The 2016 Scion iM can't launch soon enough. It's a fully competitive, well-rounded hatchback. It's functional. It's cute. And it's priced under $20,000.
But perhaps more importantly, the iM represents a big breath of life into the increasingly less relevant Scion brand.
The iM is a more conventional Scion. The automaker recognizes that it needs cars that play more appropriately in the mainstream in order to attract a broader spectrum of customers.
At 170.5 inches long, 69.3 inches wide, and 55.3 inches tall the Scion is longer than a Volkswagen Golf, but slightly narrower and shorter.
Every iM starts as the car you see here (except for color), with 17-inch wheels and a body kit that's more sporty than conservative.
On the road, the iM is handsome, and looks good in brighter, more vibrant colors. It's not as sculpted or pretty as a Mazda3 or Ford Focus, but the iM isn't a bland, uninspired two-box shape.
If it looks familiar to your eyes, that's because it already exists as the ToyotaAuris in other countries.
With only one spec on offer, Scion loads the iM with a good amount of standard equipment. Every iM rolls off the line with dual-zone, automatic climate control, auto-on/off headlamps, and a seven-inch touchscreen display for the Pioneer audio and Toyota Entune-based infotainment system.
Mono-spec means there's only one engine on offer: Toyota's 1.8-liter inline-four with 137 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 126 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.
The output is enough to move this 2,960-pound hatchback, but the engine response is pretty uninspired. It takes a while to hit the powerband, but that doesn't diminish the Scion in any way.
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