[IHazCheeseburger]

Not so much a rant from him but an in depth look at the Scion iA.

Can we pilfer parts from the Mazda 2 if that's what is basically is?

 

[richard_rsp]

Yeah definitely not much of a rant, but a nice video none the less.

Yes, we absolutely can pilfer (most) parts from the 4th Gen Mazda 2 (also known as the Demio in Japan). As a matter of fact, I had thought about grabbing the front end, steering wheel etc off a 4th gen Mazda 2 from Mexico and "converting" my iA back to a Mazda 2.

Note though that the 4th gen was never sold in the US as a Mazda2, and probably has very little swappable between the 3rd Gen hatchback model that we saw in the US from 2011-2014. So mazda2 parts will likely have to come from out of the country.

Luckily, we (the US) do get the Mazda CX3 which is basically a lifted Mazda2; so I expect several of those parts to swap over (mentioned in a different post) with little to no problem.

 

[IHazCheeseburger]

Going to be interesting to see the final product, you're already tuning and changing the steering wheel in the iA. What's next?

 

[richard_rsp]

^ well, only tuning is being done at the moment. The cosmetic (front end, Mazda swap) is just an idea at the moment. The steering wheel I would like to do if the price ends up being cheap, but its still down the road.


I am an SCCA member and generally autocross my cars - the iA will be no different. I am setting it up for STF class, so my next mods will be suspension/wheels after done with tuning. The 3rd gen Mazda2 was pretty competitive, and I feel the iA will be as well!

 

[Lando]

Are a lot of people looking for major mods and add-ons? Enough to try to get things from the Mazda2? I just thought the iA would appeal to a more casual demographic.

 

[richard_rsp]

There are always people who want to mod their cars. While I doubt a lot of people are going to be into MAJOR mods with the iA, some will.
I think most will be suspension and power add-ons, to take advantage of the light weight of this car. Some will turbocharge or engine swap or more, however I am pretty much sticking to bolt-ons (which I consider to be relatively minor mods).

The discussion on swapping the front end is just a thought. And in all honesty, i doubt I would ever go through that much trouble to import a front end, paint, etc.. The steering wheel or higher quality interior pieces (leather steering wheel, etc) on the other hand, helps make up for the lack of trim options the iA has in the US.