Toyota’s Funky i-Road Is Like Nothing I’ve Ever Driven

When you think of Toyota,

you probably think of the Corolla,

the Prius, the Camry, you know, cars.

This is something different.

A new kind of three-wheeled concept,

Toyota thinks we're gonna to use this

zip through cities some time in the near future.

The i-Road has a top speed of 37 miles an hour.

That's not enough to get you on the highway,

but for driving around cities,

it should be more than enough.

And the 30 miles of range

should get you through just about

any day's worth of errands.

And if somehow you end up out of battery,

just plug it into the nearest charger

and you'll be back up to full power in about three hours.

What's really cool about this thing

is that it's unlike anything I've ever driven.

Not just the fact that it has three wheels,

but what you have in front

is what Toyota calls the Active Lead Suspension.

The two front wheels move independently of one another,

so when you turn the steering wheel at high speed,

the i-Road doesn't so much turn as it leans.

You know, the way a skier carves down a mountain.

For parking lot speeds,

the back wheel does all the steering,

so it's not so much like you're driving a car

as you're drifting one

or the way you move a speed poke.

But, you know, in a parking lot,

in a thing that feels like

you're in one-third of a smart car.

Toyota hasn't really decided

if it wants to bring the i-Road to the U.S.

or if it wants to keep it in Japan or in Europe

or what any of that will look like.

Right now, it's just a concept,

and this is a prototype.

But Toyota is pretty sure that the i-Road

or something like it has a role to play

in the future of transportation

based on how fun this thing is to drive

and just how funky it is.

I'm pretty happy to hear that.