New Car - Arrived

[SteveEnj]

Well actually picked it up last Wednesday, but I've been too busy enjoying it to post... sorry!

Black iQ2

First thoughts, I can't stop smiling when I drive it, reminiscent of my brothers original mini from the 1980's, in fact, I think the iQ is what BMW should have made to replace the original Mini, its just fun.

I love the keyless entry & start. I love the feeling of space & size, feels like my Golf until you look in the rear view mirror, or try & do a three point turn, and it ends up being a No point turn. I could go on & on about all the things I like about it, but it comes down to the word "FUN".

On the negative side: I've also found the problem others have mentioned, the fact the MPG reading only goes to '60', what were they thinking? my Golf goes to '199', & before that I had an Alfa 156, that went to '250'. I can only assume it’s a software glitch that maybe, just maybe will get addressed at a later date...

I noted other people mentioned the fact you could mark the interior trim very easily, and indeed we had put a scuff on the passenger side door trim (seat belt buckle) before we got back from the dealer! But I also noted that people talked about polishing the trim with silicone wipes, so I got an aerosol of silicone & went mad - a week later, and still no more marks.

I bought the car to do my commute across the M62 between West Yorkshire & Manchester, & I've found it struggles a little up the "Big Hill" over the pennines, & would recommend others with a similar trek to wait for the 1.3, having said that, I feel the torque kicks in around 4000rpm, & at 70mph you are doing around 3000rpm, so dropping down to 4th gear solves the problem at the expense of fuel consumption. I'm used to big engined petrol & diesels, with stacks of torque, so it maybe I just need to readjust my driving technique. Around town & on country roads, no problem, just fun.

Wish List: Centre box between the seats would be useful. I also feel they have crammed a lot of information into the readout display, & feel it would have been nice to maybe move the radio related information, & possibly some other bits into the panel used for seat belt warnings, this seems to be a large potential display area that is under used, but that’s just a very minor niggle.

I'm still on my first tank of fuel, so can't report on MPG yet, but it seems to be doing what I expected.

Despite my negative points, these are minor issues, and overall I absolutely love the car, & I'm very pleased with my purchase, and would recommend one to anyone who asked. If you are considering buying one, go for it! You won't regret it & will have so much fun!

Stephen

[SooZ]

not only that, your little car is a head turner too !

[SteveEnj]

not only that, your little car is a head turner too !

That is also very true :)

[JJLight]

Your story gets me all excited about going for the iQ again, although there is still a nagging doubt in my mind. The problem I have is that the Aygo is more practical for a 2nd car, and quite a bit cheaper too. But the iQ is cool, has some great high spec features (like the keyless entry), and also comes out better in NCAP safety tests. Do I go with my head or my heart?! Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy your iQ and I would be interested to hear more about how you get on with it.

[cvn25]

Your story gets me all excited about going for the iQ again, although there is still a nagging doubt in my mind. The problem I have is that the Aygo is more practical for a 2nd car, and quite a bit cheaper too. But the iQ is cool, has some great high spec features (like the keyless entry), and also comes out better in NCAP safety tests. Do I go with my head or my heart?! Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy your iQ and I would be interested to hear more about how you get on with it.

HEART !!!

[SteveEnj]

Your story gets me all excited about going for the iQ again, although there is still a nagging doubt in my mind. The problem I have is that the Aygo is more practical for a 2nd car, and quite a bit cheaper too. But the iQ is cool, has some great high spec features (like the keyless entry), and also comes out better in NCAP safety tests. Do I go with my head or my heart?! Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy your iQ and I would be interested to hear more about how you get on with it.

I was looking at Aygo/C1/107 before I saw then test drove the iQ, its just a different class of car! You need to ask yourself why is the Aygo more practicle? You can still get four in the iQ (as long as one is small - if my daughter drives, I can sit comfortably behind the driver) and if you have one or two up, the seats fold flat and you have plenty of luggage space. Parking the iQ is much easier, and it turns on a sixpence. The iQ maybe more expensive, but you get alot more for your money. I was bombing along the M62 last night with my daughter in the car, in heavy rain, and when we got home, we both realised how relaxed a drive it had been, despite adverse driving conditions, and at no time had we felt in a small car, vunerable, or in any danger... in fact it wasn't even an issue, and only came up in conversation afterwards.

I think that if you go with your heart, it will in reality be going with your head also.

