Scion iM

摘要

Want proof that Toyota is capable of engineering a small car? Look no further than the Scion iM. Better known to Europeans as the Toyota Auris, the iM showcases the kind of simple, reliable, and affordable basic transportation that Toyota made its name building. Based on Auris underpinnings, the iM takes up where the youth-oriented Toyota Matrix left off. Visually identical to the Auris-save for the boy-racer ground effects-the iM packages a small 1-4 into a practical four-door hatchback body style. Making 137 hp, the 1.8-liter 1-4 under the hood and its six-speed manual pairing proved adequate in city driving, but the iM quickly ran out of steam during highway testing. Slow as it is, the engine is quiet and smooth all the way to redline. Some of us found issues with the manual's long, vague shift action and poorly placed pedals. "It was like a joystick," Burgess said, "never knowing what gear you were going to throw into next." Theodore summed up the iM's driving dynamics: "It is competent at everything and exceptional at nothing."