The Toyota iQ, which recently went on sale in Europe, is a very innovative small car. Toyota engineers found ways to make everything smaller so that a 3+1 seating arrangement would fit inside something not much bigger than a Smart Fortwo. It even has a rear curtain airbag. But how fuel efficient is it really? Toyota UK decided to do a 'real-world' test and blog about it.

More details and photos below.



The Toyota iQ Hypermiling Challenge

To get an idea of what the results mean, it's important to keep in mind the rules. This wasn't a "all on the highway at a constant speed on flat terrain" type of hypermiling challenge. The rules were:

How far can the iQ go on one tank of fuel? (7 UK gallons which equates to 8.5 US wet gallons)

The route will go through 18 British cities, with some city driving that will include red lights, stop-and-go traffic, etc. Relatively real-world conditions.

"Driving slowly saves fuel, but our route includes motorways and A-roads where driving too slowly is dangerous. We'll keep up a safe speed at all times.

• We'll obey all road traffic rules, and respect red lights.

• Using car electrics can have a small impact on fuel consumption, but headlights and demisters are essential for safety, and SatNav's a great hand for finding landmarks. We'll use them all whenever necessary. "



Results of the Toyota iQ MPG Challenge

The trip was documented on the This is iQ Toyota blog.

The final results were 504.2 miles one one tank of fuel, or 71.6 MPG imperial (59.42 MPG US). The car is rated at 65.7 MPG imperial, so this was definitely better though not spectacularly (which is probably explained by all the city driving). With anti-idling stop-start technology, the results would no doubt be even better.

There's no magic to it: How you drive matters. Making cars lighter and more aerodynamic matters.

Visit their Flickr photostream.

Via Toyota UK