IT’S a small world, getting smaller, and our small island is having to face up to the problems caused by a growing population and increasing number of cars.

It cannot have escaped your notice that there is just not as much space as there used to be.

So now we have some of the big car manufacturers presenting us with offerings that no only have environmental credentials but also take up a lot less room. The two are inextricably linked. How long will it be before parking – or rather the lack of parking spaces at home, at work or when shopping – becomes the biggest single issue for motorists?

Enter the iQ, Toyota’s radical take on packaging and miniaturisation, which brings to the market not only one of the smallest of cars but one that packs in the sort of features that are typically only found on cars from a higher segment. As the name suggests, it is very clever.

Viewed from the front, it looks like a regular hatchback, because Toyota has trimmed the length and not the width, giving it a robust stance and pug-like face.

Less than three metres long, but 1,680mm wide and 1,500mm high, its 15-inch wheels are positioned at the extreme corners.

It’s an extraordinary design, with the side view attracting a lot of attention, but it’s only when you step inside that you begin to realise just how clever Toyota has been in combining practicality with design.

In the driver’s seat, you might well think you are behind the wheel of something at least the size of a Ford Focus. There isn’t the slightest suggestion that this is a city car in the way it handles or in the quality of the ride. It even sounds like a bigger car, thanks to the triple-layer acoustic windscreen and despite the fact that there is an eager 1.0-litre petrol engine under the bonnet.

A floating V-shaped centre console forms the centrepiece of the dashboard, with a single dial controlling all the air conditioning functions. The audio unit is integrated seamlessly into the console, so only the CD slot is visible; all the audio controls, with a tiny joystick selector, are located on the steering wheel.

My test car, the iQ2, featured keyless entry and push-button start, and with access made easy by the large doors you are bowled over by the attention to detail.

The front passenger seat can be slid far enough forward to ensure that three tall adults plus a child or extra luggage can be accommodated, but it will be a squeeze.

Both rear seats can be folded down to increase boot capacity to 238 litres; with both seats in position capacity is a paltry 32 litres, enough for little more than a couple of laptops.

The big flaw in the design are the rear seat headrests, which seriously hamper your vision when in place and have to be removed to fold the rear seats flat. Within a day, I had discarded them. I was also disappointed by the lack of a glovebox, which has made way for a space-saving detachable pouch.

With so much to admire and discuss about the design of the iQ, the driving performance can tend to get overlooked. But not only is it eager and nimble around town but also a great companion on motorways or twisting roads.

The dynamics have been achieved through the combination of a new platform, suspension and steering engineering, and it will turn on the proverbial sixpence.

The VVT-i engine, matched with manual transmission, has an output of 67 bhp and CO2 emissions of only 99 g/km – making it exempt from road tax. A version linked to continuously variable transmission is also available, and in the summer a new 1.33-litre petrol engine with stop and start technology will arrive.

Not only has it got great environmental and driving credentials, the iQ is also world-class in terms of safety.

The airbags comprise seven different types: a world-first rear window curtain shield airbag, two side airbags, a front passenger seat cushion airbag, a driver’s knee airbag, two curtain shield airbags and driver and front passenger front airbags.

And then there’s the fuel economy – it has a combined cycle consumption figure of 65.7 mpg, which is virtually unheard of for a petrol-driven car.

The iQ is available in two grades, iQ and iQ2, and is offered with a choice of five paint finishes.

On-the-road prices start at £9,495, with a £980 premium for multidrive transmission. This is not a cheap car, and some buyers will be put off by that price tag, but others will recognise the savings to be made on tax, at the petrol pumps and willingly pay the premium for the build quality and attention to detail.

Upgrading to iQ2 brings more sophisticated features such as climate control air conditioning, smart entry and push-button start, automatic headlights and wipers and an auto-dimming rear view.

There are also three accessory packs available and the options of leather seat upholstery and a satellite navigation system with Bluetooth and iPod integration.

The attention to detail can be witnessed all around this car. Protrusions on the front bumper not only protect the car in tight parking spaces, but also deflect airflow towards the top of the vehicle to reduce drag. Underfloor panels cover the ultra-slim fuel tank and rear floor pan, further reducing drag and lowering noise.

Everything inside iQ communicates a message of quality, from the leather-covered three-spoke steering wheel to the sculpted centre console.

Yes, there’s a price to be paid for all these features and this level of quality, design and engineering, but a lot of clever money will go on the iQ.


At a glance

Model: Toyota iQ

Price: £9,495 to £11,495

Transmission: Five-speed manual or multidrive

Performance: 0-62 mph in 14.7 seconds, maximum speed 93 mph

Maximum power: 67 bhp @ 6000 rpm

Fuel economy: 65.7 mpg combined

CO2 emissions: 99 g/km