WHAT IS IT? Smaller than a mere small car, the iQ is a “premium micro-subcompact” that almost seats four in near comfort.  HOW MUCH? There’s only one model, priced at $15,995. Though there are no factory options, Scion is supporting the iQ with a large catalog of dealer-installed equipment.  WHAT MAKES IT RUN? A 1.3-liter 16-valve, 4-cylinder engine plunks out 94 horsepower and feeds it to a lazy continuously variable transmission.  HOW QUICK IS IT? Scion says the iQ will saunter to 60 m.p.h. in a lugubrious 11.8 seconds. That’s not quick.  IS IT THIRSTY? At 36 m.p.g. in the city and 37 m.p.g. on the highway, the iQ isn’t a heavy drinker. But there are larger, more comfortable cars that do better on the highway.  ALTERNATIVES Smart Fortwo, Mini Cooper, Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2, bus passes, sensible shoes.  THE Scion iQ stretches out just a tenth of an inch beyond 10 feet long, but it packs some slick engineering into that short space. Maybe too much slick engineering.  The iQ’s cleverness is most obvious in how Toyota engineers managed to shove seats for four passengers into a shell that’s 26.5 inches shorter than a two-door Mini Cooper. That was accomplished with neat tricks like a compact ventilation system that nestles as a single unit behind the center dash panel; the shape of the dash itself, which is recessed on the passenger side to provide a few more inches of space; front passenger seat tracks that are set forward a bit, relative to the driver’s seat, for more rear legroom; and very thin seats.  But the rear seat is tiny, best reserved for a single third passenger sprawled crossways. Even then, that passenger will be able to tolerate only short trips. And when the second-row seat is in use, only 3.5 cubic feet of cargo space remains. In fact, the rear seat is so close to the rear window that this is the first car with a back window air bag to cushion rear-passenger brainpans in a crash.  With the rear seat folded down, a useful 16.7 cubic feet of storage is available. And every iQ’s interior features a full suite of 11 air bags. The iQ has not yet received crash-test ratings from either the federal government or the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.  The driver and front passenger get a nice ride, though. The iQ’s seats are thin, but they conform to almost any body shape and are upholstered in attractive and rugged fabric. The instrumentation itself is logical, informative and easy to scan. Atop the center dash is a large pod that contains a Pioneer audio head unit; just below that are three knobs that control ventilation. Every switch operates with precision and every plastic surface has a pleasing texture.  Best of all, the driver has a thick three-spoke steering wheel that’s covered in rich, red-stitched black leather. It’s the sort of steering wheel that would look great in a sports car; it promises a great drive even before the engine is started.  What the IQ doesn’t deliver is that great drive. Even though Scion says the iQ weighs in at only 2,127 pounds, there are only 94 horsepower and 89 pound feet of torque from its all-aluminum tiny twin-cam engine to push it around. And those horses have to pull through a continuously variable automatic transmission that’s no fun at all. Slam down the throttle and the engine settles into a drone near its peak torque at 4,400 r.p.m., and slowly builds speed.  It’s not just that Scion says this car takes 11.8 seconds to reach 60 m.p.h., but that it does it in such an aggravating way. In the rest of the world, where the iQ is sold as a Toyota (or as the bizarre $48,000 Aston Martin Cygnet), a manual transmission is available.  The suspension is a simple mix of MacPherson struts in front and a torsion-beam axle in the back, but it works well with its all-season tires on 16-inch wheels, and the electrically assisted power steering has a good feel. But every time the iQ is about to drive entertainingly, the variable transmission — which lacks discrete gears — ruins the performance. It’s beyond frustrating.  Beyond all that, the iQ is dearly priced. At $15,995 it can be shopped against larger, more useful cars like the Ford Fiesta ($13,995), Hyundai Accent ($13,205) and Honda Fit ($15,945). All of them are more fun to drive and return similar or better fuel economy.  With the right engine and transmission, the iQ would be a fine slicer for urban traffic. As is, though, this mouse is not as mighty as Scion thinks it is.
The tiny Scion iQ comes in a clever package, but the driving experience fails to measure up to its competition.