If you love Scions but want four doors in non-lunchbox form, you’ve been out of luck … until now. The brand has just revealed the iA sedan, Scion’s first, at the 2015 New York Auto Show.
Like most Scions, the iA emphasizes affordability with a sporty flair. Essentially a Mazda 2 sedan with tweaked bodywork, the vehicle is expected to retail for around $16,000 in well-equipped ‘mono-spec’ form, which features a 7-inch multimedia system and a ‘Low-speed Pre-collision’ safety system as standard.
Styling-wise, the iA features a large, Focus-like widemouth grill and sharp headlights up front, while a Corolla-esque profile and 16-inch alloys highlight the side view. Mmm … sporty.
Powering the car is a “quick-revving,” “high-compression,” and “high-spirited” 1.5-liter four with an output of 106 horsepower. That may not sound like a lot, because it isn’t, but the bijou powerplant makes up for it at the pump. Scion claims that the iA returns 33 mpg city, 42 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. Buyers can choose between either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic.
A mass-market car like this must walk the line between comfort and responsiveness carefully, and the iA features a MacPherson strut suspension setup up front while a torsion beam layout does work out back. The result is a “just-right balance of sporty handling and comfortable ride not normally associated with this segment,” the brand says.
Scion also describes the iA as “big on safety,” a statement that goes further than the high-strength body. The aforementioned pre-collision system employs a laser sensor to help warn drivers of impending crashes, and a rear view camera is standard as well.
The iA sedan hits U.S. showrooms this fall.
