Used 2012 Scion iQ Consumer Reviews
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Impulse buy. I'm very happy with it.
Like A Rock, 08/12/2016
updated 02/12/2018
2012 Scion iQ 2dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl CVT)
56 of 58 people found this review helpful
UPDATE 12 FEB 2018 -- I sold my iQ. I miss it. I bought a pre-owned Toyota Yaris for more backseat and cargo room. Yaris is great but not as refined. The iQ was solid, mostly quiet. Cost of ownership and tires for a Yaris is less. // OLD iQ REVIEW: I bought a pre-owned base model, silver color. The base model still comes nicely equipped with stability and traction control, pw. pdl, great ac, great stereo and speakers, 1 usb, 1 aux, and 1 power port. My base model has hubcaps but I like the way they look over the alloy wheels I've seen on other IQ's. There are pros and cons about this car so I will start with the pros: It is one of the safest cars on the road, has 11 airbags, and drives and handles great. Steering is quick and precise, and it can turn around in a very small space making easy driving in traffic or lots. I don't have any trouble getting to speed on highway on-ramps, or passing vehicles when I need to. The engine is a 1.3L which is plenty big. I'm not going to knock other cars in this class because I have not driven them, but one car that's in the same class, but only has two seats, is sporting an engine almost half the size of the IQ, basically motorcycle size, and I don't think that's viable option for a long term vehicle. The 1.3L engine size has been commonly used around the World and has no issues. I actually belong to a Ford Festiva club in my area and those were made with 1.3L engines back in the 80s and 90s that were less refined than the Toyota IQ engine, and anyone that knows about Festivas they are one of the best basic utility cars ever made and many are still on the road today running like champs (including mine); some with 300k plus on the odo. The Scion IQ doesn't fall short in performance in my opinion. You won't be winning any races up the freeway ramp against bigger engine sports cars but it performs very well and will get you to proper speed...and don't worry nobody is going to blow your doors off it can make those other drivers sweat while they try to pass you. On the highway it doesn't want to cruise 55mph...it wants to go 85mph smooth and quiet so watch your speed it has plenty of juice. The automatic CVT transmission performs great, revs low, is easy to use, and has a power option for climbing steep roads. In town it also drives great and gets a lot of attention. They are not that common and people tend to gather around them when parked. The interior is designed cool, and controls are easy to use. The computer readout on the left side of the dash can give the driver all sorts of data including average mileage, a couple of trip odometers, eco on, clock, etc. Gas mileage for me has been better than the advertised 37 hwy and 37 city. I reset my trip odometer at every fill up and calculate my mileage mostly for fun, and in many cases I get a little over 40mpg which is a mix of city and city freeway. The CVT mentioned earlier is what makes this car perform so well. The one time I got less than 37mpg was a road trip to San Diego in which I drove a steady 75-80mph, steep hills, ac on, and averaged about 33mpg...still not bad. Cargo room is okay considering the size and length of this car. I mostly drive alone in it and just keep the backseats folded down to pick up packages, groceries, etc. The backseats are divided so you can fold one down if you have cargo and a back seat passenger. The car is really made for 3 adults, and one small child or cargo. The front dash on the interior is offset to allow the front passenger to sit forward a little more if needed so an adult can ride in back. I have seen video reviews of 4 adults in the car, and actually you could get a total of 5 in the car, but it's really a 3+1 car to be comfortable. Still, it's one of the smallest and best made (Toyota ) 4 seat cars in the World. ---- Cons: I really have no complaints, but here are a few cons to consider. Cargo room is limited if you haul large items other than mail packages and groceries. It doesn't have a spare tire, but it does have the commonly used electric air pump that plugs in the dash and the slime to pump into the tire. I have not used this on my car but did help a lady in a new model Hyundai who had a flat and it worked fine and got air back in her tire so she could seek out a tire repair or purchase. I honestly prefer to have a spare tire though. The tires are wide and perform very well, but it's an odd size P175/60R16 that only a couple manufacturers make (Goodyear is the recommended tire). The cost is about $153 each at the time I wrote this. Lastly, idiot drivers on the road that only use mirrors to change lanes might not see you. On one occasion I’ve had someone change lanes into my lane at night right next to me. They just don’t see you in their mirror because of the length. --- Overall, I love this car and I’m glad I bought it. The Toyota quality also gives me confidence in it. So far I’ve had one routine maintenance service at the Toyota dealer and it was fast and cheap.
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Great Little Car!
eddyiq, 03/31/2012
2012 Scion iQ 2dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl CVT)
31 of 32 people found this review helpful
I am a 37 Year old man 6'2" tall and weigh 235 lb. You would not think this car would suit me, but you would be wrong! I bought this car for work, I drive mostly in town and wanted some thing that got good gas mileage and was easy to park. This fit the bill for me exactly. I looked at many new cars before I chose this one. At first, I thought it would just be too small after driving my Lexus ES300 for years. But was amazed at just how roomy it really is! Very easy to get in and out of and the front seats adjust nicely. Keep in mind that I normally drive alone so I cant not complain about "no room for others". But if you need to haul around more than two adults, look else where.Love this car!
