The Scion iM... Has Toyota really learned from the Matrix?

"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
09/07/2015 at 23:13 • Filed to: beer is good, scion im

I’m not saying I’m remotely serious in looking at these, but they do satisfy the gaping hole in Toyota USA’s lineup which includes exactly one hatchback, that is both a hybrid and a Lexus. The Toyota Matrix (known as the Corolla Matrix in other countries) was discontinued due to poor sales, yet here we are two years later with a “new” hatchback.

This is basically an Australian Corolla. It is a rebadged Toyota Auris, which is also offered in wagon form, but of course we don’t get that, with some scion badges.

“You never buy wagons, so you don’t get wagons.”

A reasonable question is, will this work? Will people buy these? What’s the appeal compared to other hatchbacks? Is this better than a used Matrix? I guess it depends, but what they’re going for on this one is making it cheaper and more efficient (here’s a spec sheet !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). Fuel economy comparable to a Yaris, and a starting MSRP of under $18,500, allegedly (before all the “fees” and crap). I spec’d one up to $19,995 with a 6MT and some alloy wheels... But see, I passed on everything else, which I don’t anticipate your average consumer would do (who the hell pays for nav on a scion... You already have to pay for your smart phone, yeah I said it). It’s cheap and efficient because it will not have AWD as an option like the Matrix, it has only one engine, and it’s a Scion, so it will run forever, perhaps even against the owner’s wishes. What about general appeal? Is it even better looking than a Matrix? I’m not so sure...

It’s actually kind of amusing to me. Toyota and Lexus buyers tend to be thought of as practical. The Lexus shopper wants a tiny bit of status and a lot of comfort but no “surprises” associated with some other luxury brands, and Toyota... I mean, nothing epitomizes the path of least resistance than the Camry. Resale value, reliability, affordability, and soullessness: that is what a person is looking for when they shop for a new Camry. “It does what I needs and that’s alls I needs.” Yet Toyota can’t get a normal hatchback to sell in the US Market, and to me, a hatchback or wagon is way more practical than a sedan or cramped crossover. But that sentence proves that I am not inline with the typical consumer, so perhaps I should pound sand.

Next: competition. What is the iM going up against? It’s not a performance hatch, nor is it priced as one, so it will not have to face off against a higher-trim Golf, FiST, or FoST. And since it’s the size of a Corolla (because it IS a Corolla), it might not go up against the Fit or its little brother Auris. So what do I shop this against? A Focus SE? Maybe a base Fiesta? The other problem is that a Forte5 can be had for a similar price and an Accent hatchback can be spec’d down to damn near peanuts if you can tolerate a brand new car with nothing in it. It seems that the iM will have basically only three things to lean on: brand reliability reputation, improved fuel economy, and competitive pricing. But if you care quite a bit about fuel economy, you can just pick up a new Prius C for about the same price.

The other thing I wonder is: who is going to buy this car in general? If you have 20k to burn or finance, do you buy a new Scion? Why not buy a used FoST? Or a slightly damaged WRX? Or 40 Geo Metros? Why not splurge the extra few grand and splurge on a lower-trim crossover that still has some bells and whistles as standard? As an example, an acquaintance of mine was shopping for a new car. She wanted a hatchback at first, but figured out she could get a new Escape spec’d to her preference for just under $26 Gs. Another victim falls to the crossover appeal. But how can one blame her?

I do wish Toyota the best of luck with this, as the iM and the Maz— I mean, iA, seeming to be a sort of last gasp attempt to justify Scion’s existence. But if this fails completely, I will be patiently waiting to pick one up on the used market at a steep discount, and then hypocritically wonder, “Why can’t Toyota make a new hatchback sell?”

DISCUSSION (11)

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/07/2015 at 23:26

Despite your beer intake, you make valid, coherent points.

The Lexus CT is a terrible car that is only good for gas mileage. Everything else is better to drive, and has more useable interior space. Seriously, the CT is tiny inside.

Toyota might sell a few of these to young people with pets larger than a hand-bag, but mostly old people will buy them just like what happened with the first-Gen XB.

