"willkinton247" (willkinton247)
12/07/2015 at 12:01 • Filed to: None
4
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"willkinton247" (willkinton247)
12/07/2015 at 12:01 • Filed to: None | 4
| 26 |
This morning I saw a Scion iA for the first time in the wild. My first thought was, “Hey it’s a Mazda3. Mazda sure does make a good looking ca...wait a minute. Is that a Scion badge?” After catching up to it, I realized yes, the Scion iA looks exactly like a Mazda. It looks like Toyota took Mazda designers prisoner at a black site and made them design the side and rear of the iA, while the committee who designed the Prius came up with its ugly mug on the other side of the world, oblivious to what the Mazda designers were doing. The two designs were then grafted together, and the Mazda designers were taken into the desert with black bags on their heads and released.
You can see where I could be confused, right?
In reality, this isn’t too far from the truth, as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! let me know on Twitter this morning. Turns out, the Scion iA is the Mazda2 we don’t get with a grill designed by the committee responsible for the Prius on the other side of the world, oblivious to what the Mazda designers were doing. Basically the same situation, minus the coercion by threat of death.
If you look at the iA’s interior, the realization that this is a re-badged Mazda sets in even more. This is a Scion iA’s interior next to a Mazda CX-3’s interior (which is basically a Mazda2 crossover).
Let’s play “Can You Spot the Differences Between These Two Pictures?”
It’s the same car. Toyota put zero effort into making this their own vehicle. But hey, we can’t fault Toyota for choosing the Mazda2 to be the captive import for the new face of Scion. Mazda has been hitting home runs with every single thing they make these days. Toyota on the other hand seems to have lost any ability to make a car enjoyable to drive, so now they must partner with other companies who do, like !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
So unsurprisingly, the Mazda iA handles like a Mazda. According to Car and Driver, it’s “spry.” They also found it efficient, which is because it uses the 1.5l Skyactiv Mazda engine. They also say that it’s a good value at $16,495 for the manual, and $17,595 for the automatic. That sounds nice, but this car has a grand total of one hundred and six horsepower .
Look, I’m not someone who has “NO REPLACEMENT FOR DISPLACEMENT” tattooed across his back, and I do not feel like everything needs to be built for land speed records, but 106 HP is incredibly low, even for a car that weighs a bit more than a Miata. The only non-hybrid cars available in America with less gumption than this are the Fiat 500 (101 hp), Smart ForTwo (89 hp), Chevy Spark (84 hp), and Mitsubishi Mirage (74 hp). Even the Nissan Versa has more power than the iA, with 109 ponies under the hood . With the fashionable Fiat as the outlier, all of those cars I previously mentioned beat the Scion on MSRP by about $2,000-$4,000 before incentives.
I don’t think there’s a way you could possibly say that’s a good deal, and yet people keep saying exactly that. Car and Driver rationalized that it was kind of fun going absolutely flat out everywhere they went. On the Scion !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , it’s one of the first things you see, right next to $17,595. Everyone keeps saying it’s well equipped with push button start, USB/Aux inputs, the same touch screen you get in other Mazdas, a backup camera, and oh Lord almighty, cruise control .
Excuse me while I quiver in anticipation.
Okay, so it’s neat that it has a big ol’ touchscreen and push button start, but these days, it’s more rare for a car to not have Bluetooth, media inputs, and cruise control. As for backup cameras, every single new car on the market will be required to have one come this time next year, so can we stop congratulating their implementation?
At $16,495, a stick shift subcompact with only 106 hp and is reasonably equipped is out of its element. When you add the $1,100 automatic, it gets even further out of it’s element. Sure, this car may handle well, but I don’t think that can overcome by the fact that it’s similarly powered and optioned competition is significantly cheaper. Right now on Autotrader, I’m seeing a multitude of brand new, similarly equipped and sized Nissan Versas, Ford Fiestas, and Chevy Sparks for sale in my area for less than $13,000. For less than $14,000, you can get a larger Chevy Cruze, Ford Focus, or a Kia Soul. Right now, you can even a get 2016 Volkswagen Jetta S for $13,173 (of course this is due to some extenuating circumstances, but still, that’s $13,173 for an $18,000+ car).
Here’s the thing: with the exception of the Jetta, all of those deals can be had almost any day of the week, and at any time of the year because of dealer incentives. That price gap blows the Scion iA out of the water, no matter how nicely it handles. When you start looking in the price range that the iA sits in, you’re starting to compete with higher trim levels, you’re competing with Ecoboost Fiestas, well equipped Focuses, Fusions, Golfs, Fits, and more.
Am I missing something? Is there any justification for the Scion iA to be priced a couple thousand dollars above its similarly spec’d competition? I am really just not seeing it, but I am all ears.
jjhats
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:05 |
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I bought a lightly used cpo focus st for 16,5. this car isn’t worth 16k
bob and john
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:06 |
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its a mazda 2 rebadged.
PS9
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:10 |
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In the US, there is no competition. You can’t get a Mazda 2 sedan here, due to the deal Mazda has with Toyota to sell them here.
TheHondaBro
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:10 |
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The Mazda2 will never survive as a Mazda, but as a “youthful” Scion, it stands a chance.
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:11 |
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Hey, if Toyota’s going to buy Mazdas and keep them in business, that’s fine by me.
