This is going to my next car thats for sure

I think $16k for this car is hard to beat. The current Mazda 2 with alloy wheel is $17k (MSRP). I'm pretty sure iA will have better equip than current Mazda 2 also. One thing I would worry about is the reliability for this car being built in Mexico. So far, built in Mexico Fit is doing pretty good, I think. Maybe I just don't know. But if the reliability is good, I would mention about this car if anyone I know is looking for a cheap car.

Resurrecting an old thread.

Now that the car is out, has anyone tried the manual? Thoughts?

Judging by the discounts, they had a helluva time getting out the gates upon introduction - makes me wonder if it could be a great pick up come seasonal discount time. I regret not having gone with a Mazda2 back in 2012, they were discounted to below $14k as I recall... now they sell for $9-10k used and are hard to find (two on cargurus!). That was a fun car to drive. It's a slow car driven 'quick' - more talent than money type of car :thumbup: I enjoyed it in a similar way to twins - accessible (responsible) limits in a communicative package with enough heft/response to be sporty.

Anyways, all the rags and youtube reviewers give the iA high praise. For $15k+TTL a 40 mpg capable little scoot with IIHS top pick and amenities per dollar ratio is fantastic. I've read it invokes a 90's spirit of driving ala GTI type of fun - thrash trash trash and row the gears constantly. It sounds like a fantastic proposition - looks be damned.

Gotta make it out to Irvine to test drive one.

Anyone drive this with a new Fit back to back?

$15k? Scion's site is showing $16.5k + fees + TTL for me, I don't think you could get it out the door for much less than $18k in California unless it's leftover stock or got a lot of miles on it from test drives.

Armchair quarterback time:
You can pick up a used 86 for that money and although it's a 4 door I doubt it's significantly roomier and it doesn't even have a hatch to add practical storage space. Good car in theory but about $2k too expensive imo, might as well step up to a Mazda3 which you can haggle on, sure you'll be about $20k otd on a basic model but for a hatch, a few inches of legroom, 0.5L of displacement and 50 horsepower without sacrifice to fuel economy it's probably worth it.

Seriously, there's a local dealership with 3 iA's listed over $20k right now, baffling when the Mazda dealer down the street has a dozen 3's for under $20k.

http://i.imgur.com/yUm8Uv4.jpg

Take it with a grain of salt but I imagine with seasonal incentives, $15k+TTL within the next 6 months is plausible. Truecar has it at $15,856 currently.

I'm a lucky sob where an FR-S is made redundant in my driveway with the S2K in the garage :bonk: and any work miles are done in the comfort of the RDX. I don't drive often - maybe once a week for work and I leave the house once a week. Weekends are family time with the family mobile. Don't ask me why but I just prefer four doors over two and any extra headroom is a boon. The iA would replace my GTI which, as great of a car as it is, is feeling long in the tooth. I'd like a change up.

I agree with you on the 3 and would repeat the same advice to anyone else but I can't seem to take it myself. Let's go down this rabbit hole...

The 'potential' 20% price increase from iA to 3 sport is substantial in relative terms in my opinion. A sport hatch would be $18k + TTL. I'd have to give the Mazda 6 a strong consideration because mama, there go that man - it's a damn handsome car. And since it's only 10% more than the 3! Then I'd have to bump it up to a Mazda 6 touring because for the content with the 6 manual sport, it's lacking the good stuff man! And then at $22k I'd have to give a CPO Infiniti G37s sedan (~$24k) a strong consideration and then Bavarian crap starts to creep into my mind as well because damned if that silky smooth inline 6 isn't just awesome. Before you know it, the whole point is gone and I've increased the price point over 50%. Granted, I do think a 2013 Infiniti G37S is 50% more car than an iA...

But as my wife would ask: "Why do you need this car?" and I haven't yet come up with a good enough answer... I think I just want it for the sake of wanting change and it pulls at my high school student budget heart strings.

Good research, Truecar is telling me ~$16.1k, damn regional differences.

I guess that's my point, for $2.2k (after TTL on both cars) I think I'd up the ante to the 3, the hatch and power would likely be worth it to me. Good thing test drives are free.

:burnrubber:

Wish my high school days involved spending $15k+ on cars, you definitely are a lucky sob. My first car cost me $1k when I was 20 and I put $1.8k into it over the years, sold it for $2k so not a bad deal in the end...

