Photo: Scion
We had the opportunity to test drive the all new Scion iM and iA in Malibu last week (iA review coming soon). However, rather than make you sort through the details to get to the big picture, we thought we’d leave you with the short version right off the bat. Would we purchase a Scion iM after having spent a day with it?
Yes, we absolutely would, and now here’s the longer story on why:
$20,000 certainly doesn’t buy as much as it used to. In fact, when we normally step into a vehicle around this price range, our expectations drop considerably. Let’s face it, the good stuff costs extra money and there is just not many ways you can cheat this. Well, okay there is one way, and that is to design a car that gets right down to the essentials of what a driver really wants and needs. Sure, a lot of manufacturers try, but not many get it right.
What do we want? We want a vehicle that is practical, but also stands out in a crowd. We want it to be comfortable and fun to drive. We want something that is quality built, but won’t break the bank to either purchase or fuel. Both the 2016 Scion iM and iA are going to come in around $20,000 once they hit dealerships this Fall. And with a number like that you might not expect them to have such standard features as 17-inch alloy wheels, LED (running, turn and tail lights), folding heated mirrors, air-conditioning, voice recognition, pre-collision safety, backup camera and keyless entry.
And quite frankly, the only reason these cars have all these standard features is because you want them. Scion has been listening, and rather than packing these cars with a bunch of stuff you don’t need, they focused on what was most important and made it happen. These cars are also “mono-spec,” which means they come in only one level of trim, and we think you’re going to like them just the way they are. They are also promoting these cars together, which is something that you don’t see too often, but we suspect you might be in the future, as it is a great idea.
Scion iM Appearance
Photo: Erica Leech
As we walked into the presentation room last week, our eyes were drawn immediately to the iM. Its presence commands attention with its bold styling, modern flair and spunky attitude. I am a fan of the classic styled ‘hot hatch’, and I think Scion has grasped the essence and folded the essentials into one easy-to-like (and drive) package.
Photo: Erica Leech
Scion took the bold road when they sat down at the design station with this idea. The iM is anything but ordinary on its exterior, featuring sharp angled headlights that follow along with its aggressive hood lines. Its lower fascia and hexagon lower grille is slightly oversized to command attention to its aerodynamics (.30 drag coefficient). To give you a better idea of its dimensions, the iM is 170.5-inches long, has a 102.4-inch wheelbase, an overall width of 69.3-inches and 5.5-inches of ground clearance.
Photo: Erica Leech
As we walk around towards the rear, its aggression takes on a more modern flair of swooping LED tail lights and expansive trunk space. It is indeed a sharp car from front to back, and everywhere we stopped along the way to our final destination, we were met by curious and envious onlookers who felt compelled to ask, “What kind of car is that?”
Photo: Erica Leech
“It’s a Scion iM,” we would reply with a smile, and in the back of our minds we would snicker, And you won’t be able to experience one until it comes out in the Fall… and this made us feel kind of special. Yeah, the Scion iM has the presence and impression of a much more expensive vehicle. So the fact that you will be able to buy the 6-speed manual for $18,460 and the 7-Speed automatic for $19,200 (before tax and other stuff) is just amazing.
Photo: Erica Leech
And last, but certainly not least… the color pallet of the Scion iM is quite vast, youthful and energetic, including Blizzard Pearl, Silver Metallic, Black Sand Pearl, Barcelona Red Metallic, Spring Green Metallic (we like this) and Electric Storm Blue (our personal favorite).
Engine (Go Juice)
Photo: Scion
Under the hood of the iM sits a 137 horsepower (126 lb/ft torque @4,000 rpm) DOHC 16-valve 1.8-liter 4-cylinder powerrplant (same as the Civic). You can take your pick between the 6-speed manual or 7-speed CVTi-S. Despite its sub-150 horsepower number, the iM felt more like 200 horsepower as we came out of the corners, thanks to the magic of smoke, mirrors and a bit of strategic gearing. Scion explained to us how much effort was put into the iM’s gearing to make sure it had a sporty feel – and it shows.
Through the twisty roads of Malibu, the iM attacked the corner with confidence and enthusiasm. This wasn’t too surprising considering its four-wheel independent suspension, MacPherson® Struts and high strength steel reinforcement, based on Scion’s successful tC sports coupe. Adding to the mix of its sporty ride, Scion is also throwing in some premium 17-inch alloy wheels and wide 225/45R17 tires to its standard fare. The iM also comes with 4-wheel disc brakes and their Electronic Power Steering (EPS) system, which allows for decent feel of the road (plus a bit of fuel savings, considering it only provides electronic assistance when you need it).
In comparison to Scion’s competitor, the Ford Focus, it was perhaps not quite as agile, but from the practical standpoint of an everyday driver, we doubt you’d really notice. The noticeable grumble of its 1.8-liter Valvematic (continuous variable valve timing) engine gave a nice incentive to goose the accelerator out of the turns. However, I wouldn’t worry to much about this tendency, as the 6-speed manual iM will maintain 27 MPG in the city and 36 on the highway (31 MPG combined), which isn’t bad for a vehicle in this class. The CVTi-S automatic will achieve even more with 28 city and 37 highway (32 combined).