Stephen

[johnan]

Your story gets me all excited about going for the iQ again, although there is still a nagging doubt in my mind. The problem I have is that the Aygo is more practical for a 2nd car, and quite a bit cheaper too. But the iQ is cool, has some great high spec features (like the keyless entry), and also comes out better in NCAP safety tests. Do I go with my head or my heart?! Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy your iQ and I would be interested to hear more about how you get on with it.

I was looking at Aygo/C1/107 before I saw then test drove the iQ, its just a different class of car! You need to ask yourself why is the Aygo more practicle? You can still get four in the iQ (as long as one is small - if my daughter drives, I can sit comfortably behind the driver) and if you have one or two up, the seats fold flat and you have plenty of luggage space. Parking the iQ is much easier, and it turns on a sixpence. The iQ maybe more expensive, but you get alot more for your money. I was bombing along the M62 last night with my daughter in the car, in heavy rain, and when we got home, we both realised how relaxed a drive it had been, despite adverse driving conditions, and at no time had we felt in a small car, vunerable, or in any danger... in fact it wasn't even an issue, and only came up in conversation afterwards.

I think that if you go with your heart, it will in reality be going with your head also.

Stephen

I must agree with Stephen.

I had an Aygo for 2 years and loved it (luckily none of the faults due to possible cheap build quality that others have reported occured on mine), but the iQ is just in a different league.

Great car, nuff said!

[JJLight]

I have sat inside an Aygo (although not test driven one) and I must say that it felt extremely basic compared to the iQ that was so solid and high quality.

From a practicality perspective I have a young baby so I'm a little concerned that the back seats of the iQ will prove awkward to move his car seat in and out of. A 5-door Aygo would definitely be more practical from that perspective.

I'm also concerned about luggage space - I wouldn't be keen on folding down one rear seat because, without any cargo net, any luggage would be a pretty dangerous projectile for me and my baby in the case of an accident. Similarly if I were to put our bags in the passenger seat. Are there any solutions to this problem?

[tallman]

The thing to bare in mind with the Aygo is the noise levels at motorway speeds.. Despite the IQ sharing the same engine the Aygo far more noisey, indeed even when one changes gear there's a vibration through the clutch pedal etc... Least not forget also that the IQ was origionally planned to be a Lexus which I guess may go some way to explain why it's so refined!

[SteveEnj]

I have sat inside an Aygo (although not test driven one) and I must say that it felt extremely basic compared to the iQ that was so solid and high quality.

From a practicality perspective I have a young baby so I'm a little concerned that the back seats of the iQ will prove awkward to move his car seat in and out of. A 5-door Aygo would definitely be more practical from that perspective.

I'm also concerned about luggage space - I wouldn't be keen on folding down one rear seat because, without any cargo net, any luggage would be a pretty dangerous projectile for me and my baby in the case of an accident. Similarly if I were to put our bags in the passenger seat. Are there any solutions to this problem?

Hmmm, as a bloke, and with a grown up daughter, that is the one practical point I didn't consider. The iQ does have all the appropriate ISO fix points, but even though the seats move well forward for access to the rear seats, there is no substitute for 5 doors I'm afraid... I can only suggest that you see if your local Toyota dealer will let you try. Maybe someone else on this forum has more real life experience. Try starting a new thread with a title that will get their attention, like; "Mum's - Any experience with child seats?"

Storage, I don't know of any specific solution made by Toyota, but it wouldn't be difficult to anchor down a third party storage box in the unused rear seat. Or, because of the design of the iQ, where its designed to have a large amount of leg room for the front seat passenger, to allow the seat to be set forward to make room for the rear passenger... therefore if you push the seat back, you have a lot of space in the front foot well that could be used for storing luggage, and in the front foot well is less likely to cause problems if you stop suddenly or have a minor accident.

But, if you don't like these solutions, then I have to say the storage space behind the rear seats is only useful for your sandwiches, or a small envelope! But while there maybe a few additional centimeters in the Aygo boot, will it make any difference in reality? Can you still fit anything practical in it?

It really comes down to what type of driving you do most often, if you do longer journeys, or motorway driving, I would still consider the iQ, but if you mainly only do short trips, then the refined features of the iQ are less relevant. But, apart from the 5 doors, the iQ is a small Tardis like car, and I would be interested to compare actual numbers for interior cabin space when compared with the Aygo. Like, how much useable space is there in the boot of the Aygo, width of cabin, legroom etc. One of the main features of the iQ is the complete redesign of major features of small cars, to reduce the total vehicle size (ie outside dimensions) while maintaining or increasing cabin space. For example, by moving the differential & therefore drive shafts to the front of the engine, the front wheels move to the front corners of the car, which means you have NO wheel arch in the front foot well of the car, making more space inside for a reduction in outside size.

