One of the best little Toyotas is actually a Mazda.
The Yaris iA was badged as a Scion last year. But it's not a Scion anymore, either. It's actually a Mazda2, which you can't buy at a Mazda store. Toyota will sell you one though.
The iA is a car in search of a home.
Toyota bought Mazda2s to rebadge and sell them as iAs through its youth-brand small car line, Scion. This kind of thing is common because it saves the cost of developing a new car from the wheels up. And in this case, it gave Scion something Mazda dealers didn't have.
But then the Scion brand went away, and something had to be done with all those cars. So they got rebranded for the third time — this time as Toyotas (not that there's anything wrong with that).
The base price is $15,950 for an iA with a six-speed manual transmission. With the optional six-speed automatic transmission, which features rev-matching downshifts, the price tag is $17,050.
What's Good
It has more standard features than the competition.
There's a good-sized trunk (13.5 cubic feet) for a small sedan.
It has excellent gas mileage and better acceleration than rivals like the Ford Fiesta.
What's Not So Good
It only comes in the sedan body style.
The Mazda-designed LCD interface looks slick but isn't the easiest to use.
Under the Hood
The iA's 1.5-liter engine with 106 horsepower is a bit less than the Fiesta's slightly larger 1.6-liter 120 horsepower standard engine. But the iA weighs about 152 pounds less, so it's quicker.
It takes the Toyota-incarnated Mazda about 8.9 seconds to get to 60 mph with the six-speed manual, compared to about 9.5 seconds for the Ford Fiesta.
Gas mileage is among the best in this class: thirty mpg city and 39 highway with the manual transmission; and 32 mpg city and 40 highway with the optional automatic.
On the Road
Long-haul reliability and blue chip value — these are the main reasons people buy Toyotas, and so, that's where Toyota puts its focus.
Mazda, on the other hand, focuses primarily on the driving vivacity of its cars. It's about how they make you feel when you're behind the wheel — when you're coming out of your favorite back-road curve, and the wheel is cranked hard to the left and your right foot is hard on the gas.
Notwithstanding its fairly long wheelbase (101.2 inches), the iA's turning circle is just 32.2 feet. It's 34.4 feet for the similarly sized Ford Fiesta. The iA also comes standard with 16-inch alloy wheels (vs. the Ford's 15-inch steel wheels). The result is an eager little rabbit puncher that is both economical and exceptionally fun to drive — even with the automatic transmission, which comes with a driver-selectable Sport mode, manual gear change control and throttle-blipping rev-matching downshifts.
It's a Mazda, remember.
At the Curb
In terms of footprint, the iA is small, but it's not cramped. It has 34.4 inches of back seat legroom (vs. 31.2 inches in the Fiesta) and nearly 13 cubic feet in the trunk.
Standard features include a 7-inch LCD monitor, pushbutton/keyless ignition (with remote engine start), a back-up camera and a collision-avoidance system with automatic braking. These are high-end features in a car that's just over 15k.
You also get cruise control, intermittent wipers, power windows and locks, air conditioning, a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, a six-speaker HD audio system with Bluetooth (and Pandora/Stitcher/iHeart apps) and voice-free phone connectivity.
The cabin is finished with handsome real chrome/polished metal accents and carbon-fiber trim panels. The air conditioning vents rotate, so airflow can be directed almost anywhere.
There is only one option other than the automatic transmission: a GPS upgrade for the LCD infotainment system.
The Rest
Since Mazda no longer sells a subcompact sedan under its own label, the only way to get one is to buy this one. Here's an interesting thought: the iA as an alternative to the Mazda3, which is the smallest car Mazda sells under its own label.
The Mazda3 is bigger outside but only slightly more roomy on the inside. It has about an inch more legroom in its second row and less than half an inch more legroom up front.
It has less cargo room (12.4 cubic feet) behind its back seats, and while it has more engine (155 horsepower), it also carries more curb weight (2,930 pounds), so it's only marginally quicker. And its fuel economy, though good (28 mpg city and 36 highway), isn't quite as good as the iA's.
The Mazda3's base price of $17,845 is also $1,895 higher than the iA's.
The bottom line: The badge has changed, but the goodness remains the same.
To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com. His new book, Don't Get Taken for a Ride! will be available soon.
View Comments