A co-production with Mazda results in a vest-pocket sedan suitable for urban jungles.
You don’t get a lot of car for less than $20,000 these days, especially one as well-equipped and fun to drive as the 2016 Scion iA sedan.
This Mazda-designed, built-in-Mexico subcompact comes with plenty of upgrades for your transportation dollar. It also just might be the ticket to revitalizing Toyota’s moribund youth-market brand, which, despite adding the new iM wagon, saw the departure of the tiny iQ and xD and xB boxes.
Adding the iA to the mix was a relatively painless proposition; Mazda’s new plant in Mexico, from where the not-sold-here Mazda2 sub-compact is shipped to other parts of the world, has plenty of excess capacity. And with Toyota badly needing more Scion model to bolster its stable, a deal was struck between the two Japan-based automakers.
Essentially, all that was required from Toyota was to create a new front clip that displays the automaker’s current design “language”, change a couple of badges, slap a new cover on the owner’s manual and, voila, a brand new model is born.
It can truly be said that the iA’s, ahem, unique looks are like no other car on the road. But before you start grousing about the awkward, oversized nose, consider the car’s many virtues. For a small ride, there’s plenty of room for two front-seat passengers and at least adequate space for two more (possibly a very skinny third in a pinch) in back. For such a miniscule model, the trunk is pretty darned spacious and you can add more capability by lowering the split-folding rear seat.
The dashboard, controls and interior trim are of substantially better quality than you’ll find most other entry-level cars.
Buyers are also lucky that a Mazda-built 1.5-liter “SkyActiv” engine resides under the hood. It produces 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque and can be matched to a six-speed manual transmission, or available six-speed automatic (both from Mazda). The manual gearbox and clutch action are bang-on and should be easy to master by inexperienced drivers who lack third-pedal skills. The automatic also executes crisp shifts and its six speeds make much better use of the iA’s admittedly limited power, like some Toyota Corolla models that continue to use a four-speed automatic.
With either transmission, the iA pulls down some pretty decent fuel-economy numbers: 33 mpg in the city and 42 on the highway with the automatic (31/41 with the manual).
Thanks to some impressive exhaust tuning, the iA sounds great, not unlike the MX-5 Miata roadster. The engine also loves to be revved up near the red line. The suspension, which also gets the SkyActiv treatment, is firm yet compliant over uneven road surfaces. On any road for that matter, the cabin is a place of solitude, devoid of external wind and road noises, which is something you normally wouldn’t expect in an entry-point vehicle. The iA is genuinely a blast to drive.
For $17,600 (including destination fees), every iA arrives fully loaded with air conditioning, seven-inch touchscreen, backup camera, remote keyless entry with pushbutton start, six-speaker audio system with Bluetooth connectivity, and 16-inch alloy wheels. Other than picking your color and transmission, there’s really not much to add, other than perhaps a dealer-installed navigation and up-level audio system in addition to other dress-up items from the Scion catalog.
The question is, will Toyota/Scion’s target audience gravitate to a loaded-up small sedan, or will they spend a bit more money for one of a number of affordable hatchback wagons on the market that are selling as quickly as the automakers can turn them out?
In the meantime, refrain from dwelling on the awkward nose; the Scion iA is a pretty capable small car that shows up fully dressed and ready to play.