By now most are familiar with the Scion story: Major automaker (that would be Toyota) counters aging demographic (read, AARP) by creating a hep new division just for the kids.
“Hep?” you say. “Seriously?”
Okay, maybe the royal we that is the AutoWeek staff overshoots Scion’s targeted age group by a decade or three. Nonetheless, it’s not every day a new car division is born, and not every day we get to test-drive a car from said division over the long haul and tell you how our arthritic knees and failing eyesight handle the rigors of a car built for those who consider Madonna classic rock.
Eesh.
Our tC is outfitted with 18-inch alloys and ground effects.
We thankfully passed on the xA; too Toyota Echo for our tastes. (Believe it or not, even old farts need to feel cool once in a while, and in the xA, well, it just doesn’t happen.) We let the quirky xB pass us by, too, as we were still in the midst of our yearlong Honda Element test when we ordered up our Scion. (Our long-term fleet has barely enough room for one bread truck, let alone two.) Both xA and xB felt too flash-in-the-pan, design-wise, to warrant much serious attention, and neither got our adrenaline particularly pumping with its 1.5-liter, 108-horse inline-four engine. Given the reputation of an entire division would rest on the shoulders of whatever we decided to test, we waited until Scion released its third car, the tC coupe, before delving into a long-term relationship with the newbie division.
The first time we got a chance to pass a tC around the office, the example we tested cost more than $19,000—and our story on that car spawned a virtual letter-writing campaign, with many skeptical readers questioning the accuracy of our reportage regarding the car’s sticker. Few believed a tC could ever cost so much, no matter what one slapped on it. To that we say, start believing.
When we ordered up our long-term tC, it didn’t take much effort to eclipse the price of that first car. In fact, at $20,282, this tC costs more than the last few econocars we put through the yearlong wringer, including the Element, Ford Focus ZX3 and Chrysler PT Cruiser—and comes darn close to our Volkswagen New Beetle Turbo and Mini Cooper S.
So how exactly did we break the $20k barrier? We started by adding a $1,565 wheel and tire package, which included a set of EMX Super7Spoke 18-inch alloy rims shod in 225/40ZR all-season Pirelli PZero Nero tires. Then we added a $995 ground-effects package, a $525 Toyota Racing Development performance exhaust system, a satellite radio tuner and antenna for $449, floor and cargo mats at $145, OBX sport pedal covers for $79 and an OBX Speed Star Mesh shift knob for $59. Throw in the $16,465 base price (which includes $515 for delivery), et voilà.
A tuned exhaust and OBX shift knob are just some of the goodies that total almost four grand in options.
And that’s barely scratching the options surface. In all, there is almost $7,500 worth of “accessories” available for the tC, not including the $650 front-seat side airbags and full-length curtain airbag factory option. The standard equipment list, however, is even more impressive. It includes, in part, panorama power moonroof, ABS with EBD, 160-watt Pioneer stereo with MP3 capability, 60/40 split folding rear seats, fully reclining front seats with (no joke) “sleeping function,” driver’s knee airbag, headrests and three-point belts for five, keyless remote entry and power locks, cruise control, and one-touch up and down power windows with pinch protection.
Ours is a dark blue model, Indigo Ink Pearl, to be exact, and it is indeed a handsome car. We especially appreciate the amount of passenger room the car affords; rear-seat riders seem to have more than enough leg- and headroom, which is a bit surprising given the car’s fastback rear and two-door design.
We will keep our eyes open for a couple of things, however, over the course of the year, mostly with regard to the car’s build quality. Toyota’s reputation in this area is rock-solid, but we’ve already noticed one place where the Japanese company has found a way to keep its kid car prices low: cheap material.
“My biggest question about this car concerns how it will hold up after a year,” commented one staffer upon delivery of the tC. “Some of the materials used are a little on the cheap side.”
With that, let the ride begin.
Natalie Neff - Road test editor Natalie Neff has been with Autoweek for 11 years and oversees all new-car reviews and testing. She has tested cars across glaciers in Iceland and through the jungles of Belize. See more by this author»
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