2005 Scion tC Related Links Get Pricing Get E-mail Updates Consumer Ratings Vehicle Reviews Send a Letter Talk About It
What's the best thing about the Scion tC? The value. For a price just north of $16,000 buyers get a fun car that will probably last a good long time, and look good doing it. Related Links Get Pricing Get E-mail Updates Consumer Ratings Vehicle Reviews Send a Letter Talk About It Standard features include the panorama moon roof; side marker lamps integrated into side mirrors, four-wheel disc brakes and 17-inch alloy wheels with a graphite-color finish. Windshield wipers are set low so the driver has an unobstructed view, and styling cues include outside mirrors with built-in turn signal lights, and a clear lens center high mount stop lamp. Related Links Get Pricing Get E-mail Updates Consumer Ratings Vehicle Reviews Send a Letter Talk About It There is practical utility inside, and the cabin is quite roomy. Storage capacity includes four map pockets, CD, bottle, cup and cell phone holders, bag hooks in side panels and a two-tiered, fabric-covered center console. Scion-esqe touches also include amber illumination, metal-tone trim and meters and gauges that are industrial in feel. Related Links Get Pricing Get E-mail Updates Consumer Ratings Vehicle Reviews Send a Letter Talk About It The Scion tC comes in seven colors: Azure Pearl and Flint Mica, which are new to the Scion line-up, Super White, Silver Streak Mica, Black Sand Pearl, Black Cherry Pearl and Indigo Ink Pearl. Does it really have an all-glass roof? Yes, deeply tinted and with blinds. The moon roof goes back. To operate, you must hold the roof button throughout the cycle. In addition to the tinting, the air conditioner provides a cool environment on particularly hot days. Standard amenities include cruise control, rear cargo tonneau cover, auto up/down front windows, in-key remote keyless entry, rolling code engine immobilizer security system, auto-off headlamps, electronic hatch with power release and a audio unit cover that doesn't really work that well and may break if abused. xxx	Back in the nineties, life was different. There was a Democrat in the White House, 9/11 was just another day in a long hot summer and grunge was popping up out of the rainy Pacific Northwest. Grunge music - an angry shout that pierced the hair spray hypnotism of the eighties -- chronicled the futile isolation and desperation of Generation X. Strange days. The world is, indeed, a different place now. That President is on a book tour and Grunge music is in a museum, replaced by a cultural collage of urban music, hard rock and disco. Today's Generation Y seems more interested in getting ahead and looking good than dwelling on their anger and pain. They aren't stupid. And they don't go for buying stupid things, which is why Toyota is poised to become the very top car company in the world. Toyota does not build stupid cars. Not even for those who have never bought a car before, and may not know better. In fact, one of their best, the new 2005 Scion tC, is meant for Gen Y buyers - with a wide nod and wink to the older folks out there who know a good buy when they see it. There are few better values than the $16,465 people will pay for a manual tC - not with its combination of price, quality and its healthy dollop of fun-to-drive. Yeah. Fun-to-drive, from Toyota. Sounds a bit strange rolling off the tongue. Then again, this vehicle is branded Scion, the little nameplate that lets Toyota engineers do things like get out the slide rule and build a torquey little beast that goes mad on the track and has a performance feel pumping straight into the driver's fingertips. Built on the same chassis as Europe's Toyota Avensis, the Scion tC combines a re-tuned 2.4-liter Camry engine with a longer and wider wheelbase. The result is a smooth-running coupe that, were it labeled Toyota, would send shivers down the backs of the competition. Dress down the interior hip-style a bit, in fact, and you've got a performance Camry coupe…or a Celica…and make the price 19k…and, well, those domestic discount deals would be making a comeback soon after Independence Day. Style But enough slather. This vehicle needs - no, make that deserves -- a more compelling design. Something sexier, perhaps, with a sultry character line that evokes a dark night of mystery, action and romance. It is sporty, to be sure, but in a reserved way. The vehicle seems thirsty for more of something emotive, as if it wants to bust clean out of its sheet metal. Perhaps that's the point, Scion being about customizing your ride with your identity and all. To that point, the tC carries approximately 40 accessories, including 18-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, carbon fiber engine cover, polished stainless steel muffler, unique grille, color-keyed ground effects and rear lip spoiler. Get the spoiler, because out of the box there's a personality crisis going on: the tC has an aggressive front end and a glass roof - yet its character seems too refined for the coolness of the ride. Configured as a three-door hatch, the tC is designed on purpose to look like it has a trunk. Windshield wipers are set low so the driver has an unobstructed view, and styling cues include outside mirrors with built-in turn signal lights, and a clear lens center high mount stop lamp. The Scion tC comes in seven colors: Azure Pearl and Flint Mica, which are new to the Scion line-up, Super White, Silver Streak Mica, Black Sand Pearl, Black Cherry Pearl and Indigo Ink Pearl. Interior choice is limited to a dark charcoal fabric interior. As far as a custom paint job, consider a two-tone, or, perhaps, something with a matte finish to accentuate the lines of the tC and bring out the style of the front end. Interior Like the exterior, the interior reminds you that this is, indeed a Toyota - but for good reasons. Materials are of high quality; sound dampening is that of a higher priced vehicle, as is the feel and construction of the seats. There is practical utility inside, and the cabin is quite roomy. Storage capacity includes four map pockets, CD, bottle, cup and cell phone holders, bag hooks in side panels and a two-tiered, fabric-covered center console. More storage