This is the iQ3 (pronounced iQ cubed), a more powerful iQ with a heady 98bhp under that tiny bonnet. Its aim is to make the iQ a more useable motorway car, while retaining impressive fuel economy figures and a reasonable price.
Reasonable is in the eye of the beholder, but at £11,495 it's not a cheap city runabout. However, the 1.33-litre VVT-i engine powering this iQ gives it a top speed of 106mph (up from 93mph) and an 11.2-second 0-62mph dash (way better than the 1.0-litre's 14.7), so signs suggest it should be an altogether more effortless gatherer of speed. Peak torque is 92lb.ft.
Basically, you're looking at a flagship iQ here, so it gets 16-inch alloys - which look more like 20s stuffed inside the iQ's arches - and chrome mirror caps, and it can be bought in the exclusive Decuma Grey metallic you see in the pictures. It also gets automatic headlights and wipers, climate control, electric folding and heated door mirrors, Smart Entry and Start, and nine airbags as standard, along with traction control.
And it's still a frugal little thing, returning 58.9mpg with 113g/km CO2. That's with a six-speed manual, mind - ask for the CVT and you'll eat into economy slightly and take emissions up to 120g/km (still in the £35 VED bracket though, just). It's on sale now.
Mark Nichol - 19 Jun 2009