We still remember how the IIHS crash-tested the little iQ city car and found it was so-so. But do you want a little toy car from Scion? Of course you don't; You want the all-new iA sedan that's secretly made by Mazda.
Today, the same independent safety body released its findings for the iA together with the latest model year of the Lexus ES luxury sedan. Both got top scores, which means they are safe for human consumption in America.
Considering that the Scion sedan costs less than $20,000 with every option added, we're impressed with its performance in the small overlap scenario.The driver space was maintained very well, the IIHS reports, with maximum intrusion only reaching 2 inches at the parking brake pedal, door hinge pillar and instrument panel.
Both the Lexus and the Scion properly restrained their occupants, so the dummy's movement was well-controlled. In addition, the airbag opened at the right time and protected the head. The Scion iA earned good ratings in the moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests. That means it qualifies for Top Safety Pick.
As you all know, you can't get the IIHS's maximum score without knowing some tricks. Scion's subcompact is fortunately equipped with a simple crash detection system that avoided the controlled impact at 12 miles per hour. The system doesn't operate at higher speeds or include a warning feature tough.
"Although many vehicles now have front crash prevention as an option, it is still relatively rare to have the technology standard and unprecedented for a vehicle as inexpensive as the iA. Toyota is one of 10 manufacturers that have committed to making automatic emergency braking standard on all models. IIHS and NHTSA are working with automakers to flesh out the details of the commitment, which was announced last week," the IIHS reports.
If you want to know how your next Scion will behave in a crash or simply have a fetish for automotive carnage, check out the crash test videos below.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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