is provided under the rear floor deck, where a large right side area is available to secure valuables. Japanese paper inspired grains give the dash and upper door panels a unique feel, one that is neither superb nor silly. It's different, of good quality and brings the Scion feel to the inside of the vehicle. Scion-esqe touches also include amber illumination, metal-tone trim and meters and gauges that are industrial in feel. A day/night illumination reverses contrast of the gauges for easier viewing. Of special note are the flush-closing dash vents, the contrasting metal-tone center console and the cast-aluminum temperature control knob. Best of all, the rear seats offer a 60/40-split and actually recline to 45 degrees, adjustable into 10 different positions. Perhaps the most glaring error on the inside of the tC is a panel that closes over the audio controls. Opening it is hit and miss, and like Nissan's 350Z, a good whack and it is sure to be a trouble spot. Another potential weakness is the blinds that cover the glass roof; made of a thin material, it's easy to see these wearing badly over time. But overall, the tC offers high levels of quality where it matters - the dash, seating and controls - as well as a few innovations that are impressive enough to attract buyers on their own merit. Performance Engineers on a fun binge probably give two hoots about seat quality. They want a car to go fast, and they want the people driving it to smile a lot when they step on the accelerator or take on a corner. And apparently the engineers behind the tC spent many hours drinking from the fun torque fountain, because that's where the fun is on this thing: 163 lb.-ft. of low-end torque at 4,000 rpm out of a 2.4-liter dual overhead cam four-cylinder engine rated at 160 horsepower at 5,700 rpm. You may not win the race, but that first quadrant is yours, Bubba, and you probably won't care too much after that. Preliminary EPA estimated city/highway fuel economy is 22/30 mpg with the manual transmission and 23/30 with the automatic transmission, but expect real gas mileage to be worse than that - as tC owners will be inclined to punch the pedal a little harder than usual at a stop. A 61/39 front/rear weight distribution coupled with a four-wheel fully independent suspension adds to the performance feel of the car, as does the tC's 17-inch six-spoke alloy wheels. If 160 hp is not enough, Scion will also sell a dealer-installed, supercharger system developed by Toyota Racing Development (TRD). Available this fall, the supercharger is expected to boost output to approximately 200 horsepower. As the tC begins to fill showrooms, count on more performance upgrades available from TRD. Safety All the fun and innovations don't matter much if the car isn't safe - especially when it is marketed to younger drivers. To that end, the Scion tC seems plenty safe enough, though crash tests have not been released. It has a four-wheel disc braking system, standard ABS and electronic brake force distribution, which gives the tC a precise pedal feel and distributes braking force to all four wheels. Air bags are standard in the front, which includes knee bags - a feature offered only on the Lexus RX 330. Side curtains are optional, which is slightly curious, given the evidence of side impacts and how side curtains protect against serious injury. Of course, air bags are only of value if you hit something. And based solely on a one day's drive, the tC felt in control at all times -- testimony, perhaps, to the fact that the safest vehicles are the ones best made to drive down the road - something that the tC does exceedingly well. Does it well so much so, in fact, that it may well drive expectations up when it comes to the kind of car Generation Y buys, and drive out pretenders to a generation of people who demand luxury-like features in a youthful package and at a competitive price. Go figure those young people today. They want everything for nothing, when all we wanted was a hand-me-down car with a good stereo on which to play Nirvana. It really is a different world, at that. Frequently Asked Questions What's the best thing about the Scion tC? The value. For a price just north of $16,000 buyers get a fun car that will probably last a good long time, and look good doing it. Does it really have a glass roof? Yes, deeply tinted and with blinds. The moon roof goes back. To operate, you must hold the roof button throughout the cycle. In addition to the tinting, the air conditioner provides a cool environment on particularly hot days. During my day's drive, it was 87 outside and we were comfortable inside the car. What other cars compete with the tC? The Scion tC was built to be a Civic-killer, and it will also provide hearty competition to the Ford Focus, Saturn Ion, Dodge Neon and Mazda3. Writer's Notes Price The tC has an MSRP of $16,465, for models with the five-speed manual transmission. A four-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission is available for $800. The tC also comes with three complimentary oil changes. Limited Warranty The tC offers a 36-month/36,000 mile basic new-vehicle warranty that applies to all components other than normal wear and maintenance items. Additional 60-month warranties cover the power train for 60,000 miles and corrosion with no mileage limitation. All Scion dealer- and port-installed accessories are also covered by the new-vehicle warranty. Standard Equipment The Scion tC is offered in mono-spec trim. Standard features include the panorama moon roof; side marker lamps integrated into side mirrors, four-wheel disc brakes and 17-inch alloy wheels with a graphite-color finish. Standard amenities include cruise control, rear cargo tonneau cover, auto up/down front windows, in-key remote keyless entry, rolling code engine immobilizer security system, auto-off headlamps, electronic hatch with power release and a audio unit cover that doesn't really work that well and may break if abused. All 2005 Scions are equipped with a new 160-watt, six-speaker AM/FM/CD Pioneer sound system that is XM satellite radio ready and features Scion Sound Processing with three pre-set equalizer settings and MP3-media compatibility. ---Story by Brian Chee

Source:  ABT