The whole micro car image never sat well with me.

This, even though I knew they returned some very impressive consumption figures.

I also know that the birth of these cars came about as a solution for parking in tight parking slots in Europe, better known as angle parking.

Then we had a chance to review the smart car earlier this year. Pulling some associations with the Daimler AG group, the smart fortwo showed us exactly how much fun these city cars could be. Its vibrant interior was matched by the direct handling of the car, even though the power from its miniscule 1.0-litre engine was hardly enough to get us excited.

But beyond that, it's hard to look past the fact that this, and nearly every other city car on the market, only seats two! They usually say four, but we're well aware none of us are the size of a grasshopper.

That's where the guys at Toyota questioned the very nature of the micro car, and after some thought, stubbornly refused to admit the fate this segment was doomed to.

So they came up with a car they proudly proclaim as, not a four seater, but rather a 3+1, realistically seating three adults and an extra seat for a child or your bag.

Exterior

And that's the iQ. Doesn't quite look like a trail-blazer does it? In fact, I think it looks more like a rabbit with that button nose of a fascia.

You'll also notice those pronounced wheel arches that blend right into both the front and rear bumpers of the car. Just like the smart and the Subaru, these vehicles try and maximise as much space as they can out from their chassis, so you find the wheels always at the furthest corners possible.

As you go along the side of the car, another gentle "V" crease from the A-pillar gently sweeps back and ends off at the tail lights where the same clean treatment from the front and side is administered.

I actually love the proportions on this Toyota. The specs read 2,985mm in length (2,695mm for the smart), 1,500mm in height (1,542mm) and most crucially, a width of 2,000mm (1,559mm). And it's that wide, low figure that not only gives the iQ a stable stance, but translates into more space on the inside than its competitors.
Interior

The inside is a resounding seal of the good taste that seems to be pouring out of Toyota's design studio in Nice, France. The seats are all covered in a chic purplish-coloured fabric that resonates within the cabin of the iQ, on everything from the door panels to half of the dashboard.

The steering wheel is surprisingly meaty for a Toyota and had a nice tact feel to it. The compact instrument cluster recessed behind the steering wheel is another delight, with those swirly lines sprouting from the needle-base. The volume and station control on the steering wasn't exactly very friendly to operate though; something springier and less stiff would have worked better.

Once seated, you'll find adjusting into your ideal seating position difficult since the seats do away with the height-adjustment, and steering wheel with its telescopic adjustments. I'm roughly 5 feet 9 inches, and sitting comfortably meant moving the driver's seat all the way back, like in the MINI.

As with the MINI, there isn't any seating space behind the driver as well. The other half of the car however is a totally different story.

To maximise interior space, Toyota came up with a whole new compact differential for this front-wheel-drive iQ. Then the dampers at the rear were slanted in a more radical angle to take up less space. The fuel tank got flattened and stuck below the rear seats and finally, they opted for a smaller air-conditioning unit. These changes allowed the front passenger to actually sit further in front, and pairing that up with a more slender seatback made for a happier rear passenger.

The drive and safety

If you like this car, you shouldn't place much importance on the drive. The 1.0-litre engine squeezes out 68 hp at an unnaturally high 6,000 rpm. Pairing that up with a CVT creates no sense of speed whatsoever, just seamless acceleration that the transmission is famous/infamous for.

The CVT was chosen, of course, to help reduce exhaust emissions, and tries to make up for its bland drive with its fuel savings.

There's an 'ECO' function as well that once switched on, guides you into the money-saving range. With such an engine though, any over-taking attempt kicks you out of the range, and trying to keep inside it makes for a frustrating failure. But that's fine, considering it returns 25.5 km/litre at the end of the day.

Big cars are usually safer than smaller cars right?
The iQ rebuts all assumptions and has equipped itself with nine airbags including, front and side airbags for the driver and front passenger; curtain shield airbags for all four occupants; a driver's knee airbag and a world's first, rear window airbag. That last airbag gives rear passengers extra head protection if the car gets rear-ended.

All this on top of their Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TC).

Verdict

The iQ is a level up from other micro cars. To be able to squeeze a third person within its compound comfortably deserves a great deal of recognition.

Matching its more-developed and up-market appeal, the price on the iQ stands at $60,000 with COE.

With that, you possibly could get a car that makes more sense.

As much as we love the city car image, it's irrelevancy in Singapore cannot be ignored. Here, we have identically sized lots that allow cars like S-Class's to anchor themselves in, and having such micro dimensions doesn't allow its drivers to squeeze in between cars in a traffic jam and get home faster either.

That vehicle, dear readers, is called a motorbike.

But for those of you who have been suckered in by the whole city car image and adores the fact that the iQ reminds you of your pet rabbit, well, you'd probably be buying the iQ no matter how I try and dissuade you.

sgCarMart.com would like to thank Fugen Automobile for providing the Toyota iQ.