Great first drive of the Auris aka Scion iM:
Last year Toyota’s Scion brand sold just over 58,000 vehicles in the U.S. For Toyota, the No. 1 automaker globally with more than 10 million vehicle sales in 2014, that’s not even a drop in the bucket — more like a mist particle, really. After all, the Avalon alone found nearly 70,000 takers in the U.S. over the same period, and that full-size four-door is considered a modest seller. But given Scion’s debuts at April’s New York auto show — the Mazda2-based iA sedan and the car here, the JDM Auris-based iM hatchback — it’s clear that Toyota isn’t quite ready to let its youthful brand kick the bucket. The iA and iM will arrive at Scion dealerships in September, with the iA coming from Mazda’s factory in Salamanca, Mexico, and the iM from Toyota’s Takaoka plant in Toyota City, Japan. The iM’s roots lie in the Auris, which was recently refreshed for the Japanese market with updated interior trim, added active safety technology (pre-collision system, lane departure warning, automatic high beams), revised front and rear fascias, and a new 8NR-FTS 1.2-liter, turbo inline-four that delivers 114 horsepower and 136 lb-ft of torque (more on that engine in a bit). In addition to the 1.2T, the Auris offers a 1NZ-FE 1.5-liter inline-four (103 hp, 100 lb-ft) and a 2ZR-FAE 1.8-liter inline-four (141 hp, 128 lb-ft). If the “Valvematic” 2ZR-FAE sounds familiar, that’s because it also motivates the 140-hp, 126-lb-ft Corolla Eco, which at 42 mpg highway is Toyota’s most fuel-efficient compact sedan in America. And once the iM hits U.S. shores, the 1.8 will sound even more familiar, as it will be the sole engine available (rated at 137 hp and 126 lb-ft and up to an estimated 37 mpg highway), paired with either a six-speed manual or a CVT.
Read more: Toyota Auris 1.2L Turbo I-4 First Drive - Motor Trend
