The Smooth and Stylish Scion tC

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

The introduction of the Scion tC coincides with Toyota’s extending sales of its new marque from coast to coast. The tC sport coupe is a two door hatchback that will supplement Scion’s entry-level xA and boxy xB in reaching out to the American youth market. The car, which the government rates as getting between 23 and 30 miles a gallon, is larger than Toyota’s sporty Celica and aims at offering enough style, performance, and quality to make it competitive with BMW’s Mini-Cooper and Acura’s RSX.


The tC pretty much pulls off this mission. The silver test car combined the propulsive qualities of its four-cylinder engine and four-speed automatic transmission. Added to that, the tC’s sport tuned MacPherson strut front suspension and cunning steering geometry allow for lighting-quick directional changes, while at the same time granting the Scion the stability and composure to track resolutely ahead at highway speeds.


The tC’s four-cylinder motor produces 160 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and is available with a five-speed manual transmission. Standard equipment for the base priced $16,750 car includes 17-inch wheels, antilock brakes, and a cool “Panorama” glass sunroof that opens up via shades to the rear compartment as well as the front. In addition to such other notable standard features as a driver’s knee airbag and graphite-finished alloy wheels, the test car’s high-value options included curtain side airbags and a Bazooka Mobile Audio subwoofer, all of which helped bring its price to $18,700.


Some don’t like its looks, but the tC strikes us as passably handsome – a bit like a Volvo S40 with a coupe’s additional measure of hunker and rake. Before they go all ugly in the back, taut, clean surface lines extend from the Scion’s front, some carrying the mesh grille, heightened rocker panels and accentuated wheel wells that help tie the tC in with its otherwise very different-looking stable-mates.


The test tC’s smart cabin reflected the workmanship and refinement characteristic of Toyota products, and struck us as second only to Volkswagen in this class. That said, some of the materials (including a slathering of black vinyl that appeared all the more artificial for the naturalistic texture it affected) seemed more cheesy and Nissan-like than we’d have liked. Nissan like too was the shape of the instrument cluster housing, which contained clear and logical gauges.


All switchgear fell readily to hand, except for the small radio volume controls housed in the brushed-metal center stack. The bolstered front seats had a racer’s quality and offered excellent support for rapid turns; while the reclining rear seats were confining in sport-coupe fashion. Front legroom was also good, but despite a low seating position, headroom was tight for the tallish both fore and aft.


We drove the Scion to Zion, a farm town that huddles around its old Methodist church as if fearing invasion by the new bedroom communities which surround it on all sides. The tC had ridden to this tiny hamlet while performing nimbly on back-roads (although not quite as well as a Mini-Cooper), with solid braking and tenacious grip in sharp curves adding to its smoothness. Only the rush of highway wind noise (particularly after we rolled back the canvas covering the front moon roof) marred the journey. Although ours might’ve been the first Scion to reach Zion, the sport coupe arrived to no fanfare, as not a single inhabitant was out to see it. So we rolled through the place, our tires crunching gravel as they stiffly negotiated bumps and holes.


The New York Sun

© 2025 The New York Sun Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The material on this site is protected by copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used.

The New York Sun

Sign in or  Create a free account

or
By continuing you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use