I hope my ramblings are of some help with you decision.

Stephen

It maybe that you would be better with a 5 door Yaris?

[jbracefan1977]

pics?? congrats! you're gonna enjoy every minute of the new car :)

[JJLight]

I've just visited a nearby Toyota dealer and tried my child seat in the back and in the front of an iQ, and access was actually pretty decent. Sure, a 5-door would be a little more convenient, but it really wasn't that bad at all.

The iQ was actually a Silver (the first one I've seen) at it looked quite nice. Even my wife, who had sworn she would not let me get a silver iQ, said that it actually looked good in the flesh! However, she was still having concerns about the size of the iQ . . .

It maybe that you would be better with a 5 door Yaris?

Many months ago, when we first started discussing a 2nd car, my wife said point blank that she wouldn't have a Yaris. She just didn't like them (just like a silver iQ). So we're there at the dealer and I'm playing around in the iQ and then she goes over to this other car, gets inside and says, "Oooh, this is really nice!". Of course, it was a Yaris.

So she then starts talking about the Yaris as being a more practical alternative to the iQ. I have to admit that it was very nice inside (top spec T-spirit, of course) and seemed very large with really clever rear seats that slide to give more legroom/boot space as required. I took away the brochure and did some sums when I got home, and to get the similar spec as the iQ would cost £2k extra for the car, plus £35 per year road tax, plus 10 MPG less fuel efficiency, plus 4 extra insurance groups. So all in all, we'd be paying quite a bit more for the larger car.

Being the sensible guy that I am, I wrote out a list of all the scenarios we would use a 2nd car in over the next 10 years, and even if we had 2 kids I couldn't come up with one example of where the iQ wouldn't have been sufficient. Family outings use the large family car, and trips with 1 adult + kids can be catered for by the iQ (unless a pushchair is required!). I think I've convinced her. Possibly. Maybe. Well, I've convinced myself, which is a start.

[SteveEnj]

I've just visited a nearby Toyota dealer and tried my child seat in the back and in the front of an iQ, and access was actually pretty decent. Sure, a 5-door would be a little more convenient, but it really wasn't that bad at all.

The iQ was actually a Silver (the first one I've seen) at it looked quite nice. Even my wife, who had sworn she would not let me get a silver iQ, said that it actually looked good in the flesh! However, she was still having concerns about the size of the iQ . . .

It maybe that you would be better with a 5 door Yaris?

Many months ago, when we first started discussing a 2nd car, my wife said point blank that she wouldn't have a Yaris. She just didn't like them (just like a silver iQ). So we're there at the dealer and I'm playing around in the iQ and then she goes over to this other car, gets inside and says, "Oooh, this is really nice!". Of course, it was a Yaris.

So she then starts talking about the Yaris as being a more practical alternative to the iQ. I have to admit that it was very nice inside (top spec T-spirit, of course) and seemed very large with really clever rear seats that slide to give more legroom/boot space as required. I took away the brochure and did some sums when I got home, and to get the similar spec as the iQ would cost £2k extra for the car, plus £35 per year road tax, plus 10 MPG less fuel efficiency, plus 4 extra insurance groups. So all in all, we'd be paying quite a bit more for the larger car.

Being the sensible guy that I am, I wrote out a list of all the scenarios we would use a 2nd car in over the next 10 years, and even if we had 2 kids I couldn't come up with one example of where the iQ wouldn't have been sufficient. Family outings use the large family car, and trips with 1 adult + kids can be catered for by the iQ (unless a pushchair is required!). I think I've convinced her. Possibly. Maybe. Well, I've convinced myself, which is a start.

:) I can only say that I'm now 10 days into ownership, and I'm still smiling. My other/familly car is a Golf GT Sport, that we got in January, fitted with the superb DSG gearbox... but I still prefer driving the iQ, sure I have one or two reservations or niggles, but I've always had them with every car I've owned. If you can get the child seat in without any problems, then I would say "go for it".

Stephen

[derry]

Well actually picked it up last Wednesday, but I've been too busy enjoying it to post... sorry!

Black iQ2

First thoughts, I can't stop smiling when I drive it, reminiscent of my brothers original mini from the 1980's, in fact, I think the iQ is what BMW should have made to replace the original Mini, its just fun.

I love the keyless entry & start. I love the feeling of space & size, feels like my Golf until you look in the rear view mirror, or try & do a three point turn, and it ends up being a No point turn. I could go on & on about all the things I like about it, but it comes down to the word "FUN".

