The Toyota Corolla iM is a leftover from the Scion brand, getting a new name and logo in 2017 to continue as a Toyota offering (ironically, the Corolla iM originated in Europe, as the Toyota-badged Auris). The Corolla iM is a front-wheel-drive five-door hatch that seats five while riding on the same platform as the Corolla sedan.
What's New for 2018
The Toyota Corolla iM carries over into 2018 unchanged, aside from its new name and Toyota badge.
Choosing Your Toyota Corolla iM
There really is no choosing the right Toyota Corolla iM as the five-door hatch is what Toyota calls a monospec vehicle (a leftover from its days as a Scion). This means there’s only one, well-equipped trim available.
The front-wheel-drive hatch comes with a 1.8-liter engine making 137 horsepower and 126 pound-feet of torque. The only available option involves the transmission. A six-speed manual is standard with a starting price of $19,745 (prices include destination and handling), or customers can grab the optional continuously variable transmission, which starts at $20,485. The CVT offers normal and sport driving modes.
The manual returns 27 city and 35 highway for 30 miles per gallon combined, while the CVT returns a slightly better rating of 28 city, 36 highway, and 31 mpg combined.
The interior features comfortably supportive seats, a spacious, well-appointed cabin with impressive material quality for the class, and plenty of rear-seat legroom. The sporty design and styling of Scion carry over inside and out on the Corolla iM.
Push-button start, a rearview camera, dual-zone climate control, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel are all standard along with a seven-inch touchscreen, LED running lights, and 17-inch alloy wheels. Navigation is an available option. Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity are also standard.
All Toyota Corolla iMs also comes with Toyota Safety Sense C suite of technologies. It's best to think of Safety Sense as Toyota's competitor for Honda Sensing and similar all-encompassing active safety suites. While there are more comprehensive systems available, Safety Sense C covers the important bases with forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, and automatic high beams.
Rear cargo space measures 20.8 cubic feet with the rear seats up. The rear seats do fold down to offer more cargo area.
The Toyota Corolla iM may be a Scion under a new badge, but the host of added safety features along with the features such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel and seven-inch touchscreen make the sub-$20,000 iM an actual value. Option for the manual transmission. It doesn’t suffer from the sluggish performance found in the CVT-equipped Corolla iM and the one mpg difference in fuel economy is negligible.