Coming straight from Europe, the 2016 Scion iM made its world debut at the 2015 New York Auto Show.
Power for the hatch comes from a 1.8-liter four with CVVT delivering 137 horses to the front corners via a six-speed manual or CVTi-S CVT with seven-step shifting. Highway fuel economy is 37 mpg, and electronic power steering and four-wheel independent suspension with rear double-wishbone help keep the 17-inch alloys planted on the road.
Other features include: 60/40 fold-down rear seating; Pioneer Display Audio connected-vehicle system; dual-zone automatic AC; heated power-folding side-view mirrors; TRD accessorization; pet-friendly accessories; and six colors from which to choose.
Price of admission for the “mono-spec” Scion iM begins at around $20,000.
“pet-friendly accessories;”
My dog was just telling me the other day how he wasn’t happy when he couldn’t pair his Dog iPhone to the Dog Bluetooth in the car. :(
Was he also upset that the manual shifter isn’t a dog-leg pattern?
I told him, you just can’t find a reliable 190E Cosworth any more. Time to move on.
Yup, the 1.8 w/ CVT. With that pokey powertrain there’s no way I’d pass up a Mazda3 for this.
It is the variable valve lift 1.8 (better mid range) and there is a 6MT available. Ditching the torsion beam rear suspension for a double wishbone was a good move, too.
The Camry’s 2.5 would have been a nice optional engine for those of us who appreciate Toyota’s reliability and utilitarian excellence but want more sauce under the hood. The Corolla/Matrix used to offer this. This is probably a 10 second to 60 car and that just feels really slow in a lot of situations.
Should be sub-10 sec, maybe 9.4 or so. A work colleague drives one of these (well a Corolla but other than some cosmetics it is the same thing), and his frustration is the initial take-off is quite slow.
The extra cladding that is wider than the rest of the car at the front and rear is a bit ridiculous. And the interior is typical Scion-spec basic (though I do like the toggle switches for the climate control – simple and effective.)
Let’s calculate how many more of these (in percentage) they would sell if they simply used Toyota badges, and called it a Matrix.
That front skirt reminds me of The Maxx’s mask. Not the Malibu Maxx.
http://www.lescomics.fr/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/MAXX.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gVAJX1dpiDU/UfkmD3EL4GI/AAAAAAAAa6M/BtZKkzFNIrw/s400/maxx-hot.jpg
Please put on yo own max before you help other passengers with they max.
$20k, for this?
Name another vehicle in North America that gives you a hatchback body style, touchscreen infotainment, and dual-zone automatic climate control all standard for $20k list.
Scion isn’t selling you a car. They’re selling you a features list. And for some Americans, that will be enough.
Reading the official Toyota press release, it’s clear that the dual-zone auto A/C comes standard but the navigation system is optional.
Reading my previous comment, it’s clear I was talking about touch screen infotainment and not Navigation being standard.
Oops, sorry. Others provide both but just over 20k or provide one but not the other.
I like it. Although I don’t think I’d like that CVT business. It would have to be the six speed manual for me… Provided my ankle holds out… Ugh.
I had an ’03 Matrix XRS, which I thrashed for eight years and 250k miles with minimal fuss. Great car! And up until yesterday the iM was pushing all the right buttons for me:
* Japanese reliability
* low space
* anonymous, but not terrible styling
* super low price
Then they had to go ruin all of that with the 1.8. Kudos for actually offering a manual and having a relatively high feature content, but as stated above a Mazda 3 will run rings around this in any configuration.
Of late, Scion has typically offered a bigger engine than the Toyota counterpart. The xD got the 1.8 where the yaris had a 1.5. The xB had the 2.4 while the Corolla had the 1.8. The tC had the 2.5 while the Corolla had the 1.8. I think they could have continued that trend with the iM. At least they offer a combination that you can’t get on the Corolla. The Corolla doesn’t offer the 1.8 with variable valve lift and the 6MT while the iM does. Honestly, if they could somehow make a business case for the 2.0T in the iM, I could be game when I get over this RWD phase. It looks nice enough, it will likely be very reliable, and it would have some good forward thrust.
Probably nicer than a Yaris.
Wake me up when they drop in something larger, such as the Camry’s 2.5L
Can’t. That would undercut the tC’s shtick of having a desirable power train.
From the side, it looks identical to the Elantra Touring.
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/2009_hyundai_elantra_side.jpg
A worthy success to the Matrix – although this has a carpeted hatch, not the more practical borderline hose out rear with accessory rails that were in the Matrix for a time, and in the Vibe.
Like the interior sans one point.
1983 called, they want their digital clock in the middle of the dashboard back. Seriously, why is Toyota still doing this?!?
That jumped out at me too. That said, it means you can rip out the radio without interfering with anything, which is rare these days.
At least they back lit the durn’d thing so you don’t have to shade it with your hand to read the time in direct sunlight. Progress! Sort of.
I love that artifact of ‘old school’ Toyota. It’s easy to find on the dash, yet takes up minimal space. it just plain works!
“1983 called, they want their digital clock in the middle of the dashboard back. Seriously, why is Toyota still doing this?!?”
Because in the real world no one cares about the digital dashboard clock. It’s a clock. It isn’t going to make or break a sale. Toyota seems to have a good handle on what sells cars and if this were a threat I’m sure it wouldn’t be there.
And I agree with gtemnkh, it works rather well. It can be read by anyone in the car because it’s not embedded into a complex or changing infotainment display or on the instrument cluster where only the driver can see it.
Hey, the steering wheel is round just like in 1983. OMG WHY!? :)
Looks nice…but I’d probably have to void the warranty with a turbo setup to enjoy it.
I was hoping this might replace my 1g xB. “Pricing under $20k” kills that.
To me, this competes with the Hyundai Elantra GT and the Mazda3 hatch. Both start around $18.5k, and you can “dicker with the sticker”.
At $20k “pure price”, why is the iM even a consideration?
Well the Mazda3 hatch may start cheaper but Mazda has adopted the Audi school of thought on options – you can load one up to ridiculous price points pretty easy.
Forget the Elantra GT. The Forte5 EX starts at 19-1/2 and gives you over 170 HP under your right foot for starters.
Damn, two new choices. Now I’ll definitely be stopping by my Scion dealer when the xB comes up for replacement in the new model year.
Who dropped it and then stepped on it?