Toyota IQ=intelligence!

Posted by: Bruce Woodhouse on 23 January 2009

Here is a great little thing.

My wife wants to replace her ageing Honda Jazz with something reliable, cheap to run, simple to drive and a bit more stylish. She rarely carries passengers but does do 12k a year.

Her head (and nearly our bank balance) has been swayed by a Fiat 500 despite me telling her it will break down after a week, drive like a supermarket trolley and that it is really a cheap Fiat Panda in disguise. I have not let her drive one just in case she falls further in love!

In my fightback I had a test of this little Toyota. What a pleasant suprise. Yes it is a bit shovel nosed (it is as wide as a 'normal' car) and the interior was designed by a teenager with a marker pen and too much time on his hands but what impresses is not just the packaging but the drive. It has really comfy seats, a wide cabin, excellent ride considering the short wheelbase and a very smooth and quiet 3 pot motor. Slow it may be (it averages 70mpg or something daft) but get it up to speed and it actually cruised really comfortably at 70mph. I suspect a Smart at the same speed is a lot more frenetic. When I got out (having parked on a sixpence with the amazing turning circle) I literally got out and laughed at the 'Tardis' experience. It actually seats 3 in reasonable comfort, 4 at a very tight pinch. Fold the rear seats and the boot is large enough for our purposes although it more or less dissapears with the seats up.

Proper innovation with good simple and creative engineering plus Toyota reliability. It could (and perhaps should) be a bit cheaper but I'll bet it holds more value than a Fiat made of cardboard. I also reckon the design is far more intresting than the Italian retro-pastiche.

Now to convince Mrs W!

Bruce
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by Chief Chirpa
If that's the alternative, get the 500.
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by Bruce Woodhouse
quote:
Originally posted by avole:
Isn't that the same car as the Peugeor 107 and Citroen C1?

Had a drive of one some time ago. Thought it was great fun. Also drove the Renault Twingo, which is a much better car to drive and in terms of practicality and the Fiat 500. The Fiat drives exactly like the Panda, which isn't a surprise, but isn't as spacious.

However, even though I wasn't particularly enthused it was the 500 I would have bought. It's a cult car, stylish and will keep its value over the long term. I think.

Just ask yourself which one you'd rather be seen in, and then buy the 500. It's so cute - resistance is futile!


The Toyota Aygo is the same as the C1/107. Very basic in comparison with the IQ. The IQ shares the engine but not the rest of the engineering/body shell/packaging.

Bruce
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by u5227470736789439
Dear Bruce,

It is sense versus, to some extent, style.

I have a Volvo 240, so I am happy with sense over style!

My Norwegian aunt called my old Volvo, a charmingly style-free zone!

ATB from George
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by Bruce Woodhouse
George

Buying a car new is always never good sense, lets be honest. I have been serially mugged over the years. Mind you i too have a Volvo, albeit one of slightly newer vintage!

P.S. No that is not my car parked outside the surgery!
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by u5227470736789439
Dear Bruce,

I think the scarry thing is that the moment you drive the new machine off the forcourt it is immediately worth hundreds, even thousands of pounds less.

I bought my Volvo as a ten year old, and in a month's time it will be twenty. Quite an achievement, because it shows no sign of decline, except for the paint going a little bit mat looking. I do like the sense of not wasting much space or fuel with the little Toyota though!

ATB
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by BigH47
It's not immediately obvious that that is a Volvo. Which model?
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by u5227470736789439
C 30, perhaps?
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by Bruce Woodhouse
quote:
Originally posted by GFFJ:
C 30, perhaps?


It is indeed. You don't see many about. I rather like mine though.


Bruce
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by DAVOhorn
Dear Bruce,

When i got here in aus i needed to buy a car pronto so that i could get to work.

So there i was lusting after Holden HSV and Ford Falcon FPV etc etc.

Now the ins companies were not going to play ball. How long have you been in the country? erm 23 days.

Get a Camry.

So i got a Camry.

It is quiet comfortable economical etc etc , a bit if a fridge in the excitement dept.

But it does the job.

But i still lust after a Ford Falcon FPV F6.

So a toyota over a charismatic Italian makes commercial sense. But you look real chic on the hard shoulder in your italian special.

regards David
Posted on: 23 January 2009 by u5227470736789439
quote:
Originally posted by avole:
GFFJ,

You're aunt had good sense!

Now, the 14x series, that had style.


But my style-free Volvo has outlived two of her Saabs, a 900 and a 93, both of which had major mechanical faults that made repair uneconomical, and my aunt only spends 90 dys per annum in Norway and is not a fast or hard driver.