What you save on mpg $$$ it goes longer than a twin lol in terms of overall savings. 30mpg vs 40mpg becomes meaningful after 2-3yrs of ownership. just my 2 Mexican pesos


Have NOT test drove them yet but there are a few with less than 5k miles going for $15k or less here in local dealers (says 2015 model on windows). For basically 100hp though...id keep the twin.

If there can only be one, it's gotta be a twin. One of the best drivers car's ever made!

Yeah, I agree and I'd repeat it to anyone listening - it sounds right but it just doesn't sound appealing. I think it's part due to the S model and Mazda 6 overshadowing the base 3. At that point the worth of a car is taken in as a whole with average weight distributions to the looks, drive, content, value, etc. And the fact that the scion is 500 lbs lighter at the behest of 50 hp and 50 lb-ft of torque doesn't matter either, because it's about the whole package. And with that thinking, the 6 is the car that ticks all the boxes with complete appeal. Seriously what a handsome car!

The 2 (iA) is the cheapest econo-box with the best DNA and I dig that - it's easy to justify in my head. I want (hope) it to be a fwd 1.5l Miata with headroom for a helmet and rear space for my crap. But maybe it'll fall all sorts of short from expectation on the drive... then it turns back into an entry level economy car with good content and value proposition. And my mental chariot back to pumpkin. And I keep looking for a replacement to the GTI. Yeah.. that's what it is - Delusion :bellyroll:

My first car was a 1990 Honda Prelude 2.0 with 150,000 miles making all of 70 horsepower, probably. Saved for a year and purchased it for $1,500 around '03 or '04 from the original owner - really a great car. But I dreamed of the then-new SI, V spec, GTS, Tiburon, GTI, etc. on my minimum wage work shifts :wub: Just like how I dreamed of the Mazda2 in '11 while rocking a used Solara saving for/from grad school!

That's the real trick, finding a 4-door to do it all on a budget. Good luck, nothing I've looked at in the last 5 years seems to nail it :(

Used Fiesta ST might tick the boxes for replacement GTI, craigslist is showing 2 near me for $16k (30k-40k miles on 'em). But I know very well that while Ford looks great on paper for most of their offerings, actually touching it and using it and living with it day to day may not stack up. It's got less 'dna' than the iA but still has it's roots in Mazda design sharing a platform with the prior generations of the Mazda2 and Mazda engine design (EcoBoost is the same as the first Mazdaspeed3 after all, just slapped on different displacements and piston layouts).

Sorry when you have an ~$18k out the door budget the iA just doesn't stack up imo there's more bang for your buck out there. But you definitely shouldn't have to make me happy. Good Luck.
:cheers:

Had the Ia for a rental for a day. It was okay, really peppy and the interior seems a hell of a lot better than my FRS lol

Got some seat time in a manual iA last night.

Here are some thoughts on it:

• Value

I'm still in disbelief that a $15,8xx car has this much content and is presented in a pleasant package. Kudos to Scion for not messing up a good thing. We jumped into the Mazda dealership next door to check out some 3's and the ND. Going from iA to Mazda3 - the interior width is noticeable and appreciated and there's a little more class to the 3 with a few finer details but compare msrp to msrp and I'll take the scion with substantial savings any day. Not to knock on the 3, it's a compliment to Mazda. Back to the iA; I love that the driver's headrest comes up high - many cars the top of the headrest comes just above the base of my cranium. I had a good amount of headroom with the seat all the way down - about three fingers between the top of my head and the roof. Just enough knee room to be comfortable, right knee would rub against the console and a kneepad there would be nice. Shoppers around 6'2 with a 32" inseam will be comfortable.

The infotainment system was a pleasure to use. Very fast responses, average resolution and the sound system is good for the money spent. Trunk space is more than adequate for a subcompact. The rear seat headrests are pretty trick, too. Love how they maximized the visibility with them down into the seat when no one is back there.

The seats themselves are easy to get in and out of. Support is virtually non-existent - these ain't no FRS seats. The material used is surprisingly decent to touch. Smaller details (stitching, two tone color, etc.) make a good impact on first impression.

The optional armrest would make a significant impact in my opinion, I'd order one. The 2 years covered maintenance is a nice touch I didn't know about previously. Doors close with a modest clunk, as rigid as any bigger brother compact car. All in all, for the money - unbelievable how much you get.

