Five-Point Inspection: 2012 Scion IQ

During this week’s Five-Point Inspection we put the Scion iQ micro-subcompact to the test, driving it in crowded city streets, long open highways and everything in between. An emotionally polarizing vehicle, the tiny city car can make you smile and frown – it entirely depends on what you’re looking for.

With a starting MSRP of $16,020, the iQ might be the city car for you. Read on to find out why.

With more plastic inside than a Toys-R-Us, driving the iQ should feel little like sitting in a Rubbermaid tub on wheels, but it doesn’t. Instead, the cabin is a mix of minimalism and modern style that goes miles toward making the car feel cooler than a micro car really should.

Black plastic panels textured like wood grain compliment glossy accents of the same color on the dashboard and door panels. The two come together leaving the littlest Scion’s insides looking unlike anything else on the market.

The car can feel cramped, which is strange because it’s really little more than a box with seats. Scion advertises four bum holders, but that doesn’t apply to the seat behind the driver unless you’ve got no limbs attached to your posterior.

There’s also a laughably little “trunk” with the seats up, but it feels smaller than a normal car’s glove compartment which, incidentally, is absent.

Folding the rear seats down makes for plenty more room, but it means removing the head rests, which in the age of stow-and-go seats is nothing short of embarrassing.

Tiny touches Scion could have easily included, but didn’t, make the car a chore to deal with at all times. A digital display shows average mileage, the time, remaining fuel and more, but it’s almost impossible to read in bright light.

If that’s not frustrating enough, there isn’t a dome light either. Instead, a swiveling LED that barely illuminates the cabin makes finding things after dark a ridiculous charade.

Finally, the car lacks cruise control, which doesn’t matter in the city, but gets annoying on the highway where it’s tough to keep the 1.3-liter four-cylinder at a consistent speed.

A dual overhead cam four-cylinder with variable valve timing, an aluminum block and head paired with a CVT make for a surprisingly peppy driving experience.

With a teensy 2,127-lb curb weight, the car’s 94 hp and 89 lb-ft of torque actually feel reasonable. You won’t be smoking any tires, but passing a pickup truck on a country two lane will put a goofy grin on your face.

Paired with a CVT, the engine is happy in most driving conditions — even the highway where at 70 mph it hums around 3000 rpm.

The two offer a driving experience that bests the Smart ForTwo by feeling like a car instead of a golf cart. It’s just too bad that it carries a ludicrous $16,020 starting price that the recently-released Chevrolet Spark spanks with an actually-appropriate $12,245 MSRP.

Are you interested in a Scion iQ? Then check out our new car buying section, where you can build the car the way you want it, and get a quote.

For the Scion page, click here. To skip directly to an iQ, click here.

To read Autoguide’s full Scion iQ review, click here.