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Thread: I test drove a Scion iA...wow!

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    I test drove a Scion iA...wow!

    In my search for a small car I test drove a manual transmission 2016 Scion iA on Saturday. I was amazed at the car. The handling was sporty/car stuck to the road. Shifter was Mazda-like/short throws and crisp (The iA is basically a Mazda 2 engine and transmission) It had a huge trunk! Small back seat. Plenty of room up front though. I am not a fan of the tablet style display for radio. The dial and knob are down where the hand brake is....just not a fan of that, what if you spill soda or crumbs down there? Is it a deal breaker? Not sure yet. The MPG is 42 highway. This is a 4 cyl car with 106 hp. The iA felt much peppier than the Versa S 5 speed, Mirage 5 speed and the Spark 5 speed. The front end isnt pretty. I like the Mirage front end much better. The price was good: $16,495 list but after rebate and discount $15,126. You also get 2 years/25,000 miles of maintenance free (oil changes, tire rotations, cabin filter replaced). So far of the cars I have driven, the iA offers the most bang for the buck and is the most fun to drive by far. Spark is a close 2nd. I wish the Mirage came with a turbo GT option, I would buy one immediately.
    1 downside is Scion is being absorbed into it's parent company Toyota for 2017. Scion iA will become the Yaris iA.



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    Senior Member Cobrajet's Avatar
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    Mazda makes very good cars...I have been a Mazda fan since I was a kid. All my father used to buy was Mazda pickups.

    I like the iA, but it wouldn't be quite as good a fit as my Mirage is. I'd certainly buy one before I bought a Corolla were I in the market for an "all-'rounder" type of car.

    That being said, I don't think I'd buy one with a Scion badge on it. There will be a resale penalty for having the badges of an orphaned make. I'd wait for one with that Toyota badge!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobrajet View Post
    Mazda makes very good cars...I have been a Mazda fan since I was a kid. All my father used to buy was Mazda pickups.

    I like the iA, but it wouldn't be quite as good a fit as my Mirage is. I'd certainly buy one before I bought a Corolla were I in the market for an "all-'rounder" type of car.

    That being said, I don't think I'd buy one with a Scion badge on it. There will be a resale penalty for having the badges of an orphaned make. I'd wait for one with that Toyota badge!
    Please tell me more of the positives that make your Mirage a good fit for you if you have some time.
    Thank you.

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    That's a great discount from the 'one price store' Scion. I would not worry about the Scion badge taking a hit for being an defunct manufacturer. Even non-car buffs are smart enough to know that it's just a re-baded Toyota (tho they might not know it's actually a Mazda). Pity neither Mazda or Toyota saw fit to bring the hatch to the US. Every small sedan I've seen looks awkward. Mazda 2, which we don't get, is the best of the bunch, but Toyota ruined it by grafting on that grill! They must think it's 'edgy', but I've never heard it called anything but what it is - butt ugly.

    I'm surprised to have consistently read the 2 is peppy. I owned a 2011 2 5 speed and it wasn't particularly peppy. In fact, I'd say the engine was a weak point. The rest of the car was really good. It sold poorly, I suspect because the public saw the horsepower number as meager when compared to it's main competitors, Fit, Sonic and Fiesta.

    Aside from the snout, I would not be unhappy to find an iA in my garage. It's certainly a step up from it's step brother Yaris.

    Iwantamirage - Thank you for your comments on the iA. I do have a question: you state that the iA is a much better driving car than any of the others, but then say the Spark is a close second. How is the Spark a close second if the iA is far better? The hatch, IMO, is a compelling argument for the Spark.

    No doubt the iA / Mazda 2 is a far better handler than Mirage, but did you find it a lot quieter? Lack of easily accessible power, sloppy steering and road noise are the Mirage's 3 weak points, IMO. While it can 'get out of it's own way', it takes a bit of flogging to make that happen and while the gas milage is great, it doesn't take much to make it drop. The slightest bit of hard driving or traffic with the AC on will cause mine to drop by 5MPG or more.

