The final production version of Toyota’s revolutionary iQ makes its debut at the Paris motor show today. Last seen as a near-final design at the Geneva show earlier this year, iQ is a city car that is so innovative that – like the Toyota Prius – it stands as a major milestone for future vehicle development.
The
radical thinking behind iQ turns conventional car design on
its head. Toyota engineers went to extraordinary lengths to
redesign, re-engineer or relocate components to achieve
their goal of a car that is less than three metres long, yet
has four seats inside with no compromise on space, comfort
or driving fun.
iQ redefines what a car should be in today’s era of
congested cities and increased environmental awareness, not
least by achieving carbon dioxide emissions levels that
start at 99g/km. At the same time it is fun to drive with
outstanding dynamics and advanced powertrain technology.
iQ can be ordered from now, with delivery taking place in January 2009. Full-year sales volume for Europe is expected to be around 80,000 units.
iQ represents the successful outcome of Toyota’s well-established drive to reduce the environmental impact of its vehicles without compromising performance and driving dynamics. With CO2 emissions as low as 99g/km (with manual transmission), it is clearly a city car that’s in the right place at the right time.
Its innovative, aerodynamic packaging has been achieved through a low overall height, low centre of gravity and wheels pushed out to the four corners of the car. This gives agility at low speed and unprecedented stability for a small car on motorways and winding roads. A minimum turning radius of 3.9 metres further enhances its nimble handling, even in tight city streets.
1.0-litre VVT-i engine
The 1.0-litre VVT-i petrol engine, winner of the 2008 Engine
of the Year award in the sub-1.0-litre class, is a
lightweight, three-cylinder unit, producing 67bhp (68 Din
hp) at 6,000rpm and 91Nm of torque at 4,800rpm. Combined
with a high-ratio five-speed manual transmission, it returns
65.7mpg in combined cycle driving and 99g/km of carbon
dioxide (figures provisional prior to final homologation).
This keeps iQ under the UK’s 100g/km threshold for Vehicle
Excise Duty, a benchmark that is also used for tax purposes
in other major European markets, too. Specified with
Multidrive transmission, the engine emits 110g/km of CO2
(provisional figure).
TOYOTA iQ PRELIMINARY TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
| ENGINE |
1.0 VVT-i |
||
| Type |
Three cylinders in-line |
||
| Valvetrain |
12-valve DOHC, chain drive with VVT-i |
||
| Capacity (cc) |
996 |
||
| Compression ratio |
10.9:1 |
||
| Max. power – provisional (bhp/DIN hp @ rpm) |
68/68 @ 6,000 |
||
| Max. torque – provisional (Nm @ rpm) |
91 @ 4,800 |
||
| PERFORMANCE |
|
||
| Transmission |
5MT |
Multidrive |
|
| Max. speed (mph) |
93 |
93 |
|
| 0-62mph acceleration (sec) |
14.7 |
15.5 |
|
| FUEL CONSUMPTION & EMISSIONS |
|
||
| Combined cycle – provisional (mpg) |
65.7 |
60.1 |
|
| CO2 emissions – provisional (g/km) |
99 |
110 |
|
| DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS |
|
||
| Overall length (mm) |
2,985 |
||
| Overall width (mm) |
1,680 |
||
| Overall height (mm) |
1,500 |
||
| Drag coefficient (Cd) |
0.299 |
||
| Kerb weight – LHD models (kg) |
845-880 |
860-895 |
|
| Gross vehicle weight (kg) |
1,200 |
||
At launch the iQ range offers a revised version of Toyota’s award-winning* 1.0-litre three-cylinder VVT-i engine with a choice of five-speed manual transmission or Multidrive, the latest development of Toyota’s continuously variable transmission. On-the-road prices start at £9,495.
iQ is available in two grades, iQ and iQ2, both of which come with the kind of standard specification that reads like a larger, premium model and is almost unheard of in the city car segment.
iQ pricing and VED bands
| MODEL |
OTR PRICE |
CO2 EMISSIONS |
VED BAND |
| iQ 1.0 VVT-i manual |
£9,495 |
99g/km |
A |
| iQ 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive |
£10,495 |
110g/km |
B |
| iQ2 1.0 VVT-i manual |
£10,495 |
99g/km |
A |
| iQ2 1.0 VVT-i Multidrive |
£11,495 |
110g/km |
B |
News provided by www.toyotaiqcentral.com
