Toyota iQ Hatchback 1.33 3 3dr

If you need to carry 4 adults, children and holiday luggage, this is not the car for you! If you want a bit of fun, like finding ingenious ways of stowing stuff and still want big-car comfort with the benefit of 55+ average mpg, then the 1.33 iQ might just suit you.

I test-drove both the 1.0 litre and the 1.33 litre versions before settling on the latter, with its additional acceleration and power albeit at the expense of a few mpg, and I still average 55mpg with up to 59 on a long run. Having traded in a 1.6 litre car I had to get used to using a gearbox again but having learnt how to use the iQ's power, it can be surprisingly nimble and quick. The 1.3 costs nothing to tax during the first year after initial purchase, and only £30 a year after that!

Being a Toyota the fit and finish is excellent and the 2011 interior trim materials are vastly superior to the drab Plum colour of earlier models (even though Plum can still be chosen with some exterior colours the quality of the interior trim is much better in the new models).

The iQ3 is relatively expensive but well equipped, with auto lights, wipers, photochromatic rear-vew mirror and climate control (the A/C is very efficient - even vicious - for such a compact unit) and the front seat comfort and space is as good as a family car (the inside of the iQ is wider in the front than Toyota's Auris).

Only 4 stars for reliability as I've only had it for a short time, but there have been no problems so far and Toyota's new 5-year warranty should give added peace of mind after their recent problems.

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