes – keep your fingers crossed, please.

are you some sort of driving instructor?...because a "3 point turn" in this car is practically cheating haha infact parking in general....LOL

3 point turn? :o Shouldn't that be 'turning in the road' in these modern times?

.........and am I the only one who finds visibility a bit of a *****ter when reversing? .........those huge rear pillers with tiny port holes to see through........no?....................I'll get me coat............. :(

[elvyn]

Hope all went well. Arn't the Iq's not allowed to be used for learner training as the instructor has difficulty seeing all the road? with thick side pillars etc.

[cvn25]

turniphead

I have the same problem.

reversed off my driveway the other morning and nearly ran someone over. mind you they kept walking too - know they have right of way as walking on the pavement which I am crossing - but surely anyone with an ounce of common sense would wait if a car kept reversing !!!- lol. O ris just that as a driver when I am a pedestrian I always assume a driver hasn't seen me unless they stop ( and wave me past).

Most times I reverse into the driveway and into parking space as safest way - can then just drive straight out.

Having said that I find you need to be careful making sudden moves in case something/one is in your blindspot. As long as you take care and take time it is fine.

I have driven cars with just as bad visibility, Honda FRV most recent I recall but have had other hatchbacks and coupes in the past which are as bad or worse than the iQ.

[adam_d]

Hope all went well. Arn't the Iq's not allowed to be used for learner training as the instructor has difficulty seeing all the road? with thick side pillars etc.

This was from a while ago, but a notice went up in my local test center a few weeks ago confirming the IQ is indeed banned from being used for tests. :(

[5drive]

yes its true :( my iQ is going back to my main dealer for nearly £3k less than I paid for it 8 months ago - so much money lost! Whoever said Toyota's hold their value?! My driving school is in turmoil - having to use a much older car to teach in until I can afford to buy a MINI. I've attached my press release, not that it's made a sausage of difference. The DSA have been so unfair, picking on the lovely iQ just because it's different and special. Good luck everyone!

PRESS RELEASE

The Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA) ban last month (October 09) on taking the driving test in Toyota’s forward-thinking, 5 star Euro NCAP rated, environment-conscious model, the iQ, is putting small businesses at risk and compromising the safety of learners, driving instructors and examiners, argues Warren Openshaw, founder of 5Drive.

On 7th October 2009, the DSA’s technical department made the decision to preclude the Toyota iQ, with immediate effect, from the practical category B car test, based on concerns raised by a sole examiner about “the lack of adequate vision to the rear sides when negotiating left turns”. The DSA’s risk assessment to support this decision was carried out in a static iQ inside a Toyota showroom, conditions which could hardly be compared to a typical driving test. Furthermore, the risk assessment report was illustrated with computer enhanced library photography of the original concept car, lifted straight from the Toyota website.

Safety is a key issue for any Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) and choosing a vehicle which is suitable for teaching new drivers is not an impulsive decision. Having researched a number of car models for his new driving school, 5 Drive, Warren came to the conclusion that the iQ offered good all-round visibility, best in class safety features, and low emissions. To be certain that it met the requirements of the practical driving test, he sought advice from the Driving Standards Agency’s technical department who assured him that, although a new model, the iQ was suitable for the practical driving test, and that only convertible models had ever been precluded from the test in the past, for example the Mini Convertible. What they did not tell him was that with one examiner’s concerns, the car could be banned and his business would be left vulnerable.

At just over three metres long, the iQ is compact, but built for safety; the rigorous NCAP tests earned the car a score of 91% and a glowing five star safety rating. The shortness of the car means that, in many cases, the view you would normally see through the rear side window of a more traditional car can be seen directly through the rear windscreen, leading to visibility every bit as good as any other new car. The DSA’s argument that the view is ‘severely restricted’ by a metal panel is one that, in an impartial arena, will have to be applied to more and more new cars as bodywork is strengthened and additional airbags are incorporated into the car’s structure to meet today’s stringent safety requirements.

The decision to preclude the Toyota iQ from the practical driving test has left 5Drive in a position where tests are now taken in students’ own cars, which tend to be older vehicles with lower NCAP ratings and which, naturally, are not equipped with dual controls. As well as safety, the green credentials of the company are being compromised. “We have based our business model around the iQ, its impeccable safety features and its green credentials,” says Warren. “In a split second, the DSA has been able to put my business at risk.”

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

So sorry to hear that mate. The IQ would have been an ideal learners car in my opinion. If I were you I wouldn't get the new Mini. Its a hideous car in my opinion. All the dials are wrong, the seating position is uncomfortable and I find it awkward. Why not get yourself a Yaris? Cheaper and better than the new Mini, it is also more cost efficient, greener, cooler and has a miser like grip on its price. Even after years of use and high mileage you'll still get a good return on it!

Thats my two pennies worth anyway!

[Cyker]

Yaris and Fiat 500 seem very popular cars for driving schools atm; Seeing loads of them!

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

What do you expect? The Yaris is a brilliant small car all round and the Fiat 500... Well, the only thing going for it in my opinion is that its tiny. Other than that I think its awful. Can't stand Fiat.

Shame the IQ isn't allowed to be a learner's car. Would have been even better than the Yaris then!

[LA-LA]

Today:

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has stuck to its decision to ban the use of the Toyota iQ in driving tests.

According to a report in Fleet News, the DSA has refused to reassess the model after first declaring the iQ unsuitable for use in tests due to the alleged poor visibility from the passenger seat.

Driving examiners require ample visibility from the passenger seat during tests, particularly during reversing manoeuvres, explained the agency.

A spokesman for the DSA told Fleet News: “At a constructive meeting with Toyota UK we demonstrated the problems with limited visibility from the passenger seat.

The Toyota iQ remains unsuitable for test and we have no plans to reassess it after banning it from driving tests."

Driving schools which use the Toyota iQ for lessons will have to provide an alternative vehicle for tests.