By Carol Traeger
Enquirer contributor
Scion tC
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The Toyota Scion tC has a suggested price of $15,950 with a variety of dealer-installed features extra.
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Wheels rating: (out of 5)
 
A sleek and sporty coupe for the kids
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What I drove: 2005 Scion tC, two-door, four-passenger liftback with a four-speed automatic transmission
Base price: $16,750
Price as tested: $18,060
Options on test vehicle: Driver and front passenger side-impact air bags, front and rear curtain air bags, carpeted floor mats
Summary: A sleek and sporty coupe for the kids
Drivetrain layout: Front engine, front-wheel drive
Engine: 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder producing 160 horsepower and 163 lb-ft torque
Transmission: 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 106.3 inches
Length: 174.0 inches
Width: 69.1 inches
Height: 55.7 inches
Weight: 2,970 pounds
EPA mpg, city/highway: 23/30
Warranty: Basic: 3 years/36,000 miles; powertrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Assembled in: Toyota City, Japan
Safety: Antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, front dual-stage air bags, driver's knee ai bag, front seat belt pretensioners and force limiters, head restraints in all seating positions, side-impact door beams, LATCH child-seat anchors, first-aid kit.
Cool: Standard 17-inch wheels, panorama moon roof, flat-reclining front seats, available 200-hp supercharged engine, available side-impact air bags (front) and head-protecting curtain air bags (front and rear)
Uncool: Lackluster automatic transmission, some cheapish interior materials, weak AC vents, junk radio
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"Give the kids the cars they want at prices they can afford, and offer them a slew of dealer-installed accessories for personalization." That's the philosophy of Scion, Toyota's nascent youth division.
Launched in 2003, Scion initially sold its two vehicles - the xA and xB - exclusively in California. To coincide with its national rollout in June, Scion introduced a third vehicle, the tC sports coupe. Unlike the xA and xB, which are rebadged versions of Japanese-market Toyotas, the new tC was designed exclusively for the Scion brand.
Where the xA and xB are cartoonish in appearance (the xA resembles a Japanese anime Mini, and the xB looks like SpongeBob SquarePants), the tC is so conservatively styled it will easily fly under the radar. Buyers can dress it up with a dealer-installed spoiler, color-keyed ground effects and 18-inch wheels.
Hailing from the jelly-bean school of design, the tC features a blunt nose, BMW-like eyebrows, high door sills and a low roofline, and sporty 17-inch double-spoke wheels pushed out to the four corners. The center rear brake light is clear instead of red, which looks pretty great at night.
Get the manual
With an MSRP of $15,950, the tC is the Scion's priciest model. It's also the most powerful. While the xA and xB are propelled by a 108-horsepower engine, the tC is powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder borrowed from the Camry. This power plant generates 160 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque.
When mated to the standard five-speed manual transmission, the engine produces plenty of poke; the shifts are snickety quick, and the car feels lively and fun. When paired with the four-speed automatic transmission (an $800 upgrade), however, the engine feels half asleep.
Unfortunately, my tC tester was the automatic; I nearly trashed the whole car based on its lackluster performance. With no manu-matic shifter, I was stymied in my attempts to access the engine's spunk. The transmission struggled on hills, lagged on on-ramps, and was just plain depressing.
Knowing Toyota's reputation for quality, I decided my test car had to be a misfit. A strange buzz emanated from the dash, the moon roof cover rattled, the fuel gauge malfunctioned (registering near "reserve" even when the tank was full), and the steering wheel tried to fight its way back to centerline during cornering.
To give Scion the benefit of the doubt, I drove to a local Scion dealership and test drove another tC, this one fitted with a manual transmission. The car was a different animal altogether; the steering was direct, the engine was peppy, the brakes were crisp and there wasn't a squeak or rattle in the house. The tC rides on MacPherson struts in front and a double-wishbone setup in the rear, and the ride is firm, but compliant enough to absorb most ruts and bumps.
Interior design
The interior offers ample passenger room and a clean and modern design. The cockpit is highlighted by an aluminum-tone center stack that flows waterfall-like into a center console, which houses a cell-phone holder, two cup holders, and a fabric-covered storage compartment. Above is a huge tinted glass panorama roof (standard), with a power sliding portion over the front seats and fixed glass over the rear.
Scion says the texture of the dashboard and upper door panels was inspired by Japanese paper, but to me it looks cheap. I also had a real problem with the shutter-style AC vents, which look cool but direct most of the air upward, making them ineffective at cooling anything beneath your ears.
The tC comes in one well-equipped trim level. Noteworthy standard features include the moon roof, one-touch windows (that move so swiftly, they're impossible to open only a crack), cruise control, mirror-mounted turn signals, antilock brakes and a Pioneer sound system with CD player. The only factory option is a side air bag package. But there are numerous dealer-installed goodies, including satellite radio, shift knobs by OBX, sport pedals and an interior illumination kit that bathes the front foot well and cup holders in blue or amber light.
The standard Pioneer sound system, also featured in the xB, sounds much better in the smaller confines of the tC. Ergonomically, however, it bites. Instead of a knob, the stereo features two tiny volume buttons (one for up and one for down), and you have to press them forever to effect any discernable change. The volume level ranges from one to 62, and I'd venture only dogs can hear anything in the one-to-20 range.
Conversational front seats
Surprising features include rear seats that recline up to 45 degrees, and front seats that can be tilted all the way back to create what Scion calls a "conversational space." How much talking will go on between two supine teens is anybody's guess. But the dealership salesperson quickly pointed out that people can sit upright in the back seats with their legs extended over the flattened front seats. With the moon roof and rear hatch open, they can kick back in a comfortable and airy "sitting room."
For added utility, the split rear seats can be flipped forward to expand cargo space from 12.8 cubic feet (with the seats in use) to a whopping 60 cubic feet. With both the front passenger seat and rear seats folded, the load floor stretches a full 103.6 inches - perfect for carrying snowboards and surfboards.
Something any cash-strapped student can appreciate is fuel economy, and here the tC delivers decent numbers. Automatic transmission models average 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. Manual models get 22 mpg/city and 29 mpg/highway.
TRD supercharger
Buyers who want more performance can opt for a dealer-installed, fully warranted TRD supercharger, which boosts output to 200 horsepower. TRD also offers a suspension lowering kit, a performance clutch, quick shifter and 19-inch wheels with high-performance Pirelli P Zero tires.
With a base price of $16,000 and a power output of 160 hp, the tC will give the Civic EX, VW Golf, Ford Focus ZX3 and even the Acura RSX a run for their money.
Get the five-speed manual transmission, throw in an aftermarket stereo, and you'll have a delightful little car that won't break the bank.
E-mail ctrigger@aol.com
