iQ

Last week, Scion announced the winner of the Scion Tuner Challenge at SEMA: Jon Sibal. Known for his renderings, Sibal took home a cash prize, trophy for his iQ-RX design, and the dream prize package from Snap-On, Alpinstars and Meguiar’s.

Sibal’s iQ-RX sported a matte metallic grey exterior with bronze pearl paint and Veilside iQR panels and bumpers. Notable features of Sibal’s design include a 32” flat screen that pops up in the trunk, an Orion audio system, an XBOX 360 game console and an iPad 2 enclosure. The judges particularly liked the flat screen and how it folded down to create more trunk space.

You have to admit – Sibal’s entry does look pretty sleek. The dark theme seems like a perfect fit for the city, which is appropriate considering the iQ is a microcar designed for urban driving.

The Scion Tuner Challenge has been held annually since 2005. Applicants mail in their proposals, and three are selected to tune actual vehicles. The model changes each year; this year, Scion chose the 2012 Scion iQ as their platform of choice. The three models are then judged at SEMA.

To choose a winner, judges examined a number of aspects of each of the tuners, including the paint and bodywork, audio/visual and overall execution. In second place, Michael Chang took home $7,000 and prizes from Snap-On, Alpinstars and Meguiar’s for his EVS iQ-RS design. Tatsunori Tsuchida’s iQ-MR won third prize, which included $5,000 and a selection of products from Snap-On, Alpinstars and Meguiar’s.

Sibal is a designer and artist, and produces a lot of work both in and out of the automotive field. In addition to designing aftermarket autos, he works for DC Comics and is currently working on Batman: Earth One.

Although the iQ won’t be available in the Midwest until early next spring, reviews already rolling in speak positively over Scion’s new micro-subcompact car.  The iQ has been compared favorably to the Smart car, suggesting it may see more success than its microcar competitor.

 

Reviewers have called the iQ surprisingly charming and cited that the front seats are comfortable and provide a decent amount of space.  As a micro-subcompact, of course it will be small, and it’s not intended for those requiring a vast amount of cargo space.  Rather, it’s marketed towards urban buyers, and for that market, the iQ ought to hit the spot.

 

The iQ is ten feet long, which might sound pretty sizable.  However, compared to the Toyota Camry, which is six feet longer, the iQ starts to look like what it is.  It is one foot longer than the Smart Fortwo.

 

In general, reviewers are saying the iQ has everything on the Smart Fortwo.  Although intended mainly for city driving, the iQ performs better than the Smart Fortwo on the highway and feels more stable than its competitor.

 

It’s important to remember, though, that the iQ is still a small car, and will feel more in its element in the city than on the highway.  City drivers will find it nimble and comfortable, and that it handles a little like a sports car.

 

In case you’ve missed the stats in the past, here’s a quick run down: the iQ has a 1.3L, four-cylinder engine that gets 94hp and 89 lb-ft of torque.  It gets 36mpg in the city and 37mpg on the highway, making its combined fuel efficiency 37mpg, which, according to Scion, is the highest for all non-hybrid cars.