For The 1.33-litre iQ3 is the best-equipped iQ, and it has a useful power boost over the 1.0. It’s still low-tax, and stop-start technology helps keep its fuel consumption down.
Against The compromise between rear passenger-carrying and boot-space. The cabin doesn’t feel as high-quality as it should do, either.
The iQ is certainly clever, but it’s not practical, its interior is a bit drab, and this 1.33-litre model is particularly expensive for something so small.
The Toyota iQ is cleverly packaged, using all sorts of tricks to try to fit four people in a car that’s less than three metres long.
Buyers tempted by the car’s image can choose between 1.0- and 1.33-litre petrol engines, but we’d stick with the 1.0-litre because it’s reasonably sprightly and exempt from road tax.
Both of the trims available with the 1.0-litre engine feature bags of kit – and go some way to explaining the high asking price. In our view, the cheapest provides all the must-have items such as air-conditioning, nine airbags and stability control, although some of the switchgear on this model looks rather cheap.
The list of options on the iQ includes part-leather seats and satellite-navigation, but these aren’t available on the entry-level car. The sat-nav system seems particularly expensive at almost 10% of the mid-spec iQ’s cost, but could help with resale values for a car that’s likely to spend its life in clogged-up cities.