Scion IQ

[natedawgrex]

So how does everyone feel about the new Scion IQ.

http://www.google.ca/images?hl=en&q=sc...sa=N&tab=wi

Hmm can we say SmartCar.

I guess we needed some competition.

[Cacarella]

Hopefully it can be purchased without the Lamborghini Reventon body package. It looks pretty similar to a smart, I wonder what the safety rating is like?Does it have a safety cell?

[OilerCdi]

I sat in one in a Toyota dealer when I was in Italy last year. At the time I was seriously falling in love with the Fiat 500, so I was not overly impressed with it. But, I do like the look of it.

[bilgladstone]

I... kind of... like it. It seems to have a little more aerodynamicitude than the smart.

Bil

[MightyMouseTech]

Just got back from England, and the Toyota iQ's were EVERYWHERE! I could not believe how many there were kicking around, and that was in a small town on the southcoast, not even in the big cities.

[andr01dm]

Unless I'm mistaken (and I often am) it will have a CVT when it goes on sale in Canada. I don't like how CVTs perform. My old scooter, a Honda Rucks, had serious issues with hills due to its CVT.. and its tiny 50cc 4 stroke. The iQ's set up might perform better, though from the reviews I've read it sounds like the transmission is a weak point.I've also read that the rear seats are not comfortable unless the people using them are below average height, and that if they are in use then your trunk room is practically nil.All of this, and that they won't be here until after Winter is over, is why I decided to get a smart car last month. But I am still interested in taking one for a spin. (And the Fiat 500 if it ever makes it over here...)

[Duck]

All CVT's are not created equal! Depends totally on the programming/manufacturer. The variable transmission (albeit completely different mechanially from all others - only similar in that the engine speed is irrespective from the vehicle speed) in the Prius always keeps the revs really low. The Dodge Caliber we rented in Florida last year was horrific. The B Class seems to do a good job.I like the iQ, a lot - but it seems to have a lot of hate among smart enthusiasts because of the copycat factor. Personally, I look at it as: size factor of the smart, 1 extra seat, and the reliability of a Toyota. Win win win.Chris - we noticed iQ's all over the UK as well!If we could have waited until the spring to get a new car, we proably would have been far more likely to have ended up with it.-Iain

[saronian]

I am also interested to test out the iQ when it comes to the US. I owned a Scion xA for 5 years and did not enjoy it as much as the smart. The xA averaged 29 mpg in mixed driving, auto transmission was very smooth, suspension was poor and experimenting with different spring/strut/shock combinations offered little improvement. My biggest complaint was rattles, the dash, doors and chassis gained more rattles as time went on. Overall I found the car reliable but lifeless.

[MightyMouseTech]

Unless I'm mistaken (and I often am) it will have a CVT when it goes on sale in Canada. I don't like how CVTs perform. My old scooter, a Honda Rucks, had serious issues with hills due to its CVT.. and its tiny 50cc 4 stroke.

A scooter does not have a CVT, it uses a centrifugal clutch.

[Duck]

Isn't it a combination of both? Centrifugal clutch to do initial engagement, then rubber-band-and-cones for the speed variation? (I'm thinking of the larger scooters - Honda Elite, Vespa's, etc.)My pocket bike only has a centrifugal clutch, but it's all-on or nothing when racing. -Iain

[andr01dm]

A scooter does not have a CVT, it uses a centrifugal clutch.

My Ruckus uses both, and I believe most modern scooters do as well. The centrifugal clutch engages the rear wheel's gear box when the CVT spins up the rear pulley to a high enough speed to force the clutch pads out against the bell.

Here's the instructions from a variator upgrade kit that I partly translated from Japanese, where you can see a diagram of the CVT and the clutch bell:

[deezle]

I honestly believe (and I know many of you won't) that the Scion IQ, the Fiat 500, and the Ford Fiesta combined are going to knock so much wind out of smart sales in North America (which are already low), that the brand may not survive here. Check this prediction 18 months from now.

[MikeT]

smart is unlikely to go from Canada if Europe is anything to go by. There has never been a shortage of competition for smart over there and it's persisted for 12 years. The only thing that should change in Canada is the provision of more engine options, which would put the fortwo on a similar footing to the European ones that are so successfully maintaining sales over there. That is good news, ironically!The USA is a different barrel of monkeys.

[deezle]

But the market for compact cars is so much smaller in Canada than in Europe. I just don't think there will be enough demand to go around with those other offerings here. Then again, the EV smart might arrive in time to save the day.

Edited October 15, 2010 by deezle

[MikeT]

I think the ED is a dud. But the cdi is great and we need it again. smart Canada needs it again.

[bilgladstone]

Yup. In my 'umble opinion, smart in North America is gone the way of the Dodo bird without the diesel coming back. Hmm... kind of an apt analogy, the more I think about it

[deezle]

It actually bore a slight resemblance to the smart logo :

[derekbrochu]

Totally a smart car... and they say the smart car is in trouble... HAHA!!!! people love the smart!

[MikeT]

Hmmm, 100,000 Toyota (Scion) IQs were just recalled to deal with a serious steering defect: power steering glitch (German)

[MikeT]

CVTs are great with torquey engines but with low torque units, hello MAX RPM all the time.

[Francesco]

I dunno, doesn't the NA B200 have barely more torque than a remapped smart cdi?

[Britsmart]

I will admit the Scion iQ is really nifty to look at, will be probably be a decent little car for people who want a small car that can carry four people..........if their rear seat passengers don't mind riding on the back window in seats that look so uncomfortable.............a lot of people say to me about my smart "I rather be in a large car then that in a collision" well for me that would apply to the iQ, no way will I be sitting in the back of one of those. I say....give me my smart anyday and I feel 10x's safer Not to mention with all seats up there is no trunk space for a piece of paper.Brit and Marty Car

Edited November 14, 2010 by Britsmart

[MikeT]

I dunno, doesn't the NA B200 have barely more torque than a remapped smart cdi?

185 Nm versus 140 (maybe, which would of course overload the OE smart clutch).But the CVT in the B 200 sucks ass, it is truly dreadful, as are most CVT applications I have tried. The B 200 T on the other hand has 280 Nm and the CVT works quite well with it, because the engine does not have to rev its nuts off to make the car move.

[saronian]

Hmmm, 100,000 Toyota (Scion) IQs were just recalled to deal with a serious steering defect

I was amazed to read they have 70,000+ iQ's on the road in Europe.

[yellow bumble bee]

My wife and I spent a month in Northern Europe this summer and went as far east as St Petersburg. Each town/city we went into there was always a few IQ's buzzing around. Talked to a few owners ( in the UK ) and they said that they really liked them. The reliability of a Toyota and the good looks of a smart LOL.Roy

Edited November 16, 2010 by yellow bumble bee