What Toyota wants is for those young people with pets to start families and move up to the RAV4/NX/Sienna.

ranwhenparked > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/07/2015 at 23:28

At the time GM pulled out of the NUMMI venture, I believe Toyota USA executives commented that they would have preferred to keep the Matrix in production at a different plant if they could have made the numbers work. But, it was just popular enough to consider keeping it around, but not quite popular enough to justify the costs of moving the tooling and possibly displacing a higher selling model on the assembly line.

So, I suppose there are some people in the organization that have been campaigning for a car like this for several years now.

Will it sell? With a Toyota badge in Toyota showrooms, it would do at least as well as the Matrix did, which I guess you could call “well enough”. As a Scion? It probably faces the same rather dismal prospects as the Scion brand itself.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
09/07/2015 at 23:41

I’m also trying to project what people in my demographic — even a few years younger — would buy if they were shopping for a new inexpensive car. They might give this a look, but would probably be drawn to the tC, probably the only Scion I see young people actually driving. I mean with 20Gs, you can get SO much on the used market...

boxrocket > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/08/2015 at 00:13

The redesigned Yaris isn't that bad. I like some of the clever/cost-saving/simplifying/weight saving measures like the single front wiper blade, which works quite well.

Autofixation > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/08/2015 at 00:14

If you make AWD optional, then people here in northern New England will eat them up just like they did the Vibe/Matrix. They are everywhere up here, just like Suzuki SX4’s.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Autofixation
09/08/2015 at 00:16

I wonder if that would be true around here though (state of WA). Subaru is the default “I want AWD” choice here and they are booming.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > boxrocket
09/08/2015 at 00:21

You won’t find me badmouthing the Yaris. Just seems to be a different target audience than what the iM is supposed to have. I mean what is the iM supposed to be? A competitive compact hatchback. The Yaris is a sub-compact I think and seems to have its own niche altogether.

Autofixation > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/08/2015 at 00:26

Well, Subarus go with out saying here, they are obviously everywhere. But I find it interesting when there are other non-luxury, non CUV AWD offerings. And yes, I’m a huge Subaru fanboy, well I used to be, until all the cars the equivalent of fat, AWD, Toyota beigemobiles. I still like the Crosstrek, though.

Zohaibman72 > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/08/2015 at 02:32

“The Lexus shopper wants a tiny bit of status and a lot of comfort but no “surprises” associated with some other luxury brands”

I feel like this doesn’t apply at all anymore. Lexus has been making car much more competitive to sporty BMW and Mercedes models. And when it comes to conservative design, Lexus is far from it in the Luxury market. Aggresive, gnawing faces and sharp lines, a Lexus looks like a Wild crazy monster. You either love it or hate it. It’s a stand-out conversation peice, every model is slapped with that new grille. It looks miles more suprising than a BMW or Mercedes. Visually atleast.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/08/2015 at 04:02

The iM will appeal to senior citizens who want the reliability of the Toyota background as well as the practicality of the hatch. No one else will buy it. Unless Toyota is wiling to drop the turbo 4 into the iM and do some suspension work to compensate (how about that multi link suspension Europe has), the iM will not succeed. Toyota will realize this...and the hot hatch is a very popular market now. Toyota learned a lesson with the 1st gen XRS (where it was underadvertised, sleeper ish (too much as the 17 inch XRS wheels were also options on the XR and the body kit had no difference), and the “minivan” qualities were not appealing to performance people). Toyota tried to improve on the 2nd gen, but it failed as the plastics got shittier. What Toyota needs to do is reinstate an aggressive, functional body kit for the iM. Drop the 8AR-FTS (good for 235hp and 258 lb) and a exclusive 6 speed manual. It will be the Focus ST of Toyota. I don’t care if it was clunky, as my matrix has one of the roughest gearboxes I’ve driven.

duurtlang > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/08/2015 at 04:04

In Europe these are sold side by side. The Yaris competes with the Fiesta, the Auris with the Focus (Corolla name plus sedan bodyshape have been discontinued in my market). Different segments, different prices.