Could this be a hit for Toyota? (SUV, fuel, MPG)

[brikag]

I hope they sell it here, I think its cute. A nice way to get around traffic! And a nice alternative to the smart car.

Motor Authority » Toyota may sell iQ in the U.S.

[southernnaturelover]

It would be good for cruising around small inner city streets, but there's no way I would put it on a freeway.

[nitokenshi]

I think it will be a hit and I think they will bring this as a Scion. Toyota needs something to help Scion get the demographic they want because its mainly the old buying up those cars.

[brikag]

It would be cool as a Scion product!

[305guy]

It looks like the Scion Xa that was just discontinued by Toyota. The Xa was available in 4 doors and was just replaced by the Xd.

[nitokenshi]

Scion currently doesn't have a single fuel efficient vehicle in the line-up. So this just could be the Scion xQ

[killer2021]

Just buy a toyota yaris. Similar design, almost same MSRP etc. As for being a hit in the us? Oh yea. When my mom bought her yaris it was the only one they had on the lot. It wasn't even new either, it had 10k miles it on because someone had leased it.

[burdell]

A while ago AutoWeek did some long-term mileage testing and a VW TDI gave better mpg than a Prius, it seems a bit disappointing that this car doesn't top the Prius mileage wise.

[PNW-type-gal]

Originally Posted by burdell

A while ago AutoWeek did some long-term mileage testing and a VW TDI gave better mpg than a Prius, it seems a bit disappointing that this car doesn't top the Prius mileage wise.

Given that diesel is nearly 60 cents a gallon more expensive than regular here ($4.19 to $4.79), the TDI's have to be more than 15% more efficient. So if the Prius gets, say, 45 mpg, the TDI'd have to get better than 52 mpg.

[victorianpunk]

It's only a matter of time before some obese man who drives nothing but SUVs comes on this thread and says "it'll never sell".

They said the Mini was too small for America and said it would sink BMW, and what happened?...they said the Smart fortwo (which, I can't wait to get, btw) would be a flop, and low and behold, they are selling like hotcakes and there is a big waiting list for them. Now, people will no doubt say "the iQ wouldn't sell". What do you think is going to happen?

Small is the new Big. Simple as that. I would much rather drive a smaller, cuter, practical car than a gas-gusler any day. Not to mention that I can't drive a big car, as it makes me nervous. I once drove my brothers Dodge pickup truck (which he actually uses for work as a landscaper, unlike most people who have them) and I had to pull over to the side of the road and let him drive, as I just don't feel right piloting a 747 with wheels.

I would only be worried about the frame. If the IQ, like the Smart fortwo, has a steel frame, I would have no problem with getting one.

Another thing, if people actually look at the data and not just go by a "bigger is safer" voice in their heads, they would see that smaller cars are allot SAFER than those SUV death traps...get into a blowout at 50 in a Explorer, and you'll find yourself doing more flips and turns than Mary Lou Retton going after a gold metal, where as a normal, smaller vehicle might have damaged rims and that's about it, not to mention the better handling of a smaller car and the fact that you are less likely to get into an accident with a smaller vehicle (smaller vehicles have less area to be damaged, i.e., smaller, harder to hit targets) and they're allot safer than a Range Rover...

...that, and everytime I see a guy in a big SUV I can't help but think "wow, what a big vehicle...maybe he's making up for something of his that's not so big"

While a mini, Fortwo or IQ screams "I'm man enough to drive a little car", along with "Osama Bin Laden hates my ride"