• Ride

The biggest surprise of the night was how well the car rode on the freeway. I was expecting lots of wind and tire/road noise but was pleasantly surprised to find it not just tolerable but remarkably quiet. Honestly I think my GTI riding on its 225/40R18 tires make more noise on the I-5 freeway. At idle, you'd barely know the car is on if your hand wasn't on the cheap plastic steering wheel or feet on the pedals which buzz crudely. From the passenger seat my wife thought it was quiet, too. I cruise around 65-70 mph on the freeway's, so it would be a great fit for highway use. Anything above 70 begins to get fuzzy. Again, for the money, with all of the content, and considering its econo-box bones - color me impressed.

Up to this point, it does what the GTI does - punches above its weight. The GTI is a mediocre $32,000 car for $22,000. The iA is a mediocre $25,000 car for $15,000.

• Fun

I had the fortune to drive the car in a sparse industrial area with a very understanding and encouraging sales rep. He was hip to motorsports and put me in a safe-ish place to try some emergency change maneuvers, emergency stops and get a feel for the car. Firstly, the brakes are good. Plenty of bite and does a good job of not overworking the tires. Pedal placement to the gas (floor hinged) is good, heel-toe isn't as easy because the limited space in the foot well doesn't take well to my size 14 shoe, but I could get the job done with some clumsiness. The clutch pedal is great. Not too light, good feel, a couple of inches of bite in the pedal travel made it very easy to drive the car immediately. There's no needing to learn the friction zone, accessible and convenient modulation first go and there is a little more travel than the FRS.

Steering is okay. I hate light-weight steering and the iA has just a little heft but is a featherweight compared to anything sporty. Feedback is so-so. It's easy to confuse buzz for feedback. Turn in could benefit from some wider wheels and tires. Would a shorter sidewall improve initial turn-in feel? I don't know what would improve it but the car could use some. Then there's the body roll. Lots of it. I got to pin the throttle on some on-ramps and a few open look corners. Given the lack of power and difficulty in retaining speed - understeer isn't that obvious or evident. Springs and bars will do wonders. Some TRMotorsport C1 wheels (16x7) wrapped with some cheapy 195 tires with a shorter sidewall would be nice. Then grab a leather wrapped steering wheel from a Mazda CX-3. We're scootin' now. Transitioning the car otherwise and correcting it mid-corner is alright. Again with so much roll/float, letting off the wheel would introduce so more body pitch to compete with wheel placement.

So here's the bad part. Hear me out: I'm alright with low power cars. I think the FRS has just the right amount - any more would ruin it. I think the S2000 has too much for me to handle responsibly. I was always content with my NB Miata power plants, they were mediocre but never hindered the driving experience. I'm typically content with whatever 1.4L passat/3 series/A3/etc. rentals I get overseas. With short gearing and a little winding out - things feel peppy, I really dig that. I want to have fun without hitting illegal/irresponsible speeds in second gear.

But the iA, unfortunately, doesn't feel lively even with its low curb weight. The car had a full tank of gas, myself and a 130 lb salesman. There feels like an intentional choke on the engine. Similar to how a restrictor plate feels - brief moments you get a glimpse that the engine, in fact, does want to work hard, only to be neutered milliseconds later to a slower climb up the digital tach - at any RPM. I'd love to see a dynochart - I couldn't find one on Google. Peak power (106 hp) is at 6,000 rpms and peak torque (103) is at 4,000 and she goes to 6,500 red line. I could not find a sweet spot where the motor was happy to churn near or between peak power or peak torque. It's void of character, reluctant to build momentum and isn't happy to go to red line. It'll sound stressed/annoyed above 3,000 rpms. Kudos to Mazda for hitting over 40 mpg highway. Best 'hot' bet would be to throw in the Miata 1.5 mill. With an additional 15% additional power and reduced roll - it'd be a riot. I'll say the previous Mazda2 was a riot to drive, it was just as slow but felt spritely. I really wanted the iA to have that squirty nature, it's a better car in EVERY way except for that fun-to-drive category. It can absolutely fall back on its basic transportation laurels - because it's fantastic at that. Anyone looking at a first car for their kid, wants something safe, loaded, has sticker shock from corolla pricing - an automatic Scion iA is tits. As a straight trade for the GTI - I'm not convinced it's gonna be the right move. Will test drive again and go back to back before I completely pass on it.

Next gotta check out a Honda Fit.

I would have thought you would have used that adjective to describe something incredibly exciting, mega-awesome, oozing raw sexuality.

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