Nice as modern Saabs are in style terms, they are not solid like Volvos.

The first car I drove on the road was a 145 [run from new as the family car from 1971 to 1979], and one with the old-stytle "long" gear stick. Marvelous car, but even that was not as competent as my 240, which has survived longer, got far less [virtually none] corrosion and is splendid mechanically, whereas the old 145 had a gearbox rebuild after 90K miles, and burned a significant amount of oil by 120K.

It might have had a prettier line, but Volvos continued to improve from the 70s to the 90s, against the trend, and not just in efficiency and safety but also sheer durability and quality ...

Style however, was not a consideration!

ATB from George
Posted on: 24 January 2009 by u5227470736789439
The 164 was apparently modelled on the Wolesley 6/90, but Volvo softened the Pininfarina lines rather nicely!

ATB

Posted on: 24 January 2009 by gone
well if the 500 is based on the Panda, that's a bloody good recommendation. I love my Panda and it's easily the best car I have ever owned (don't laugh). I only revert to the Alfa for business and towing the boat!
Signora has been eyeing the 500 for a while though....
Posted on: 24 January 2009 by u5227470736789439
I reckon that the 500 is a very pretty design, but, relative to the Panda or any number of small modern cars, its retro styling would inevitably reduce it intrernal roominess.

And it's a Fiat. Some people love them, some people love an Alfa, but truth is that their reliability is not great.

ATB from George
Posted on: 24 January 2009 by gone
Truth? Well, I know the Italian reputation for being rustbuckets, but I can't fault either the Fiat or the Alfa on reliability - so far Roll Eyes
There's plenty of room in the 500 - but I'm sure the more square Jap/Malaysian cars will top it on that front
Posted on: 24 January 2009 by BigH47
quote:
Truth? Well, I know the Italian reputation for being rustbuckets, but I can't fault either the Fiat or the Alfa on reliability - so far


Some have reached their 3rd year apparently. Winker Smile
Posted on: 26 January 2009 by JohanR
quote:
The first car I drove on the road was a 145 [run from new as the family car from 1971 to 1979], and one with the old-stytle "long" gear stick.


The first car I drove after passing my driving test was just that, a 145. The crutch gearstick worked very well. The 240 was a downturn from the 140 in my book.

JohanR (Volvo has payed my sallary for 20 years)
Posted on: 26 January 2009 by Rockingdoc
You bloody GPs get paid a fortune. I know, I read it in the Daily Mail, so it must be true.
Let your wife have a truly free hand in her choice of car, and sod the residuals.
I bet she'd like a nice S3.
Posted on: 28 January 2009 by Rockingdoc
Err. sorry for the typo. It was meant to read RS3, or perhaps she'd like an A3 soft top?
Posted on: 28 January 2009 by Derek Wright
RD - you forget they are hard bitten (careful) Yorkshire types that would prefer to use their cuffs rather than sully a clean handkerchiefs - not like you Southern decadent, crunch inducing softies <g>
Posted on: 28 January 2009 by Staedtler
quote:
Originally posted by Rockingdoc:
Err. sorry for the typo. It was meant to read RS3, or perhaps she'd like an A3 soft top?

No, you were right first time. There's no RS3 (yet).
Posted on: 29 January 2009 by schizo
For the same money you could get a Suzuki Swift.

A 1.5 GLX costs about £8,500, it does 0-60 in 11 seconds (not much less than a Mini Cooper) and has all the bells and whistles.

Regards,

Schizo
Posted on: 30 January 2009 by schizo
I think the Swift has style - to me it looks like a slightly fattened-up Mini.

Regards,

Schizo
Posted on: 01 February 2009 by J.N.
Are you aware Bruce, that there's a new model Jazz coming later this year? That's if the folks at Honda get back to work of course.

A friend in Paris has an automatic Jazz, and I though it was very nice - if a tad boxy. I'm sure the new model will be prettier.

John.
Posted on: 01 February 2009 by Bruce Woodhouse
I was aware of the new Jazz and the Swift but not terribly excited by either. We had a very bad dealer experience with Suzuki many years ago. Would take a lot for us to buy another.

SWMBO has just decided to redocrate her current car by wiping it along our wall. Perhaps if she buys her cute little Fiat she'll be more careful!

Bruce
Posted on: 02 February 2009 by Jonathan Gorse
Bruce,

For my money it would be the Fiat 500 or the mini cooper, but then I'm a petrolhead not the type who bothers about residuals or the like.

Jonathsn