Toyota’s sub-brand Scion was all about trying to appeal to the youth.
It sponsored drifting contests, it hired DJs, it featured bright colours and special editions, and it had a simple pricing structure.
All of which, it must be said, made it look a bit like your dad auditioning to go undercover on 21 Jump Street. “Hello fellow kids! I too enjoy the rap music. Do you like the rap music? I find it ... I believe the word is dope?”
In short, Scion was the try-hard brand that made sense to the marketers, but not to nearly anyone else. When it comes to cars, today’s tattooed and interestingly haircutted youth want the same thing as everybody else: a machine to support their adventures that won’t break down or cost too much.
And, since they probably have to borrow the down payment from mom or dad, they’re also going to need to look like they’re buying something sensible. Also, what about mom and dad? What if they want to buy a compact and efficient little car for themselves without being besieged by dubstep music?
Thus, the success of Scion came not so much because of the song and dance routine, but because most people knew the cars were actually Toyotas. Happily, Toyota seems to have seen the writing on the wall, and has turfed Scion and begun selling their cars as Toyotas again. Thus, the Scion iM becomes the Toyota Corolla iM, which is what it should always have been.
However, even though it’s now a sensible Corolla, some Scion-y details remain. It has the name it should always have had, but how good is it?
Design
Unlike the current Corolla sedan, which grows more visually aggressive by the day, the Corolla iM manages to be modern looking without appearing as if it wants to eat your dog. While it does have massive air intakes, the grille treatment is far more modest, and the front end is wedgy rather than gawping.
Being a former Scion, there are still all kinds of nods to youthful exuberance, including sideskirts to drop the body lines and standard 17-inch alloys. Further, half the available colour palette is bright: a crimson red, an electric blue, and a green almost exactly the same hue as a certain taxicab company.
While I’d love to see a cheapskate version with hubcaps for people who just want to haul stuff around, the Corolla iM does look nicely sorted out at its current single trim level. Hopefully coming under the Toyota badge will allow it to be split into several models to allow for greater consumer choice.
Environment
As with the exterior, the interior of the Corolla iM doesn’t offer you much in the way of choice. It only comes in black cloth, so there’s no factory leather option for people who want to carry around a damp pet (and we live on the North Shore – every pet that isn’t a hamster is damp).
However, the fabric does look like it’d be pretty durable over time, and the seats hit that fine line between supportive in the corners and easy to get in and out of. Actually, one of the nicer design elements of the Corolla iM is that it comes with relatively large door openings and allows for decent visibility and good passenger comfort.
Rear passenger space is perfectly acceptable, though it’s worth noting the regular Corolla sedan has a great deal more room if you’re hauling adults around. For flexibility, however, you can’t beat a hatchback.
Or rather, in this case you can beat this hatchback. The iM’s overall cargo space is better than the Mazda3, but at 588 litres is soundly beaten by cars like the Hyundai Elantra GT. Those who remember the sheer utility of the old Toyota Matrix and its plastic-covered, flat-folding seats will feel a slight disappointment here.
Still, the iM does offer a level of utility that the standard Corolla doesn’t, especially for those aforementioned dog owners. So, how does it back up those sporty looks?
Performance
Like the Corolla sedan, the Corolla iM provides performance that is more economy-minded than nerve-tingling. Power comes from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine making 137 horsepower at 6,100 r.p.m. and 126 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 r.p.m. The transmission options are a standard six-speed manual, or an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Despite the relatively meagre on-paper torque, the iM isn’t that slow off the line. Passing power is adequate, and unless the car is very heavily loaded, you won’t really wish for much more power.
When it comes to handling, the handsome three-spoke steering wheel connects to a nicely tuned chassis with fully independent suspension. It’s no rocket ship, but the iM variant isn’t just more flexible than the Corolla sedan, it’s more fun to drive as well.
However, there are a few drawbacks. With the only suspension offering set up for sporty handling first, the iM rides pretty firmly. Again, you’d hope Toyota would be able to offer a more softly sprung standard version and a zippier TRD package in the future.
Also, despite claiming better tuning for their CVT and a new sport button that hangs on to shifts, the iM’s occasionally leisurely powertrain falls doesn’t quite match the handling. Many other competitors in this segment are starting to offer turbocharged engine options, and while there’s a caution here that turbos often burn more fuel than their consumption ratings might suggest, it’s worth noting that Toyota offers zippier engines overseas.
However, the stout 1.8-litre engine is adequate enough and highway noise in the iM is relatively muted. Such a machine would make for a frugal long-distance tourer – just the kind of thing you want from a Toyota product.
Features
As standard, the Corolla iM comes with a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system that handles pretty much every feature you need. The only real options are a mild stereo upgrade, and the ability to upgrade to a premium audio system that uses your smartphone to call up navigation and Internet radio offerings.
Fuel economy is pretty solid for the iM, with official figures of 8.3 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city and 6.5 on the highway. Paired with the CVT, most drivers should be able to come close to these figures in real world driving.
Green light
Not overstyled; practical and reliable; fun-to-drive chassis.
Stop sign
Slightly behind the competition in cargo space; just-adequate power; few options.
The checkered flag
All the attributes of the Toyota we knew it was anyway.
Competition
Subaru Impreza five-door ($20,895): Besides buying a used car, the Subaru Impreza is essentially the least expensive way to get into an all-wheel-drive car. Unlike the Corolla iM, there’s a very basic model, which means you can skip the niceties and get a capable little all-weather hatchback. Buy winter tires though.
The Impreza beats the iM on cargo area, and is a little ahead on passenger space as well. However, you do have to step up in price on the Subaru to match the iM feature-for-feature, and driving all four wheels means the Subie’s on-paper power advantage is basically a wash.
