By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(August 8, 2015) GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The drive from the stately TVD office tower and garden center to Grand Rapids covered 138 miles, and left plenty of time to reflect on the state of Scion. What had begun as a division designed to bring young buyers into the fold has morphed into something much less avant-garde.

After all, I was heading to the west coast of Michigan to drive a subcompact four-door sedan with a gaping maw that suggested it was done by graduates of the Helen Keller School of Design, and a compact five-door sold as the Toyota Auris in Europe. Neither had the “funk” normally associated with Scion.

Of course, the whole Scion program has been something of a head scratcher from the start. Except for the FR-S and tC, just about everything in its lineup has been drawn from the pool of cars Toyota doesn’t sell in the U.S. True, they had a certain street cred because they were JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) vehicles, but that only goes so far. For every funky xB, there was an xA or xD waiting in the wings. Oh, and the iQ, a diminutive smart car that was about as successful (if you can use that term) over here as the micro Mercedes city car of the same name.

It’s a car so out of favor that Scion people don’t even mention it unless prodded. None of these vehicles was so earth shattering that it couldn’t be sold under the Toyota badge, except that the Toyota badge was death to the target customer. It was a “big, bad” corporation that built the boring cars and crossovers mom and dad drove. The same vehicles, it should be mentioned, that Toyota eventually hoped these kids would buy.

This isn’t the place for a marketing treatise on the Scion experiment. Suffice it to say, the brand connected with the intended audience and, for a while, Scion was the brand to have. Mono spec ordering and no-haggle pricing brought buyers into their local Toyota dealership to investigate, and many left satisfied behind the wheel of a new Toyota… er, Scion.

Unfortunately, the second generation tC — like the first, based on the Toyota Avensis — didn’t sell as well as expected, and sales of items like Toyota Racing Development’s various performance kits lagged as well. Something had happened.

 “Today’s buyers didn’t have a driver’s license when we launched Scion in 2003,” says Scion Group Vice President Doug Murtha, “and — unlike their predecessors — they went through the Great Recession just as they were about to enter the job market. As a result, they’re much more pragmatic and practical, but they remain optimistic. They aren’t interested in expensive vehicle upgrade kits or even vehicles that are impractical.

They may be just as individualistic as the first Scion customers, but they’re not as willing to so blatantly stand apart from the crowd.” Hmmm. If Scion’s research is right, it might finally be time to short tattoo parlor stocks.



The iA

As you can tell by the use of the first letter of the alphabet, this is Scion’s entry-level car. Once you get past the piranha-shaped front end, the flowing bodywork and distinctive character lines fairly scream “Mazda!.” That’s because the Scion iA is a Mazda2 sedan, one built in Salamanca, Mexico. Is this a bad thing? Hell no. If anything, it means the car has a chance to be engaging in a way Toyotas never are, while also handling day-to-day chores with ease.

“This buyer wants the practicality of a four-door, but — because it’s a Scion — they also want distinctive styling,” says Murtha. “That’s why we gave it the large hexagonal grille and sharp-edged headlights.” The styling is a calculated risk, but the initial shock (revulsion is too strong a word) begins to wear off rather quickly, especially when the car is in a darker color.

There is, however, another risk. The front styling’s aggression suggests more than the car underneath can deliver. This is heightened by the direct-injected 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine’s 106 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 103 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000. Thankfully, both the manual and automatic gearboxes have six speeds, though it is possible to run out of torque just when you need it — like when passing larger vehicles on two-lane roads. You can run it up to redline (just don’t go looking for it on the minuscule tachometer located to the left of the central speedometer), but to no avail. In situations like these you need torque, and it started trailing off 2,000 rpm ago, with a big drop coming as you pass 5,000 rpm.

On the plus side, the manual gearbox is light and precise, but needs a definite push to the right to cleanly engage sixth gear. Shift absentmindedly, and you’ll probably get fourth instead. One more thing, the clutch engagement is just where you want it. It begins just before the center point of pedal travel and is linear throughout. As you will see later, the larger iM isn’t as lucky.

Another plus is the fact that the iA weighs just 2,400 lb., and this contributes to its EPA mileage ratings of 31 city/41 highway/35 combined for the manual and 33 city/42 highway/37 combined for the automatic. Light, however, is not synonymous with unsafe. There are six airbags (driver and front passenger, front seat-mounted and side curtain), a brake override system to prevent unintended acceleration, a rearview back-up camera, and a low-speed pre-collision safety system.

This last item works from 2-18 mph, uses a laser sensor to scan the road ahead for obstacles, and warns the driver when the iA is closing at too great a speed. It pre-charges the brakes to give the greatest stopping power possible, and will apply the brakes if the driver does not react. In addition, the system includes a secondary collision reduction system that applies the brakes after a collision to prevent further damage and injury should an accident occur.

The interior is crisply styled, and features a large 7.0-in. multimedia touch screen with voice recognition, and the option of an embedded navigation system. There’s also a tilt/telescope steering wheel with audio controls; cloth-covered seats; keyless entry with pushbutton start; 10 inches of front seat fore-aft adjustment; six speakers; a 60/40 split-fold rear seat; standard Pandora, Aha and Stitcher; two USB ports and one auxiliary port. There is one minor niggle: Once underway the touch screen is disabled, forcing you to enter commands through the center console rotary control. It’d be nice to be able to use either entry method.

The body structure is quite rigid and provides a strong base for the MacPherson strut front and twist bean rear suspension. In addition, the electrically assisted power steering rack is mounted to the body, and provides a crisp feel. And the rear drum brakes are not the downgrade they might at first seem to be as the front-drive iA’s rear wheels are lightly loaded under braking.

