A dozen years after Toyota launched the Scion brand as a way to attract younger customers into the fold, the world’s largest automaker is hitting the reboot switch. After some initial success with the first-generation xA and xB, the second-generation xB and the xD that replaced the xA never really caught fire with consumers. While the tC coupe and the FR-S have done reasonably well for their segments, Scion is about two launch two new bread and butter models, the C-segment iM and the B-segment iA which I’ll discuss here.
The cars in the Scion lineup have always been a mishmash of various Toyota models not otherwise sold in North America with the tC being the only uniquely Scion car ever offered. Of late, Toyota has also been following a pattern of partnering with other automakers to develop various technologies and vehicles. The pairing with Subaru yielded the BR-Z and FR-S, While BMW is getting fuel cell technology in exchange for a sports car chassis to underpin an expected Supra revival. Yet another partnership involves Mazda. The former Ford partner is getting access to hybrid technology and in exchange they are providing Scion with the iA.
The best way to approach the iA
In other parts of the subcompact car we now know as the Scion iA is the Mazda2 or Demio sedan. Mazda had pretty much complete responsibility for developing this car with Toyota contributing some revisions to the cabin, rear fascia and unfortunately the grille. The otherwise handsome iA bares all the hallmarks of Mazda’s Kodo design language except for a face that adapts the large trapezoidal grille look from the latest Camry. I’ll give Toyota credit, the look is bold. Some may even find it attractive, but I am not among them.
Despite having a face made for radio, none of this should put you off considering the 2016 Scion iA. Just make sure you always park it so that when you return, you approach the car from the back and once you are inside, you’ll never see the grille. Mazda is selling the hatchback version of the 2 in Canada and may add it to its US lineup but has not confirmed anything yet. But there is no need to wait if you are looking for a surprisingly affordable small car with Zoom-Zoom DNA.
In the cabin, anyone that has driven a recent vintage Mazda will feel right at home. The fit and finish is excellent with quality materials although most of the plastic surfaces remain hard. Like the Mazda 3 and 6, a tablet style display sits on top of the dash while rotary knob on the center console is used to control the infotainment systems. Standing on top of the dash, the display may look somewhat like an afterthought, however I think it’s actually superior than the typical location at the top of the center stack. The higher location puts it closer to the driver’s normal sightline so you’re not looking down away from the road when changing radio stations or checking the navigation map. The rotary control knob provides a more stable platform for control rather than trying to tap touchpoints on the screen and keeps the screen free of fingerprints.
The best view in the iA
The front seats are very comfortable and provide excellent lateral support when tossing the iA into some twisty back roads. However, like the previous generation Mazda2 and the Ford Fiesta, legroom in the back seat is tight. With the front seat adjusted for my five-foot, ten-inch frame, my knees were rubbing the front seat back. Head and shoulder room are fine though and overall it’s not painful. If you regularly need to carry four adults, you may want to consider stepping up to the larger iM or a Honda Fit. While I generally prefer the utility of a hatchback for small cars, the iA has 13.5 cubic feet of trunk space, exceeding the larger Corolla by 0.5 cubic feet and its very well shaped and usable.
Click here for a spec comparison between the iA and the best of segment
Mazda has been on something of a weight reducing tear in recent years making its current generation of models among the lightest in their respective segments and the same goes for the iA. At 2,385 pounds with the manual or 2,416 with an automatic, the iA is about 175 leaner than the Fit or Fiesta. That feathery mass translates in very nimble road dynamics and comes in handy given the limited output of the 1.5-liter Mazda SkyActiv engine.
With a mere 106-horsepower and 103 lb.-ft. of torque, there’s not a lot to work with but this lightweight machine makes the most of it. You won’t be racing anyone for pink slips, but you won’t be struggling to pick up speed either. The slick-shifting six-speed manual makes it easy to find the optimum gear at any time.
The iA gets the usual strut front suspension with a twist-beam axle in the back. It’s not a particularly sophisticated setup, but it’s well tuned and does the job on this car. Pushed relatively hard through some back roads in western Michigan, the iA safely understeers mildly at the limit but is otherwise nimble and composed even over less than ideal pavement and has excellent weighting and feedback through the steering wheel.
Cruising at freeway speeds, the iA feels surprisingly quiet and refined with minimal wind noise and little road noise transmitted into the cabin. Along with the usual stability control, full array of airbags, backup camera, the iA also gets another new safety feature as standard. The low-speed pre-collision system features a laser sensor mounted inside the windshield ahead of the mirror. The sensor detects other vehicles or objects ahead of the iA at speeds between 2 and 18 mph. If anything is detected, the system alerts the driver with audible and visual warnings and pre-charges the brakes. If the driver doesn’t respond the system automatically applies full braking to avoid or minimize a collision. Fortunately I didn’t get a chance to try the system but it comes standard on all iAs.
Legroom in the back is tight
In typical Scion fashion, the iA only comes in one trim level with only a couple of options including navigation. The customer just selects a color and automatic or manual transmission. The car already has the GPS sensor built in and the dealer just installs an SD car with the nav software and maps. The manual transmission iA goes for $15,700 while the automatic adds $1,100. The manual iA gets an EPA rating of 31 mpg city, 41 mpg highway and 35 mpg combined while the automatic bumps those numbers to 33/42/37 mpg. A full review is yet to come but after a couple of hours in the iA it looks very promising as long as you don’t look at the front.
Click here for full specs of the 2016 Scion iA
