While Scion crammed a lot of high-quality standard features into the iQ, reviewers say it’s nearly impossible to fit two back seat passengers comfortably. Most 6-foot-tall drivers will have enough leg and head space in the iQ, but test drivers say seat comfort gets hairy when two rear-seat passengers are added to the mix.
The 2012 Scion iQ measures barely 10 feet long, can spin around in a turning circle about the size of two king-size mattresses and gets 37 mpg on the EPA combined cycle. You'll probably notice right away that there are less expensive cars that offer more interior room and power than the iQ. Though it looks like a grown-up Smart Fortwo, the Scion iQ actually performs like a downsize Toyota Corolla. At the end of the day, the 2012 Scion iQ suggests that it's time to uncouple size from price.
The 2012 Scion iQ is a subcompact hatchback available in a single trim level. The Scion iQ is equipped with 16-inch steel wheels, full power accessories, air-conditioning, a leather-wrapped tilt steering wheel with audio controls, a 50/50-split-folding rear seat, Bluetooth and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player, HD radio, an auxiliary audio jack and a USB port.
There are no official factory options for the iQ, but Scion offers an extensive catalog of accessories including 16-inch alloy wheels, shorter springs and stiffer ant roll bars, fog lamps, body-side molding, mud guards and a rear spoiler. The front-wheel-drive Scion iQ comes standard with a 1.3-liter inline-4 engine good for 94 hp and 89 pound-feet of torque. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 36 mpg city/37 mpg highway and 37 mpg combined.
The 2012 Scion iQ comes standard with stability and traction control, antilock brakes (front disc and rear drums), front side airbags, front side curtain airbags, front knee airbags and three more airbags not commonly found in other cars -- front seat-cushion airbags and a rear-window airbag that deploys around the rear seat headrests. In Edmunds brake testing, the iQ stopped from 60 mph in 131 feet, a fair number for this class of car.
As you'd expect, the Scion iQ is at its best with just two passengers. Nevertheless, the car has been engineered to maximize interior space sufficiently.
The 2012 Scion iQ—or Toyota iQ as it's known in other markets—was conceived for a part of the world where vehicle choice is largely governed by engine-based taxes, compact-only parking spaces, and six-dollar-a-gallon gas.
Essentially, the iQ was designed from the start to be a premium minicar, with better materials, better noise isolation, and a more sophisticated feel than you'll find in other budget small cars—and even in the U.S., the stubby little Scion iQ somehow manages to truly buck the econocar feel.
The iQ makes do just fine in the city with its 94-horsepower, 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and CVT, but the combination doesn't deal as well with quick demands of the right foot, or with highway driving. In the first respect, the iQ gets pretty impressive figures of 36 mpg city, 37 highways; in price, the iQ starts at around $16k—which slots well below the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper.
On the outside, there's nothing overly gimmicky about the iQ; with nicely sculpted sherbet, a blunt yet curvaceous front end, and the playful curve in back, where the rear window wraps around—and of course those oversize wheels—the iQ feels unexpectedly assertive and sporty. Also, the iQ has several inches more width than most minicar—it's about the same width as the larger Yaris—so that gives the iQ a more stable, road-hugging look from the front or rear (plus more space inside).
Scion calls the iQ's seating '3+1'—and it's the smallest four-seater in the U.S. market—meaning there's room for three adults in the driver, front passenger, and rear right passenger positions. Essentially the front passenger seat goes farther forward, to allow easier access and more space on that side.
