Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr Car Review - March 2012

The Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr's driving experience is hardly inspiring. The car's tall stance makes cornering limits relatively low but because the wheels are so close to the corners of the car, the iQ feels nippy and agile.

Despite the small size of the 1.0-litre petrol engine, the Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr still feels pretty nippy when cruising around town. However, with only 67bhp, the iQ feels sluggish on the open road. 0-62mph takes 15.3 seconds but it really doesn't feel that slow and the iQ offers the illusion of being faster than it actually is.

The Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr also offers an impressively insulated cabin, which helps to keep noise disruption to a minimum - offering a quiet and fairly pleasant driving experience.

The Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr certainly offers a great sense of style, with detailing on the car both bold and refined. This gives it an attractive appearance on the road and makes it perfect for city use.

The level of standard equipment is pretty good for a car of this size. You get climate control, stability control, electric windows and a CD player as standard. Options include leather seats (£720), rear parking sensors (£363), MP3 connectivity and Bluetooth (£1123 for the pair) and metallic paint (£450).

Considering its modest exterior dimensions, the Toyota team have really worked their magic on the interior of the iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr. It’s 0.6 metres shorter than a Ford Ka, yet still manages to seat two passengers comfortably. However, as expected with a model of this kind, there are some restrictions on seating and the rear seats in particular are only really suitable for children or smaller occupants.

The boot is absolutely microscopic - you get 32 litres of space. Folding the rear seats flat increases this to 238-litres which means that the iQ offers less cargo space with the seats folded flat than the average supermini offers with the rear seats in place.

The Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr also offers high levels of safety and performed well in the NCAP crash tests, achieving a full five out of five rating for overall safety.

Compared to its many city car rivals, the Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr appears to be a little on the pricey side but when you consider what you are getting for your money, the iQ proves that it offers fairly good value.

One of the main areas where this model excels is in green credentials, where the iQ offers CO2 emissions which fall under 110g/km making road tax costs practically non existent. On top of this strong environmental benefit, the car still offers a fairly good level of in-car kit for the cash.

Alongside the good level of features and in-car kit, the Toyota iQ 2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive 3dr also offers low running costs thanks to high fuel efficiency of 58.9mpg and low road tax costs under tax band B. This makes the £12,765 cost seem more justified and means those after a competent city car could do much worse.