2012 IQ will need $5K in engine work
Randy Johnson, 08/13/2017
updated 02/15/2019
2012 Scion iQ 2dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl CVT)
53 of 56 people found this review helpful
All 2012 Scion IQ up to 2013 JTNJJXB0#DJ025093 were built with defective pistons. If you are thinking of buying one, unless a seller can prove they have had this work done, be prepared to spend $4.5K to have the pistons replaced. See service bulletin S-SB-0032-13. Toyota made me make a "good will" gesture of $1900 toward this repair. All of these cars should have been recalled. There's about 11,500 2012 - 2013 IQs involved. Outrageously dishonest of Toyota. I tried to apply the $1900 "good will" gesture toward purchasing the parts (I am capable of installing them myself) but Toyota would not agree. Even Toyota's mechanic thought they should have recalled the 11,500 cars in question and tried to help me get the repairs paid for by Toyota. Finally, I had Toyota replace the pistons. Toyota did pay the $1900. I paid the remaining $2000+. The car was using a quart of oil every 400 miles just before the repairs were made. Replacing the pistons corrected the problem. However, shortly thereafter the catalytic converter failed (plugged up from the high oil consumption). I bought the catalytic converter and replaced that myself for about $400. It would have been $1000 if I let Toyota do it. All these parts (pistons, catalytic converter, etc) are proprietary. You can only buy them from Toyota. You are at their mercy. Now, 30,000 miles later, the car is running strong and getting 35 - 37 MPG. I still like the car. Three months after the Toyota repair a Toyota representative called me up and gave me a verbal spanking for not paying the entire amount and waiting for Toyota to reimburse me the $1900. The Service Department had agreed to the way we handled it. I told the woman I would NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA new or used and that I am having a good time spreading the word on their terrible customer policies. I had a sign shop make a professional sign for the back window stating "Beware of 1,000's of Toyotas with Defective Pistons, Google it." I drive 100 miles a day in the Dallas, Metroplex. 1000's of people have seen that sign and dozens have asked me about it. I have all the paperwork and a nice picture of the car with the sign in front of their new headquarters building. You can see the picture on my FaceBook page. I guess after building that lavish new headquarters they can't stand the cost of standing behind their cars. You should Google Toyota defective pistons and see what comes up. It wasn't confined to just the Scion IQs. There are many, many more Toyota models with the problem. Review update 08-15-18: Car is running fine. Now at 171,000 miles, uses no oil. I still like the car but I will never buy another new or used Toyota because of the way I was treated. Five months after it was fixed a representative called me. They were not happy that the service manager allowed me to only pay the difference between the engine work cost and the $1900 "good will" gesture at the time the work was done. This made it easier for me to not come up with another $1900 and then have to wait to be reimbursed. I was shocked and it just reminded me how much I disliked how I was treated. I spent $75 and had a sign shop make a nice full rear widow sign that said "Beware of Toyotas with Defective Pistons." You can see it on my FaceBook page setting in front of the new Dallas Toyota Headquarters. I drive 100 miles a day through Dallas everyday. I know thousands of people saw that sign and it makes me feel much better. Screw 'um! Update 2-15-19: After replacing pistons at an out-of-pocket cost of about $2.5K, the car is running fine at 181,000. No other problems. I won't, however, be buying any more Toyotas.
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Smarter than Smart.
deansmith, 01/09/2012
2012 Scion iQ 2dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl CVT)
76 of 82 people found this review helpful
I traded in a 2008 Smart car on this 2012 IQ. A very smart move. This car is faster, more comfortable, more storage space, and seemingly better built. That last statement is based on hearing a "solid" sound when closing the doors. I also paid $18,800, because of the premium stereo, Sirius XM, fog lights, premium paint, fancy wheels, etc. This is NOT a stripped down econo-box...it rides, drives, and feels just like a "real" car.
Great vehicle
Chuck, 10/14/2020
updated 10/18/2021
2012 Scion iQ 2dr Hatchback (1.3L 4cyl CVT)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2012 with only 13,000 miles for $7700.00 I thought it was a fantastic deal getting such a low mileage car for less than half the sticker price. In my 3 years of ownership, I have had zero problems which was important to me as I lived in very rural area where getting serviced would be very difficult. Although it is best suited for urban settings, I've taken mine on a couple of trips that were over 1700 miles one way and it was perfectly fine. What really annoys me, is all these professional reviews making idiotic comparisons, it is not as quiet as this car, it is not as fast as that car, it doesn't have the storage space of something bigger...imagine that! So far as as storage goes, I bought a hitch and a 5X8 trailer and I've hauled hundreds of pounds worth of furniture through mountainous regions of Arizona and had no problem...just use some common sense. We looked at numerous small cars before selecting the IQ including the Honda Fit, Mini and Nissan Versa. One readily discernible difference was the quality of the material in the interior-the IQ was far superior and did not smack of cheapness like the other others. Another design feature I really like is the simplicity of the controls. I can readily adjust the heat without looking at it. I hate all that touch screens with constant smudged surfaces. The quality of the audio is fine also. When it comes to driving, the thing that brought the biggest possible smile to our faces when doing the test drive was the turning radius. We stopped in a parking lot, cranked the wheel all the way and spun it around. It really has to be experienced to be believed. When it came time to change tires, we followed the recommendation of Tire Rack and dropped down to 14 inch tires, that makes the radius even shorter without adversely affecting anything. It also saves you a fair amount of money and gives you a much greater selection of tires. You can also save a couple of hundred dollars by not getting the tire sensors if you choose. Just keep a tire gauge with you. Finally, I have owned over 40 cars including numerous Mustangs from the 60's and this IQ has garnered more comments and questions than all my other cars combined. My only regret is that Toyota did not stay the course with Scion. I wish that they would have come out with a convertible and a 6 speed and then perhaps a turbo. It could have been a real Mini fighter, but, alas, they did not. In conclusion, I remain very happy with my IQ and if you are reasonable in your expectations given the design of the car, and bear in mind that everything is some sort of a compromise, I think you will be too.
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