On my way over to the dance competition Saturday morning, I turned over 1000 miles on the new Scion iM. Also of note, I got passed by my old Yaris on the same trip*, it looked good, and the driver looked happy (and hauling a whole bunch of stuff); I hope it serves him as well as it served me for three years.

What’s also of note is that in the nearly a month I’ve owned the car, I’ve not once seen another iM on the road. And, as anybody who has ever bought a new car can tell you; once you’re behind the wheel of one, you’re at least subconsciously on the lookout for another member of the club to give that little hat tip/wave of acknowledgement to.

I’ve run into several people online who’ve purchased them, though I might be self-selecting for exposure (I read a couple of car sites regularly, and had been researching the particular model), and while I know Scion (even before the announcement that Toyota was killing the brand and absorbing the product line) has only sold about 8000 of these in the states since they hit the market at the end of the summer, I also know that my chosen dealership has released at least half-a-dozen of them in my immediate neighborhood (or at least the south/west side of this metro area where I tend to be out and about) in the last few months (talking to the guys at the dealership, and in doing my shopping research). I guess it’s not really odd that I haven’t seen one, given the probabilities, but it still kind of feels weird that I haven’t, when one considers Baader-Meinhof.

Anyway, you might ask: How do you feel about the car?, since this is, inherently, the thesis of this post, and I’ve wasted almost 300 words talking about sales figures and obscure psychological phenomena…

To answer that implied question, I like it quite a bit.

Specifically, A lot of my favor comes from how remarkably it feels like my old Pontiac Vibe, which I loved. This isn’t surprising, given the fact that the iM/Auris is a direct decendant of the Corolla/Matrix/Vibe line; it is pretty much the same car, with a few more modern touches. It feels comfortable and familiar, with almost all the controls in the right place (again, not surprising, as I’ve been driving Toyotas and Toyota derivatives for the last ten years), and I got comfortable with things very quickly.

Over the last 1000 miles, much of which has been relatively short trip city commutes and one reasonably long road trip up to the DC metro area for a gig, I’ve found that it handles really well (it’s got slightly upgraded/sportier suspension than it’s Corolla brethren), is quite a bit of fun to throw into corners when the opportunity presents itself, and even when doing that, it’s remarkably efficient – I’m beating the EPA rated 27/26/32 on both short trips (I’ve not dipped below 31mpg) and on long-haul highway trips (I averaged over 40mpg on that trip to DC), even when I’m tossing it around a bit; which is not all that different from the Yaris, especially considering the added benefits of having more space and being able to fit the entire “small” bass rig (5 string Fender Jazz bass, small 35 watt amplifier and various and sundry cables and pedals – it looks like the big 200 watt amp will fit as well) in the car without having to put seats down, or indeed, disturbing the position of the rigid rear deck:

It did take me a day or two to get used to the clutch, but I blame that more on not having a manual transmission around for most of three years than on the transmission itself; once I found the engage point of the clutch (and got used to reverse being next to first, given that six gears is an even number), I’ve been having a blast. There’s just something so much more fun and engaging about a manual transmission, and I’ve really missed having one.

I’ve not struggled with power (almost all the reviews out there tend to whine about the iM having *only* about 140 horsepower, but all those reviews also compare it to other more powerful cars like the Mazda 3 and that ridiculously overpowered – but but insanely fun-looking Ford Fiesta ST); I can downshift and pass with more than enough spunk, and at highway cruising speed, I’m finding myself creeping up toward 80 occasionally without realizing it – that’s plenty for me. The sporty tC bits in the suspension out back make it plenty fun to toss around corners> Like they say, “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow”, and this particular car exemplifies that adage pretty well.

So, I’ve got no complaints thus far; I hit 1000 miles and then some on less than three tanks of gas, I’ve been having a lot of fun tossing the car around corners, while still being able to haul all my stuff, and the “infotainment system” (with the big 7 inch screen and no CD player, but plenty of other inputs) sounds pretty great and is capable of reading my texts and emails to me in a pleasing contralto voice (that was weird the first time). Plus, I get the joy of rowing my own again, the pleasure derived from doing so is without measure.

So yeah, I like it.

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* – I know it was mine because there are very few examples of the SE trim level on the road at all (most people at that price point jump to the Corolla, unless, like me, they need a hatch), let alone in bright Absolutely Red with the slightly askew dealership badge slightly askew in exactly the same way, and sporting the very tiny little ding in the paint along the rear bumper near the hatch that I specifically looked for and found when he passed me. I know my cars, people.