Toyota IQ

Come Hell or High Water – The IQ Keeps Moving!
November 26, 2009 by Christine
IQ Survives the Floods…Others Need a Jump Start!

Last week saw the worst floods in more than 20 years visit West Cork and many parts of the country. On Friday morning thousands were greeted to dead batteries and waterlogged engines – including my husband who couldn’t get his Honda Accord to start! How I laughed as the little car that he pokes such fun at was needed to breathe life in to his pride and joy!!

It just goes to show that size really doesn’t matter and it’s the small things that make the difference!
Category: Toyota IQTags: Cork PR, DM, DMpr, Flooding, Flooding in Cork, IQ, Jumpstart, Toyota IQ | Comments (1)
Can the Small Car Survive the Downturn!?
November 6, 2009 by Christine
Over the past number of years Ireland has seen an influx of small cars with their popularity beginning to peak at the beginning of 2008 when the tide began to turn from the big guzzlers to something more environmentally friendly and more manageable in traffic. It seems just as this began to happen that the economy started to fail and so the talk of people changing their cars is today almost non existent. Unlike before, it seems that people are now only trading in only when they need to with many deciding to “run theirs in to the ground” until things improve again.

It ‘s really a shame for the small car market that this has happened, and a shame for drivers of normal sized cars on the road as we’ll now have to put up with the big 4×4’s who think they rule the road for another few years! Just when the popularity of the small car was beginning to soar it turns out that people can’t really afford them now.

Although there are good incentives to purchase a small car in some European countries – these incentives don’t seem to exist in Ireland. You don’t get cheaper insurance, the car tax is cheaper – but it’s free in the UK with cars such as the IQ! Small cars are still expensive to buy here in comparison to the UK also – where all of the extras that you pay more for here seem to come as standard there. Although this is a problem with all cars it is particularly annoying when it comes to the smaller and more environmentally friendly cars such as the IQ.

The IQ has loads of advantages – it offers better manoeuvrability and easier parking, better fuel efficiency, and fewer resources are used in its production to make it way more environmentally friendly. It is also a joy to maintain as well as looking happy on the road – obvious by the number of people who just smile when they see it!

I have already converted two people to the car – one of whom is buying one in 2010 while the other is saving up! I would love to see more IQ’s on the road in the New Year but unless the government does something to incentivise the purchase of small cars then I really can’t see this happening which is a shame.

I would however, encourage anyone thinking of trading in to take the IQ for a drive – you’ll be surprised with what you find and you may never return to your guzzler again!
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IQ Luna – When good things get upgraded to even better things!
October 6, 2009 by Christine
After having the pleasure to be the driver of the IQ strata for the past number of weeks I was pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to the IQ Luna.

I was looking forward to facing winter with heated leather seats and boy was I not disappointed – heated here is an understatement and if they could get any hotter the car would be steamed up like a sauna! These get hot…very, very hot!!

The interior other than the leather trim seats is the same and the Luna also has air conditioning – perfect accompaniment to the heated seats!

The one thing I’m missing now though is the Bluetooth – for some reason this little Luna doesn’t have it although I don’t really mind as that woman’s voice was beginning to annoy me anyway!! So back to the old fashioned ear to the phone…while pulled in on the side of the road of course!!!

It’s still getting plenty of attention – and I think I may have sold one last week – Toyota can put the commission cheque in the post!!!
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The IQ Challenge
September 14, 2009 by Christine
Some people like to challenge themselves in different ways – some like to do a marathon, others decide to swim to swim the Irish sea…and others, well others like to see if they can fit in the Toyota IQ.

Check out exhibit A above – a friendly American tourist who requested to have his picture taken in the car if he could fit in it – which he did! The IQ is so roomy, I even reckon that another person of the same size could fit in the passenger seat – but possibly not in the back!

Anyway, it’s just another example of how big this little car is!
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IQ Car Tax – Nice Incentive but not as nice as in the UK!
September 7, 2009 by Christine
One of the beauties about the IQ is that the tax for the year will only set you back €104. This is because its engine technology means carbon dioxide emissions have broken the crucial sub-100g/km level. How nice of the government to incentivise drivers to purchase such an economical car with such low road tax.

However, the IQ is exempt – yes, that’s right, EXEMPT from road tax in the UK. So not only are we paying a higher price for cars here, we’re also paying car tax for the privilege of driving on bad roads when the neighbour next door is whizzing around with €104 (whatever that is in sterling) in their back pocket! That money could be put towards a nice pair of shoes which would go lovely with the car. How annoying!
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Toyota IQ – A Clever Little Thing!
September 4, 2009 by Christine
Being a mere 5ft 2” my motto has always been that the best of things come in small parcels…to which I often get the reply “so does poison”! Getting the keys to the Toyota IQ Strata, I decided I was going to put this motto to the test !

First impressions on seeing the IQ were that I actually thought it would look smaller and it seemed even bigger again inside. It’s quite a high car so once the door is closed you quickly forget that you’re sitting in a vehicle that is just 290mm long! The IQ is really a three-seater if the front passenger pulls their seat far enough forward to let the person in the back have some knee room but as I have my seat pulled so far up an adult can easily sit behind me too!

The 1 litre petrol engine is no rocket but it is surprisingly nippy. Zero to 100kmh takes about 15 seconds and top speed is claimed to be 150kmh. The gearbox is smooth and light to use although every now and again moving from first to second gear can seem a little rough – but maybe that’s just me!

If this car was a person it would be from the Dublin suburbs with parents from the country – it prefers the city life but can adapt well enough to the country boreens too!

The radio took a while to tune and I’m still not entirely sure how I ended up getting the stations tuned in but when I lose reception on entering a new county I’m reluctant to mess with it again!

The Strata doesn’t have air conditioning or the leather heated seats which the Luna enjoys but is comfortable to drive nonetheless. My one problem is that in any make of a 2009 car, air conditioning should be a standard these days which leads me to miss my sunroof from my old car even more.

There isn’t much space for spare change and bits of make up etc. which although can be a drawback is also an advantage as it stops me from cluttering up the car!

It’s still early days but the IQ is great fun to drive, it’s nippy, and easy to park (I wish I had it for my driving test for reversing around a corner!) and gets a lot of attention when parked up. As I’ve sold my old car I’m still deciding on purchasing the IQ when the honeymoon period ends but so far so good!

At the moment, my least favourite thing about the IQ is the advertising – it’s just not clever enough for a car which is beyond clever.

Funny Toyota IQ Commercial
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Come Hell or High Water – The IQ Keeps Moving!

Can the Small Car Survive the Downturn!?

IQ Luna – When good things get upgraded to even better things!

The IQ Challenge

IQ Car Tax – Nice Incentive but not as nice as in the UK!

Toyota IQ – A Clever Little Thing!