Double agent Photos: Toyota iQ, AKA 2011 Scion iQ
Speculation that Toyota would pull the trigger and bring the Smart-fighting iQ microcar to the US as . Scion may have just come one step closer to fruition in Death Valley. You'll recall that . Scion iQ concept, based directly on the European-market Toyota iQ, debuted at the 2009 New York Auto Show.
This week our photographers caught . Toyota test group putting . Toyota -badged iQ through rigorous hot-weather tests, climbing mountains in the 120-degree heat.
Although the iQ is already on sale in Japan and Europe, the Toyota engineers were strangely protective of the test car, covering the car when they stopped for lunch, and using their support vehicles as shields during fuel stops. When . test car wasn'. at the ready, engineers were quick to step in front of the iQ when at rest, all in an effort to prevent any clean shots.
More details and another photo after the jump.
Overseas, the front-wheel-drive iQ microcar comes with one of three engines: a 68-horsepower 1.0-liter VVT-i three-cylinder, a 99-hp 1.3-liter four-cylinder, or a 1.4-liter diesel four good for 90 hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. Both gas engines take a five-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), while the diesel gets a six-speed manual.
We most certainly will not get the torquey diesel, but the test car was wired up to monitor engine performance and diagnostics in the desert – perhaps to test an American-friendly engine upgrade. Our photographers report that the Toyota iQ showcased some nice zip as it tried to accelerate away from our video cameras, and it charged up the steep mountain grades with gusto. We'll have to wait and see if that actually translates to more juice under the hood.
A U.S.-spec Toyota iQ, or 2011 Scion iQ, would certainly be aimed at the pricey Smart ForTwo, though we expect its packaging and its cuteness factor would provide competition for base versions of the Honda Fit and Nissan Cube as well. Fuel economy should be in play as well, as any of the existing iQ engines combined with the car's low curb weight, would translate to big mpg numbers on the EPA test cycle.
Is there room in America for another funny-shaped microcar? It will be interesting to find out, if Scion gets the iQ, as expected, in 2011.
