Toyota iQ 1.0 VVT-i 3dr Car Review - February 2012

The Toyota IQ 1.0 VVT-i 3dr comes complete with a three-cylinder 1.0 litre engine capable of 67 bhp at 6000 rpm. This puts the car's top speed at a mere 93 mph with acceleration taking 14.7 seconds to travel from 0-62 mph. Whilst this is fairly slow by modern standards, for city driving it is more than competent and the added benefits of low running costs and good fuel efficiency should outweigh this slight disadvantage.

All in all the Toyota IQ 1.0 VVT-i 3dr is impressively quiet and little noise is generated, even when the vehicle is at full speed.

The Toyota IQ 1.0 VVT-i 3dr comes with a good level of in-car technology for a relatively low purchase price which stands below £11,000 for the standard model. Alloy wheels, air conditioning and a six speaker stereo unit complete with a state of the art MP3 player input are offered as standard and make this car a worthwhile investment for modern drivers.

The city car comes in a wide range of colours, meaning there is a shade to suit every persona - a major benefit in the current market.

Other standard features include power steering, central locking, electric door mirrors, electric front windows and an immobiliser to deter thieves.

The Toyota IQ 1.0 VVT-i 3dr is extremely compact and is in fact only a little longer than a Smart Fortwo. Despite this it still has enough seating capacity for four people although room is compromised and those looking to carry passengers and baggage will find it a bit of a squeeze.

With all the seats in use boot space is almost non-existent and offers a capacity of just 32 litres. This is enhanced to a reasonable 238 litres when the seats are folded down but is still a little on the small side for those with larger requirements.

In terms of fuel economy, this vehicle manages 58.9 mpg. This is great for a car of this class and is even more impressive when you consider it is a petrol, rather than a diesel, model.

The Toyota also scored an impressive five stars in the NCAP crash tests and comes complete with a high-tech safety kit as standard. This includes an impressive nine airbags as well as stability control and deadlocks to prevent theft.

Priced at under £11,000, the IQ 1.0 VVT-i represents great value for money. Carbon emissions of just 99 g/km allow drivers to benefit from free road tax and insurance premiums fall under insurance group 3 to offer similar savings.

The impressive 64.2 mpg fuel efficiency means that running costs are kept low, making this a wise investment for those after a competent city car.

All in all the IQ 1.0 VVT-i is a great city car for its price but suffers from a severe lack of space on the inside. Those on a tight budget will be hard-pressed to find a vehicle which offers similar spec levels for the price but those after more storage or higher performance would benefit from investing in something a little bigger.