Safety
The iM also comes with a nice list of standard safety features, including their “Star Safety System.” This includes Scion’s Vehicle Stability (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and Smart Stop Technology (SST)). In addition, it has front, side and seat airbags, including one for the knees of the driver (8 airbags total) and also comes with active headrests (whiplash protection) for both the driver and the front passenger.
Interior (You’re Going to Love This)
Photo: Scion
The interior of the iM is without a doubt one of the most gratifying reasons we would buy this car.
Photo: Erica Leech
Making our way around to the cargo area, the iM’s double wishbone suspension allows for a huge amount of space to carry all your stuff (20.8 cu.ft. with rear seats up). It also comes with a sturdy cover under the rear window to help hide your valuables while you’re away.
Photo: Scion
However, for the really big stuff, the iM has split (60/40) fold-flat rear seats which offer the possibility to open your cargo possibilities to big screen HDTV’s, furniture and lots and lots of groceries.
Photo: Erica Leech
Okay, now let’s slip into something a little more comfortable… which you will find while seated towards ‘the front’ of the vehicle. The iM come with a host of premium standards, including a multi-media infotainment center, 6-speaker Pioneer sound system, 8 cup holders, leather wrapped steering wheel, piano black door accents and “soft touch” dashboard with lower white accent piece.
Photo: Erica Leech
The iM’s cloth seats are very impressive, offering plenty of cushion and support, and enough height (I’d say 15 to 17 inches) to allow your legs to hang naturally, so you don’t end up feeling cramped after a long road trip. While the seats are dual texture fabric, they do have a sport look and feel. I wouldn’t imagine stains to be a big problem either, as this isn’t the kind of fabric that soaks up fluids readily.
Photo: Scion
Everything interesting enough to take your attention away from the road is either located on the steering wheel (cruise control, etc.) or within easy reach. The infotainment center is very intuitive and easy to use, but we can appreciate where Scion withheld from making the infotainment screen a feature highlight (chrome highlights, fancy lighting) which is common with so many new cars today. Instead, we would say that the real stars of the show are the leather wrapped steering wheel, gear shift and classy circular air vents on the dash.
Photo: Scion
This isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of technology packed into the iM. Every car comes with a well laid out and easy to view instrument cluster, which includes a tachometer, analog speedometer and 4.2-inch color TFT multi-information display. The iM also features Scion’s Aha app, which offers up Facebook/Twitter feeds and access to 100,000 Internet radio options. It also has Bluetooth hands-free streaming audio, voice recognition and a backup camera. Another feature that makes a surprising appearance as ‘standard’ is its dual climate control, which we found a blessing in Malibu. The climate system was very intuitive, easy to operate and worked just as it was supposed to.
Photo: Scion
The manual shift lever may have been a bit long for my taste, but slipped into gears was never a problem. The clutch is very light, which was a welcome attribute when faced with stop and go traffic. The sweet spot of the clutch was a bit farther out than I am used to, which lead to a few unattended peel outs (yeah, we swear they weren’t intended). But even if you’re not a seasoned pro at manual transmissions, the iM 6-speed manual comes with a rollback assist that allows you to take your foot off the brake on a steep incline and hold you there until you’re ready to go. I found this system to be a big asset while navigating the hills around Malibu. Overall, we would say that Scion did a great job with the transmission choices and gearing of the iM. Choose either the manual or automatic, because you can’t go wrong.
Photo: Erica Leech
The visibility while inside the iM was excellent. There were no blind spots, and the interior had decent sound baffling with the windows up, although when down we did get a noticeable amount of pulsating wind noise (not a deal breaker). The vibrations and bumps on the road were handled without too much fuss from the suspension. In other words, $20,000 will buy you a pretty nice ride with the Scion iM. The rear seats were also plenty comfortable, offering a good amount of leg and head room.
Options (Because There’s Always Room for Improvement)
Just because a Scion is mono-spec does not mean that there won’t be plenty of opportunities for customizing. Scion recognizes the importance of personalizing your car, and offers up some pretty practical alternatives, including an optional BeSpoke audio and navigation system, cargo net, interior lighting kit, and all-weather mats. To turn the iM into an even more sporty hatch, Scion will be offering upgraded body moldings, body graphics, wheel locks and a rear spoiler and diffuser. If you’re looking for more horsepower and more aggressive handling than the stock iM, we doubt that any of aftermarket coaxing will make you any happier. None-the-less, there is always room for a bit of improvement, as TRD demonstrates with an upgraded air intake system, stiffer sway bars, lowering springs and glitzy oil cap. And if we ask ourselves honestly if we would purchase any of these performance upgrades from TRD for our own iM… the answer would be yes; undoubtedly (we’re suckers for stuff like that).
Lasting Impressions
Photo: Erica Leech
Judging by the smiles on our faces when we stepped out of the iM at the end of our trip, we can confidently give it two thumbs up. We agree that for $20,000, considering its reasonable performance and huge list of standard features – this was a car that we wouldn’t hesitate putting in front of the Urbasm headquarters (Hat tip to the designers at Scion).
If you want to see more of the Scion iM, check out our video below:
About Dr. Eric J. Leech
Eric has written for over a decade. Then one day he created Urbasm.com, a site for every guy.
About Dr. Eric J. Leech