2017 Hatch VS 2017 Corolla iM

Hi, been lurking around here for the past year or so reading on everyone's experience with the Civic. I'm currently involved in the TDI scandal and am looking to move on in the near future to a hatch. Just wondering if anyone here did some comparison shopping between the 2017 Hatch and the 2017 Corolla iM. I would be looking at the manual trans for both and more specifically the LX trim for the Civic.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with test driving both? Dislikes and likes? Or if anyone has driven the Scion iM as I would guess they are fairly similar.

Thanks for all your help in advance. Test drives are hard to come by here right now but will most definitely get out soon to do that. Just looking for some user feedback on both models if possible.

all i have to say is 158 vs 138hp. i almost got a scion im. till i heard bout the new civic.

IMO I almost think the iM is a better competitor for the Fit, not the Civic. iM kinda occupies that territory in between compact and subcompact.

Toyotas are incredibly reliable, and incredibly boring -- no matter how "hip" Scion tries (tried) to be.

Hondas are middle ground, imo. Far more fun to drive and spend time in the car, but less reliable than Toyotas, overall. This is speaking from experience.

inv4zn said:

Toyotas are incredibly reliable, and incredibly boring -- no matter how "hip" Scion tries (tried) to be.

Hondas are middle ground, imo. Far more fun to drive and spend time in the car, but less reliable than Toyotas, overall. This is speaking from experience.

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It really is a shame that Toyota has no sport/performance line-up other than the 86 and some expensive Lexus models.

I really like the look of the iM; but everything I've read says that it's a complete bore to drive.

Would it kill Toyota to put some pep in their step? I mean Jesus they literally have an in-house tuning shop (TRD)...that's far better than even Honda's "HFP" thing which is just aesthetics.

thaseint said:

Would it kill Toyota to put some pep in their step? I mean Jesus they literally have an in-house tuning shop (TRD)...that's far better than even Honda's "HFP" thing which is just aesthetics.

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I really wish they would have an Si version of their Corolla with a 205 HP 2.x 4 cylinder NA engine. Is that too much to ask? I would be all over it.

There was a Corolla TRD at a SEMA a while back, hopefully it becomes a reality.

froidpython said:

I really wish they would have an Si version of their Corolla with a 205 HP 2.x 4 cylinder NA engine. Is that too much to ask? I would be all over it.

There was a Corolla TRD at a SEMA a while back, hopefully it becomes a reality.

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I'd like to see a Corolla iM TRD, drop in the v6 Camry engine or the turbo engine from the IS200t with 6MT. Goodbye Honda.

thaseint said:

I'd like to see a Corolla iM TRD, drop in the v6 Camry engine or the turbo engine from the IS200t with 6MT. Goodbye Honda.

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Hell I'd give a Corolla a spin if they dropped the Camry's V6 in there, that'd be entertaining as hell as a rental.

At least, in a straight line. It'd still fall over itself in curves.

"Whenever I'm suffering from insomnia, I just look at a picture of a Toyota Camry and I'm straight off." -Jeremy Clarkson
Although a different model, in my personal opinion this solves your decision lol

Good luck deciding!

froidpython said:

I really wish they would have an Si version of their Corolla with a 205 HP 2.x 4 cylinder NA engine. Is that too much to ask? I would be all over it.

There was a Corolla TRD at a SEMA a while back, hopefully it becomes a reality.

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I thought the Corolla S was the sportier version of the Corolla?

ichii said:

I thought the Corolla S was the sportier version of the Corolla?

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I think it's literally just a badge.

And a spoiler for downforce.

ichii said:

I thought the Corolla S was the sportier version of the Corolla?

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There is nothing sporty about it. The only difference is disk brakes on all 4 wheels and the S badge on it. Pretty much.

Toyota does safety, reliability and features very well. But they're kinda like that straight A student who's also a major nerd. .... Precise interior layout, sly styling, generously sized front seats, sharp steering ... not going to get that from Toyota whether Corolla, Camry, Rav4 or likely iM. The pedals, steering wheel, seat just don't seem aligned in any new Camry.

Consider this also, Toyota sponsors dirt straight 1/4 mile NHRA drag racing and mostly oval NASCAR.

Honda sponsors Indy (others I don't know), but i believe they are heavily involved in Formula 1 which means major curves on the track. So there you go ...

xcivicx said:

all i have to say is 158 vs 138hp. i almost got a scion im. till i heard bout the new civic.

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But the Hatch doesnt come with the base engine. It comes standard with the Turbo. 174 HP vs 138.

First off, to the OP, I'd strongly suggest a Golf Sportwagen Alltrak or a GTI with your TDI buyback credit.

My wife needs a new car soon (hatchback or wagon only), and we have our eyes on the iM (now Corolla iM, they should just call it Matrix!), Civic hatch, BMW i3 REX (honestly though, way too much $$). The wife prefers Subaru, but this is our 3rd Impreza, and I swore it'll be our last. Subaru has got to be the worst "Japanese" car for reliability ever.

I also suggested a GTI or Sportwagen Alltrak to her, but she dislikes how "direct" and "connected" German cars are, my GTI spooks her and the i3 felt much the same to her. So, no German cars for her.

Comes down to iM or Civic hatch. Seeing as how my wife has ZERO interest in driving dynamics (of which OBVIOUSLY the Civic would be the obvious choice with the 1.5T), here's what we see between the two cars:

Reliability: Civic reliability is a concern. Toyota will be much better here, the iM is not advanced enough or powerful enough to need constant attention. I like the Civic more than iM, but if it constantly needs to go in for infotainment issues, self-destroying sunroof, non-functioning power windows, etc, total buzzkill. And really, if I were a betting man, I'd wager that the old school Toyota 1.8 would last longer than the new Honda 1.5T. Not saying 1.5T is a bad motor, but really who would wager against the Toyota 1.8? doesn't make enough power to break anything!

Performance: the iM is really a turd. Corolla drivetrain is a guaranteed snooze-fest. 1.5T Civic is in another league or two.

Looks: for us, a draw. The Civic hatch (and coupe) are the best looking version of CivicX, and the iM is by FAR the best looking "Corolla" that's for sure! I like looking at both cars TBH. Certainly more "interesting" than my VW, but without being weird like a Mazda3.

Economy: eh...I really don't care here. I think the CivicX would be superior in FE without a doubt, but both cars are cheap enough to run.


You'd really have to drive both back-to-back to get a feel for what floats your boat. Personally I would prefer my wife get the CivicX, but she is finicky about strange things with cars, I wouldn't be surprised if she preferred the iM, but while I'd like to borrow her Civic, I don't think I would ever bother to drive the iM.