Lower Emissions than a Prius? Meet the Toyota iQ!
Have you ever wondered what amazing new technology would beat hybrids in the “green” category? Plug-ins, electric cars, fuel cells, carbon-capture cars? Turns out the next step forward could be a step backward.
Enter the Toyota iQ: small, sleek, roomy, and possibly with lower CO2 emissions than Toyota’s ubiquitous Prius. Why do I call the iQ both a step forward and a step backward? It’s because the iQ isn’t a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or anything else that’s been hyped up in the news recently. The iQ represents simplicity and good design — showing that a small car with some innovation can still go pretty far.
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GCC posted on the iQ recently identifying a few things that make this “city car” special:
- New differential: With a new differential Toyota was able to alter engine configuration and shrink the size of the engine bay big time. This allowed designers to move the front wheels almost to the front of the car, giving the car a surprisingly long wheelbase compared to its overall length.
- Underfloor fuel tank: Having fuel stored under the floor instead of under the trunk means that the rear overhang can be lessened and the wheels moved closer to the rear of the car.
- Heater/A/C shrinkage: Toyota managed to compress the size of the heating and cooling system without compromising performance. This is behind the iQ’s asymmetrical dashboard and gives provides a bit more cabin room on the passenger side.
- Dash and seating: As I just mentioned, the iQ’s asymmetrical dashboard frees up room for the passenger. The passenger also has the ability to move their seat up rather far, giving the back seat passengers a bit more room to breathe. In a car this small, the rear seats will definitely only be suitable for smaller people, so this feature is a great bonus in terms of usability.
- Ultra-slim seats: It may seem slight, but the iQ’s seats free up another 40 mm for rear passengers.
It’s great to see a release like this from a major manufacturer instead of endless speculation and posturing that you sometimes get with (especially American) car-makers. Look forward to another post with more details and information from possible test drives!
Would you buy it?
Related Posts:
Subaru STI: Is Diesel the Intersection of Power and Fuel Economy?
A Biodiesel Prius? VW To Release 69.9 MPG Diesel Hybrid
Will Plug-In Hybrids Become the Standard?
Source: Green Car Congress
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March 11th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I want one. Looks a little roomier and the Smart car and possibly lower maintenance costs than or Prius
March 11th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
They’re so tiny and cute, I almost think they should come in a six pack of different colors.
March 13th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I would absolutely buy that.
My last car was a Honda Insight, which is just about the same size and I loved it. I don’t have a car now because I don’t need one, but when I need one I might look into this one.
March 13th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
[...] Read more about the Toyota IQ at TreeHugger and Gas 2.0. [...]
March 19th, 2008 at 2:54 am
[...] Posts: Aptera’s $26,000 Electric Car and 300 MPG Hybrid Coming Soon Lower Emissions than a Prius? Meet the Toyota iQ! The Sporty Future of Electrics Cars: the Lightning [...]
March 25th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Would love for Toyota to bring the iQ to North America. We need this car because it is different with great styling plus the Toyota quality.
Cheers,
iQ Colony
May 1st, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Finally, a major auto-manufacturer has a clue and of course its toyota and not an american manufacturer. People keep bringing up safety concerns, here’s an idea, get the stupid SUVs off the road.
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I absolutely will be looking at buying a toyota IQ. they’re cute, great style and most of all small and economical.
August 31st, 2008 at 2:27 am
Cyclopse Light in rear Moonroof inside chair arm rest front driver only everybody gets a tach 17” wheels with deep dish slight offset low rolling resistance tires and your own engine in the range of 100 hp forge one now, forget diesel and no way turbo a white pearl paint would sell better light colors in general for size and safety day lights should include all lights automatically needs a roof tail and that’s where the opt stop light should be and straight acrossed LED lights make this complete and restack the deck inside the house in formulation shit can scion and introduce toyota ‘I’ cars, move your ass inside the US and dump the leather, now where talkin’
October 6th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
where can I get a toyota iq???
January 4th, 2009 at 12:17 am
Just don’t forget that the iQ is a micro car and the Prius is a midsize so even though it stands to potentially get better mileage the 2 really aren’t that comparable. If you are a single person who commutes on the highway to work and might haul around a couple friends once in a while the iQ is perfect for you. OTOH if you have a family or other people that you haul on a regular basis and live where traffic jams are common the Prius would be a better buy.