2016 Scion iM — Entering Adulthood Never Looked So Good

One-week vehicle loan was provided for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

Type: Hatchback Price: $19,995 Fuel Efficiency: 28 city/37 hwy Seats: 5

Best Suited For: Young singles, college students, commute Notable Features: Sporty body, features like backup camera, heated mirrors, and telescoping steering wheel come standard, reasonable price Links: Official site

For one week I was allowed to feel about ten years younger. That’s when I drove the new 2016 Scion iM, which is aiming for drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. I think they hit it right on the mark. When we drove past one of our friends who is about 22 years old, he was seriously blown away by the slick look of this hatchback!

2016 Scion iM Review — Standard Features that Aren’t Usually Standard

Well, those young whippersnappers are getting quite spoiled. The standard features on the iM are pretty “sick.” Power-folding and heated mirrors, 17-inch alloy wheels, auto on/off headlamps, backup camera, remote keyless entry, cruise control, leather trimmed tilt/telescoping steering wheel with audio controls, power windows, bucket seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control, to name just a few come included on the “base” model. All of that, plus automatic transmission, starts at just under $20k.

2016 Scion iM Review — Fun Driving Without Compromises

I could really see myself going to school or to my first serious job in this car (rewind 20 years). It has great mileage for commuting and enough room for three passengers — or even four passengers for picking up a bite to eat or heading out for a night out on the town. In the back, there’s plenty of space for items ranging from groceries to camping gear.

With my almost 6-ft stature it was easy to get in and out of the car and I felt comfortable behind the wheel. So glad the bucket seats did not cause any claustrophobic feelings! Those in the back seat might be a bit squished but they’ll survive.

2016 Scion iM Review — Room for Improvement

At first I wasn’t too happy with the responsiveness of the engine. It felt like, after pressing the gas pedal, it would take several seconds to accelerate and then do so very slowly. At one point I discovered one setting, I do not remember which, that solved this problem. It wasn’t the sport-mode, that one made this old man too nervous about the gas mileage and extra noise.

Being spoiled with so many extra features, it was a bit surprising that I could not extend the visor. When your legs are a bit longer and you need to move your chair all the way back, you need to be able to extend the visor. At this time of the year the sun hangs pretty low and will often blind you, not just from the front but also the side. I think the designers may have overlooked this and hope that future updates will have this issue fixed.

I would definitely recommend the 2016 Scion iM. You’re getting the years of experience from Toyota engineering fitted into a modern and feature-rich body from Scion. Some features you won’t even find on cars that are $10k more. I am a bit sad thought that Scion says it’s designed for ones up to 34 years old, I really believe that any age would enjoy owning this car.