toyotaiQcentral.com

[harrington]

We picked the new iQ3 up a couple of weeks ago and still excited to go out for a drive.
Done a good mix of A-roads, town and motorway driving now, and it's behaving well.
However, any attempt to "press on" whilst on the motorway (and holding speed steady) really does eat into the economy, even with the 1.3 and tall gears.

Any other iQ3 owners out there to share their experiences?

[TiQ]

The IQ3 are few and far between on here so far but hopefully someone can help with some feedback.

Welcome along!

[Nikoiq]

Wellcome and post dome pics of the IQ.
And let us know about the driving...

[harrington]

Thanks for the welcome!
Will post some pictures, but it's all pretty standard looking to be honest, although I think the grey and the slightly bigger dia wheels suit the car very well.
Handling feels positive with roll pretty well controlled and keeping very stable.
The ride is, as all other iQ owners know, something to behold for such a small car.
Brakes are progressive once the first inch or so of nothingness passes.
Gearshift also very positive. 1st gear seems a lot lower than 2nd, which is good if you need to quickly nip out of a junction or creep along in traffic, but bad if you expect to pick up swiftly from rolling in 2nd. 6th is for relatively flat, steady speed cruising.
The engine itself is incredibly flexible and upshifting early when the indicator suggests causes little or no issue. It's also pretty nippy at low speeds and the engine really livens up above 3000rev/min if you need it. There is occasionally a slight hesitation when cruising in top or 5th at this engine speed, so maybe the cams change phase around here and can't always be hidden?
The stop-start system is a pleasure, in fact I'm sometimes finding myself perversely wishing for the lights to turn red! Shutdown shake is excellently controlled and, as a result, barely noticeable save for the tacho dropping. Start-up is cleanly achieved before the clutch moves below toggle point, so again pullaway is achieved just as expected in a 'normal' car. Very impressive.
Wouldn't mind a slightly cleverer stereo, so volume doesn't need too much adjustment between sources or at different vehicle speeds.
So much to say - this is a car that makes you think and makes you appreciate what can be achieved and what has been achieved in the design and engineering of this car!

[jason]

Hey harrington, great review. Good to hear another point of view

[zowee]

I saw 38.5 mpg on a recent trip to my caravan in wales.I was admittedly trying to maintain 75mph against a fierce headwind on the A55 coast road but otherwise motorway economy in my 1.0 litre is usually around 50mpg.

[harrington]

Well with just over 2000 miles on the clock now, I tried my best to use as little fuel as possible on a motorway journey and, sticking to 70mph almost everywhere, the iQ3 returned a pretty reasonable 57mpg (indicated).

However, sneak over the 120kph mark and economy does drop off. Coincidentally, 120kph is the highest speed required over the European regulatory cycle.

Also, if you need to press on, the iQ's 1.33 seems happy to stretch its legs and when up at, shall we say, higher speeds, it really is very well controlled and calm. Very impressive.

As ever though, you've always got to remember that 6th is an overdrive for flat cruising and if there's two adults and some luggage in the car you're going to have to stir up the gears to maintain speed and where applicable help economy.

[Eirianbell]

IQ is an excellent way to save the planet. No longer have to go fast as treated as amusement rather than as a competitor. Why not ask all drivers to adhere to the speed limits world-wide and do away with the need for globel-warming talks? Estimated period for saving the planet is slightly short of one year but would interfere with taxation.

[harrington]

It's been a while, so now we're just North of 12,000 miles with one service under our belt.
On second set of interior mats as first set went threadbare very quickly and second set (replaced FoC) are wearing much the same way on driver's side.
Rear interior panels that hold the rear seatbelt got replaced after I moaned about slot that holds seat belt buckle not holding the seat belt buckle and it flapping around and knocking annoyingly. Dealers in Stratford being very good.
Occasionally, I can't get reverse so being a bit old skool, I put in the middle of the gate, lift the clutch and then dip it again to try once more. This Eco-stops the engine and can bring up the heartrate a little if there's a truck rumbling towards you when you want to reverse out of the way. It's only occasional, but I'll keep an eye on it.
Car seems to have loosened up nicely and regularly returns what I think is quite an impressive 54mpg from a mix of A and B roads and short motorway stretches. Easy on the AirCon too! Still it's a bit down on VCA combined fuel economy figure (http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/search ... p?id=23494), but it's less than 10% out so in my experience that's pretty damn good as the car hasn't been specially prepped and I'm not a perfect driver!
Handling remains very impressive ultimately although very slightly numb before loading up and turning in neutrally. I have had one 'moment' a few months ago in heavy rain where I aquaplaned mid-bend, my fault really as I lifted slightly, but to be fair although the back came around a little, the stability control just slowed it all down and helped my average driving skill control it back to the straight in one move. Very impressive agin considering it has such a short wheelbase.
Bit disappointed there's not a decent option to play iPod or similar.

Anyway, where are the rest of you iQ3 owners? What's going on out there?

P.S. Not sure I'm completely on-board with the speed limit fan in previous post, but more along the lines of drivers just driving more smoothly, consistently and yet still positively. Driving should be interesting and fun, especially in such a neat little car as an iQ3!