Scion’s iA is a solid contender in a market populated by the likes of the Chevy Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, and Hyundai Accent. At a starting price of $15,700 for the manual and $16,800 for the automatic ($16,495 and $17,595 with the $795 delivery charge factored in), the iA is good value for the money.



The iM

When my driving partner and I grabbed the silver iM sitting on pole position outside the hotel, we had no idea it was something of a ringer. Unlike the other cars on the grid, this iM was fitted with the full TRD suspension kit. That means it was lowered by 0.8 in., had stiffer springs and front and rear anti-roll bars. Given that these changes are relatively tame and the buyer of this model is supposed to be more adventurous, this should be the standard spec for the iM.

The ride was firm but not harsh, and the car pointed into turns with a level of authority and confidence you don’t often find in a small Toyota. Plus, it establishes a driving personality benchmark that serves the brand well. For that reason alone it should be standard, and not part of a $1,000 dealer-installed package.

Unlike the iA, the second letter of the hatchback iM’s name means nothing, though it probably could stand for “multi-faceted” due to the fact that Scion sees it a Swiss Army knife type of vehicle for buyers who want a car that’s both sporty and practical. In other parts of the world, the iM is sold as the Toyota Auris, and is a family vehicle designed to go up against the VW Golf, Ford Focus, Mazda3, and Hyundai Elantra GT — the same competitive set it faces in the U.S.

And while the Scion folks like to boast that the iM shares its oily bits and chassis with the sporty tC, the dirty little secret is that both are built off a cut down version of the Toyota Avensis sedan’s New MC platform, which is not a bad thing.

The iM is powered by a 1.8-liter inline four with 137 hp at 6,100 rpm and 126 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000. Buyers have a choice of two transmissions, the standard six-speed manual and a “seven-speed” CVT automatic.

The latter features a manual mode that has seven distinct gear steps in what is otherwise a stepless transmission There’s also a Sport button that alters the shift points, accelerator response, and the feel of the electric power steering. Also, the on-board yaw sensor detects when the iM is in a turn, and keeps the transmission from shifting to a higher ratio at the wrong moment.

As mentioned earlier, the manual gearbox is diminished by the deliberately high take-up point of the clutch pedal. According to Scion staff members, the chief engineer and his team decided that — since this would be the first manual transmission-equipped vehicle for most iM buyers — it would be easier for them to learn the vagaries of shifting for themselves if it did not engage prior to the center point of clutch pedal travel. In that way, they wouldn’t keep stalling it from a dead stop.

Nonsense!

This dumbing down of the driving experience makes it tougher for experienced drivers to get the iM moving off the line (my driving partner — who took the first leg of our route, and thus was the guinea pig — stalled it four times because of the altered clutch take-up), and will do nothing to prepare new drivers for their eventual shift to a vehicle with a properly calibrated clutch stroke.

Thankfully, Mazda didn’t agree to similar silliness when the two companies were speccing out the iA. One more item of note. The manual-equipped version of the iM is EPA rated at 27 city/36 highway/31 combined, while the CVT version returns 28 city/37 highway/32 combined. Maybe the fuelish buyers who might otherwise be attracted to the manual gearbox will choose the CVT instead.

The iM is much better sorted dynamically — at least when fitted with the TRD suspension upgrades. As important as the lowered ride height and slightly stiffer springs and dampers are for handling, it is the addition of front and rear anti-roll bars that make the biggest difference to its composure. They keep body lean under control, and allow the car to confidently shift weight onto the outside rear tire in order to get the chassis to take a set into a turn.

And while it doesn’t reach the VW Golf ride and handling level, or the sheer fun of the Mazda3, the setup leaves a driver brimming with confidence and safe in the knowledge that the iM isn’t going to wash out or otherwise get overtaxed when asked to perform. In combination with the strong 1.8-liter engine and reasonably slick six-speed manual transmission, the iM can be hustled over hill and dale at a swift pace. If the driver does his braking in a straight line, apexes just past the center of the turn in order to quell understeer, and powers out progressively as soon as the steering input begins to lessen, the iM will obey the helm with sure-footedness and a surprising amount of fun. It may not be the most involving vehicle in the class, but it’s not without charm when fitted with the TRD suspension package.

Of course, for the vast majority of a vehicle’s existence it is pottering around town, hauling people and things, or traveling at highway speeds to a destination. Thus, it must have a roomy interior with adequate (or better) creature comforts, a flexible cargo space, and get decent gas mileage.

On these points, the iM excels. Though VW’s Golf sets the standard in this class, the iM mixes hard and soft-touch plastics with upscale touches like a contrasting stitched leather panel directly ahead of the front seat passenger that breaks up what could be a monotonously monotone interior. Dual-zone automatic air conditioning is standard, as is a 4.2-in. information display located between the speedometer and tach; a Pioneer Display Audio unit with a seven-inch screen, HD Radio and Aha; and a 60/40 split-fold rear seat. The interior room is spacious in spite of the sweeping roofline, and the rear doors are fitted with cutouts capable of holding a good-sized bottle of water.

Navigation is available as an upgrade. It’s a compelling package, especially at the price. The manual-equipped iM is $18,460, while the automatic raises this to $19,200. Destination adds $795 to these prices. That’s good value.

Of the two vehicles, the iM is the one with the greatest opportunity to refine and reshape the Scion brand personality. Aimed at a larger market segment and at buyers more  in the Scion mold, the iM has the ability to reach a wider market with a compelling story, clouding this positive effort with mistakes like moronic clutch take-up and a ride/handling package that’s an extra-cost addition instead of standard equipment only serves to obscure the goodness underneath.

The iM, and its potential buyers, deserve better.

The Virtual Driver