On the negative side: I've also found the problem others have mentioned, the fact the MPG reading only goes to '60', what were they thinking? my Golf goes to '199', & before that I had an Alfa 156, that went to '250'. I can only assume it’s a software glitch that maybe, just maybe will get addressed at a later date...

I noted other people mentioned the fact you could mark the interior trim very easily, and indeed we had put a scuff on the passenger side door trim (seat belt buckle) before we got back from the dealer! But I also noted that people talked about polishing the trim with silicone wipes, so I got an aerosol of silicone & went mad - a week later, and still no more marks.

I bought the car to do my commute across the M62 between West Yorkshire & Manchester, & I've found it struggles a little up the "Big Hill" over the pennines, & would recommend others with a similar trek to wait for the 1.3, having said that, I feel the torque kicks in around 4000rpm, & at 70mph you are doing around 3000rpm, so dropping down to 4th gear solves the problem at the expense of fuel consumption. I'm used to big engined petrol & diesels, with stacks of torque, so it maybe I just need to readjust my driving technique. Around town & on country roads, no problem, just fun.

Wish List: Centre box between the seats would be useful. I also feel they have crammed a lot of information into the readout display, & feel it would have been nice to maybe move the radio related information, & possibly some other bits into the panel used for seat belt warnings, this seems to be a large potential display area that is under used, but that’s just a very minor niggle.

I'm still on my first tank of fuel, so can't report on MPG yet, but it seems to be doing what I expected.

Despite my negative points, these are minor issues, and overall I absolutely love the car, & I'm very pleased with my purchase, and would recommend one to anyone who asked. If you are considering buying one, go for it! You won't regret it & will have so much fun!

Stephen

[derry]

Well actually picked it up last Wednesday, but I've been too busy enjoying it to post... sorry!

Black iQ2

First thoughts, I can't stop smiling when I drive it, reminiscent of my brothers original mini from the 1980's, in fact, I think the iQ is what BMW should have made to replace the original Mini, its just fun.

I love the keyless entry & start. I love the feeling of space & size, feels like my Golf until you look in the rear view mirror, or try & do a three point turn, and it ends up being a No point turn. I could go on & on about all the things I like about it, but it comes down to the word "FUN".

On the negative side: I've also found the problem others have mentioned, the fact the MPG reading only goes to '60', what were they thinking? my Golf goes to '199', & before that I had an Alfa 156, that went to '250'. I can only assume it’s a software glitch that maybe, just maybe will get addressed at a later date...

I noted other people mentioned the fact you could mark the interior trim very easily, and indeed we had put a scuff on the passenger side door trim (seat belt buckle) before we got back from the dealer! But I also noted that people talked about polishing the trim with silicone wipes, so I got an aerosol of silicone & went mad - a week later, and still no more marks.

I bought the car to do my commute across the M62 between West Yorkshire & Manchester, & I've found it struggles a little up the "Big Hill" over the pennines, & would recommend others with a similar trek to wait for the 1.3, having said that, I feel the torque kicks in around 4000rpm, & at 70mph you are doing around 3000rpm, so dropping down to 4th gear solves the problem at the expense of fuel consumption. I'm used to big engined petrol & diesels, with stacks of torque, so it maybe I just need to readjust my driving technique. Around town & on country roads, no problem, just fun.

Wish List: Centre box between the seats would be useful. I also feel they have crammed a lot of information into the readout display, & feel it would have been nice to maybe move the radio related information, & possibly some other bits into the panel used for seat belt warnings, this seems to be a large potential display area that is under used, but that’s just a very minor niggle.

I'm still on my first tank of fuel, so can't report on MPG yet, but it seems to be doing what I expected.

Despite my negative points, these are minor issues, and overall I absolutely love the car, & I'm very pleased with my purchase, and would recommend one to anyone who asked. If you are considering buying one, go for it! You won't regret it & will have so much fun!

Stephen

Picking up my new IQ next week.Could you tell me what silicone stuff you used , as the 303 aerospace stuff does not get many good reports?

Thanks

[toyboata]

I have recently placed an order for an Aygo,

I did have a look at the IQ, and although it is an interesting car (function and style wise) - it was just too much money for me to spend on a car of that size.

I know you get plenty of sexy toys...but to me, the £10K price tag was just to much for a "small" car...the aygo which is cheaper and a little bit bigger was the one for me...and i like its "simplicity" and "go-kart" feel.

Matt :)