Scion tC

2005 Scion tC

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Shopping for a 2012 Scion tC? MSRP: $18,575 - $21,905

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First offered for 2005, the tC was essentially a U.S. version of the Toyota Avensis, a vehicle that had already met some success in Europe. Pairing the Toyota Camry's torquey 161-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with the Avensis' excellent handling and interior, the tC had a near-ideal combination of practical and sporty, upscale attributes to appeal to younger coupe buyers on a budget.

The front-wheel-drive tC feels especially perky with the standard five-speed manual transmission but is just adequate with the four-speed automatic. Thanks to good, communicative steering and a firm but comfortable ride, the tC is entertaining to drive. While the tC's exterior has a sleek, handsome appearance but no longer looks fresh, the interior has stood up well; it's more expressive than most of Toyota's interiors and the cockpit-like instrument panel has impressive materials and nice, tactile switchgear that wouldn't be out of place in a much more expensive car.

No matter what the model year, there are a few disappointing traits in the Scion tC. One of them is headroom; it's rather tight in front, and while you can wedge three in the backseat, it's too narrow for comfort. However the back seat folds forward and the front passenger seat can be folded flat for especially long items. It's also noisy inside, though, with a fair amount of wind and road noise, as well as some engine noise at higher speeds. Fuel economy has always been slightly disappointing in the tC as well, with EPA figures that are worse than many mid-size cars (20/27 mpg for manual-transmission tCs).  

Although the tC fares reasonably well for safety and has come with side and side-curtain airbags as well as a driver's knee airbag and anti-lock brakes, it's fallen short on one count: As of 2010, electronic stability control still isn't offered on the tC.
 
Scion's marketing theory is to involves appealing to younger buyers with a reasonably priced, well-equipped small car, in hopes that they'll spend a little extra at the dealership on accessories. So most of the equipment that would normally be optional—including air conditioning, keyless entry, cruise control, sport seats, and a Panorama moon roof—are all standard.

Changes have been very minor to the tC over the years, with the most significant being a number of small design updates for 2008. For those who want to accessorize the tC themselves, for 2007 and 2008 Scion released a tC Spec version that forgoes some of the standard equipment, at a lower price.

The tC, just as with other Scion models, is offered with a long list of aftermarket accessorization possibilities—most covered under the full factory warranty. They include cosmetic options like a rear spoiler or carbon-fiber trim, but more serious Toyota Racing Development (TRD) accessories like a supercharger kit, performance exhaust, and strut tower braces are also available.

2009 Scion tC

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