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    We drove 2 automatic Ias' and liked them . The problem is only 1 tire available for the O.E.M. tire size and no cup holders for the rear that are usually on the doors . There have been posts of issues with both trannies . The car does feel very solid , handles and rides well . Another plus is the gas mileage . The crash ratings are one the best for a small car . Tried out an MAZDA 2 years ago and the manual tranny was the smoothest for clutch engagement and shifting I've ever encountered for 40 years of manuals . Here's the Scion Ia owner forum , http://www.scioniaforum.com/ . Noth much has changed for the U.S. Yaris Ia . The Canadian version has 2 models , silly move , we prefer the steel wheels and dont need the screen which are applied to the base Yaris Ia .
    Last edited by cinder; 08-29-2016 at 06:55 PM.

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    Senior Member MightyMirageMpg's Avatar
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    the IA is such an ugly car. I've not looked inside or driven one.

    How did the build quality compare between the Spark and IA?

    I thought the build quality of the mirage exceeded the Spark (and sonic for that matter) but thought the Chevy felt nicer driving.

    At the time I got the mirage because the Chevy was far more expensive, hein-sight I would've bought the Chevy.

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    GM does manage to get the NVH right (noise, vibration, harshness). In fact, American cars in general have that down pretty well. Even the 2015 Fit I drove frequently had quite a bit of road noise and crashed over bumps terribly. Our little Mirage probably takes bumps better than the Fit.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ranny View Post
    That's a great discount from the 'one price store' Scion. I would not worry about the Scion badge taking a hit for being an defunct manufacturer. Even non-car buffs are smart enough to know that it's just a re-baded Toyota (tho they might not know it's actually a Mazda). Pity neither Mazda or Toyota saw fit to bring the hatch to the US. Every small sedan I've seen looks awkward. Mazda 2, which we don't get, is the best of the bunch, but Toyota ruined it by grafting on that grill! They must think it's 'edgy', but I've never heard it called anything but what it is - butt ugly.

    I'm surprised to have consistently read the 2 is peppy. I owned a 2011 2 5 speed and it wasn't particularly peppy. In fact, I'd say the engine was a weak point. The rest of the car was really good. It sold poorly, I suspect because the public saw the horsepower number as meager when compared to it's main competitors, Fit, Sonic and Fiesta.

    Aside from the snout, I would not be unhappy to find an iA in my garage. It's certainly a step up from it's step brother Yaris.

    Iwantamirage - Thank you for your comments on the iA. I do have a question: you state that the iA is a much better driving car than any of the others, but then say the Spark is a close second. How is the Spark a close second if the iA is far better? The hatch, IMO, is a compelling argument for the Spark.

    No doubt the iA / Mazda 2 is a far better handler than Mirage, but did you find it a lot quieter? Lack of easily accessible power, sloppy steering and road noise are the Mirage's 3 weak points, IMO. While it can 'get out of it's own way', it takes a bit of flogging to make that happen and while the gas milage is great, it doesn't take much to make it drop. The slightest bit of hard driving or traffic with the AC on will cause mine to drop by 5MPG or more.
    Yes the iA overall is much better than the Spark. But for me, I prefer a smaller car and the Spark was also a lot of fun, and very handy to turn/u turns, it felt fun! Hard to put that into words. The Scion felt more like a grown up car also fun just in a different way.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MightyMirageMpg View Post
    the IA is such an ugly car. I've not looked inside or driven one.

    How did the build quality compare between the Spark and IA?

    I thought the build quality of the mirage exceeded the Spark (and sonic for that matter) but thought the Chevy felt nicer driving.

    At the time I got the mirage because the Chevy was far more expensive, hein-sight I would've bought the Chevy.
    Build quality of iA and Spark were both good from what I can recall. Both very fun cars also. iA felt peppier.

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    So many good choices! Hard to decide! The Mirage has the best warranty and best mpg and I like the simplicity but there are so many other excellent cars also.



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