Why an iQ over a Smart?

[tpnstr]

I am averaging 45 mpg (5.3L/100km) combined for my 1.3L IQ from Toronto. Not exaggerated at all. I do half highway and half city driving. The car likes to cruise under 90km on the highway ideally in order to keep the "ECO" light on.

[FreddieB]

Hey konsole be careful if you choose the smart.

[Joeparaski]

The Smart car does not have a drain plug on the oil pan. So doing your own oil change will require some special equipment to siphon the oil. Or you can remove the pan and weld a bung fitting on it. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer then compare the oil change cost between an IQ and a Smart.

Joe

[Sensha]

Our decision to switch to the iQ from the smart was motivated by a number of factors. We owned ours for four years, and it had a lot of good qualities - small size, high mileage, ample headroom and side to side room, plus all of the safety features. However, we moved back to the Toyota product for a number of factors as well. Same headroom, more side to side room, triple the space in the rear with the auxiliary seats down (we're a two person household), same high mileage and a better transmission and a real suspension.

Do not underestimate the difference in the ride. My wife has a bad back, and the smart would be more than she could stand, even on a good day. On a bad day, it's agony.

Another factor is the tire size. The iQ tires are smaller than average, but the smart had that going against it in addition to the two different sizes front and back.

The thing that kept me off of the iQ as long as we did was the lack of an available cruise control. Once that surfaced, it was time to sell the smart and move to the iQ

And, there's also the service issue. Whatever service problems might exist with either car, you're going to end up paying more for the smart. The Mercedes Benz dealership is normally the only option for smart work, and while waiting at one is a nice experience, it's also a pricy one. Toyota dealers are everywhere - not all Mercedes shops will work on a smart. If you are three hundred miles from a smart dealer, your options are very limited.

[Sensha]

The Smart car does not have a drain plug on the oil pan. So doing your own oil change will require some special equipment to siphon the oil. Or you can remove the pan and weld a bung fitting on it. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer then compare the oil change cost between an IQ and a Smart.

Joe

This is correct for the older smarts (the 450 and the Roadster) but not for the newer ones. The 451​ has a drain plug, one that it is easy to strip the threads from.

[Benggolf]

Guess all the pros and cons have been covered, so the only thing left is some visual aid....
For comparision, here are pictures of our 2009 Brabus Smart Coupe and the Scion IQ. Compare and be the judge.

Brabus Smart
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Scion IQ

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[TavuL iQ]

I'd say the iQ if it was by looks but OP says looks
Is
Not a factor...and I love my MPG's


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[Benggolf]

Good point! Yes, I just assume we buy this car to save on gas. Thanks.

[Cliffjumper]

Space was a big consideration for me. The IQ feels like a real car in the front, and has enough room in back for everything I've needed to put in it, be it a passenger, groceries, 5' fully inflated remote controlled helium filled shark, a 6' 300lb passenger and $200 worth of walmart junk, you name it. It hauls my gigantic ass around in comfort and style.

Also, despite being about a foot longer it has a tighter turning circle than a Smart, meaning I can outmaneuver one any day of the week, and it's soooo much fun to drive.

Plus there's the hipster factor...out here at least there are so many hipster douchebags posing around in their bloody smarts that I'd be embarrassed to be seen in one. They're getting to be almost as common a sight as mini coopers. Meanwhile the IQ is still nice and rare, which makes it distinctive and unique. Easy to find in a crowd and hipper than those little hipster gocarts.

[robrj]

We bought the IQ because it's a Toyota product. I wouldn't consider a Smart. As was said, the front feels like a normal size car. Plus, it's wide enough that I can fit my bass in the back (behind the seat). I could probably fit my bass amp in there as well but haven't tried yet. When we did our first Costco shopping in it, we were surprised at how much we got in there and still had room (~$300/worth).

[Joeparaski]

Have you ever seen the way a hood opens on a Smart? Release 2 clips in front and then the hood hangs down over the bumper with straps.

[Cliffjumper]

Chintzy! What's even under there, isn't it rear-engine?

[Sensha]

There is one thing about the smart Passion that still impresses me. I could fit my baritone sax plus all of my other woodwind horns (tenor, soprano and alto saxes, bass clarinet and even a bassoon) into the smart by dropping the front seat back all the way down. I can crowd the baritone into our iQ, but only by reclining the front seat way back and then bridging the case across the seat back and bottom.

That said, there is still a lot more space in the iQ than in the smart. On a marginally longer platform (mere inches more) you get much more room front and back, plus the added utility of a sometimes rear seat and space for an infant in a car seat - and all for less money.

As for hipster ownership, you can see that with any outside of the box car ownership. I never saw it with any of the smart owners here in the Houston area, although there is a lot here with the various Mini products. It's too soon to speculate with the iQ - to date, we have only seen two or three on the road in our four million plus metropolitan area.