Is Scion's Next New Car A Station Wagon?

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

The death of the Toyota Matrix will leave a hatchback-sized hole in Toyota’s lineup. But the replacement won’t be a Toyota, if Scion’s newest concept is any indication.

As we reported back in June, Scion is said to be readying a new hatchback based on the Toyota Auris. The Auris is a European version of the Corolla, which features an independent rear suspension, rather than the Corolla’s torsion beam setup. The new vehicle will apparently be dubbed the Scion iM, and will debut in lightly disguised “concept” form at next month’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

Some time ago, our own Ronnie Schreiber g ot a chance to drive both the Auris hatchback (akin to the Matrix) and the Auris Touring Sports, which is a true station wagon variant. Will Scion be bold enough to bring the wagon version here? We’ll find out next month.


Derek Kreindler
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  • Wstarvingteacher Wstarvingteacher on Oct 24, 2014

    On my second Nissan cube. (cue the derision concerning looks). Probably will be driving them for as long as they make them. Over 30mpg and carries just about anything. First one was a six speed and we would still be driving it if the wife hadn't boogered up her clutch knee. The roofline looks higher than it is and we get in and out comfortably. Our joints are "limed up" at 71 years but we do ok. Don't understand the fuss. I suspect the manufacturers would try a few low volume models and see who would buy them if the govt had not made it a pain to get them certified. The cars are all so much better than they were 25-30 years ago that I think some of the assumptions we make about them and their business models are probably wrong. I sure don't know why it took so long for them to decide to import my little box and I don't know why more people don't buy them. And yes, there are a lot of Gangstas with xB boxes here in Texas. Not so many cubes and souls which are pretty much the same car (appearance only).

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    • Petezeiss Petezeiss on Oct 24, 2014

      @wstarvingteacher If only they'd find a way to lift the Cube's suspension 3 or 4" I'd want nothing else. That and some Blizzaks would be all I need when it's white outside. How do you find the CVT? Easy to get used to?

  • Wstarvingteacher Wstarvingteacher on Oct 27, 2014

    @ petezeiss I would love to have it be higher as well. My first one loosened the front chin mount and the attachment to the right front fender by going through a wide ditch. The other complaint is that with the CVT, the payload is just over 800 lbs. Three fat friends and I will hit that. No luggage racks or trailer hitches or the warranty is voided. What it does very well is provide comfortable transportation for up to four people. Excellent back seat room with no loss of front room. The CVT took almost no getting used to. In town, none at all. On the highway I sense that the braking effect of an automatic is diminished by the CVT. I just prefer a stick. I have the torso of a pretty large person and a 29inch inseam so the seats are the right height. A body that was made for work and not for buying "off the rack". Getting into and out of my 4runner is much more difficult for me. I I thought the 6 speed cube we had before was just about perfect. Then my wife needed work on her left knee and still finds a clutch a challenge. She could drive anything I could before that and, in fact, picked out the car with the clutch. We drove it 85k with zero problems. Now have about 45 on this one. They are absolutely dependable. I don't live in snow country (SE Texas) so the height is unimportant. I would pick a cube or a versa as a good car for a person who was getting older and did not need mechanical repairs very often. It is easy to get into and/or out of. I think adapting from an automatic trannie into a CVT is very easy. Go rent a versa and pretend it has a higher roof as the power train is essentially the same. Btw, I think neither is a penalty box but no need to get into a peeing contest with the fanbois. I'm just enjoying passing most of the gas stations I see.

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    • Banger Banger on Oct 28, 2014

      @Occam "Fun to drive" is a relative thing. Our cube is fun to drive relative to the Ford Ranger that is my daily driver. It turns much quicker, is much smoother in town, and much quieter on the highway than the Ranger. It also has a much, much better factory audio system than the Ranger. Most people don't "get" CVTs, and because of that, they hate them. CVTs are designed to peg the engine at its best mixture of economy and power for any given throttle application you, the driver, make. Nail the skinny pedal getting on the interstate, and it'll zing up to peak torque on the tachometer and just hold there until you relent your lead-footed throttle application. If you're like me, you can also drive it in such a way that it almost never surpasses 1,500 RPM in city driving. This is part of the reason why we average 36 MPG in our cube while many others get mid-20s figures on Fuelly. I'll also say the cube is fun to drive relative to the 2004 Sentra it replaced. The Sentra was probably faster, but definitely didn't have as much safety equipment, nor was it as comfortable to drive on a daily basis. Backseat passengers might as well forget legroom in the old Sentra. Despite the cube having a smaller footprint than our old Sentra, it has more interior space by far. You really need to try out a cube before they're all gone, Occam. Just so you can know whether your Versa issues translate to the cube. Like I said, we love the little cube. It cast its spell on us and never let go. We're pretty steamed about Nissan canceling importation of the model for 2015, to be honest.

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