Mercedes Streeter
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:12 |
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The OG Mazda 2 was a great little car. If I didn’t have a smart, I would totally drive one.
I would not drive the iA. I recently saw one in person, and it looks worse in person than in pics. I understand Scion wanting to change the front end...but they made a cute car SO vcrrrry ugly. Plus, now you have to deal with the experience of buying a Scion...so crappy dubstep, “pure price”, and flat brimmed caps for days.
Wacko
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:15 |
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MTL Engineer in Training
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:16 |
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We get it as the Toyota Yaris Sedan.
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willkinton247
> PS9
12/07/2015 at 12:16 |
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Could you clarify what you mean by “no competition?” There’s plenty of competition the way I see it. It’s sitting in between the two of the most hotly contested car classes out there, the sub-compacts and the compacts.
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PS9
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:22 |
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I mean the iA will not compete with the Mazda 2 for sales here. I guess Toyota learned from their deal with Scooby that they’re better off sharing 0% of the sales with the dev partner in key territories like ours.
With that said, this pricing is awful. You could have a Mazda 3 for just a few grand more, and it’s better in pretty much every way.
jariten1781
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:22 |
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There’s hype for the iA? Where?
All the reviews I’ve seen are basically: “It’s a Mazda 2 sedan. Buy one if you want one of those”
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willkinton247
> Wacko
12/07/2015 at 12:25 |
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Yes, it’s the same car as the Mazda 2. I didn’t realize that before today, and then I started looking into it.
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willkinton247
> PS9
12/07/2015 at 12:27 |
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If they put the 2.0l engine from the CX-3 in there, it would be a whole different story, but that 1.5l is woeful.
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Wacko
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:28 |
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I’m canadian, so i’m used to seeing them on the road.
I just want to see the ad for the Scion.
do they say Scion. by toyota, by mazda for this one??
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willkinton247
> bob and john
12/07/2015 at 12:28 |
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Lemme just go back and bold the part where I said it is the Mazda2.
Aaron M - MasoFiST
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:29 |
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You have a reasonable point given incentives, but MSRP-wise the Scion is comparable or cheaper than all the cars you mention when you spec the tech packages that bring them up to the same level of equipment. Now, if the argument you want to have is about Scion’s pricing model, that’s something else entirely. But MSRP-wise, the Scion is competitive or a bit cheaper. It’s also available fully-loaded with a stick, which is rare.
Also worth noting all of those discounts you cite disappear by February. December is one of the lowest months for car prices, they’re all back up after President’s Day to prepare for tax return season.
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willkinton247
> Wacko
12/07/2015 at 12:29 |
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No they say, “Get 106 hp for just $17,595!”
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Wacko
> PS9
12/07/2015 at 12:29 |
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and with the 3 you don’t get that god awful ugly front end.
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willkinton247
> Aaron M - MasoFiST
12/07/2015 at 12:33 |
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Incentive wise, not necessarily with the Fords and Nissans. I’ve been watching those prices with a morbid curiosity almost for a couple of years now, and they’re almost always being sold for several thousand less than MSRP. Right now though it’s ridiculous. I saw a brand new Fiesta for sale for $9,999. Normally they’re around $13,000.
It could be different for other brands, but the Fiestas are almost always discounted.
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Aaron M - MasoFiST
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:44 |
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You have to remember equipment. You can’t get a rear-view camera on any Fiesta below the Titanium, and you can’t get Bluetooth in a Versa less than an SV.
Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 12:45 |
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I think the issue here is the fact that this is sold as a Scion. Which means pure price. Which means that the market won’t dictate what the vehicle will sell for. I say that if this car was sold as a Toyota, it would (and should) sell for about 15k. Toyota is essentially baking in costs to the iA, so they can make their own profit off of buying the car from Mazda. And because you can’t haggle, their guaranteed to get this price. Until they start running incentives that give you $1,500 off because no one is buying it.
As for the motor, that is rather anemic. But, I’m sure it’s still better than what the class had 15 years ago.
BaconSandwich is tasty.
> Aaron M - MasoFiST
12/07/2015 at 13:15 |
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With impending legislation, the rear-view camera thing will change pretty quick.
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Aaron M - MasoFiST
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
12/07/2015 at 13:19 |
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I don’t doubt it. But for now, it means the iA is competing with the top trim of the comparable Ford and Nissan offerings...and in that respect, it’s competitively priced. There’s still the incentive thing, yes.
Scorpio GTX1
> Mercedes Streeter
12/07/2015 at 13:26 |
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I’ve got a 2012 Mazda 2 and I love it to death. Such a fun little car.
boxrocket
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 14:27 |
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If I needed a subcompact car, I’d seriously consider getting an iA and getting a painted front fascia and appropriate badging from a Mazda2. However, I just bought my wife a CX-5 GT a few months ago and it’s be hard to go for anything less.
Side-note: The iA should be the iM, as in "I'm a Mazda". The iM should be something else. iH, maybe, for "I'm a Hatchback"?
86notchback
> willkinton247
12/07/2015 at 20:02 |
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my C900 16valve n/a had 110 hp and my 500 has 101 more then enough to deal with driving and HW speeds and they love to be driven hard to squeeze out all that power...