ASSISTANT ART DIRECTOR CHERYL L. BLAHNIK: When I first saw that I was in the tC, I was down with that. We had a long termer some time ago and I had no problems with the car and even recommended it to a friend who eventually bought one. But as I was walking around the parking lot looking for the car, I did a double take when the lights were flickering from me pushing down on the key fob. Those black wheels really set the car off and that is what caught my eyes. The car looked good on the outside, but I've always thought it had a good shape and feel to it. The interior is nicely done but I could do without the mood lighting, which I see is an option that I would surely drop. And when you start the engine, you can really hear that raspy exhaust, it's so loud that before I got home my family heard me coming.
It took me awhile to get the feel of the shifter but once I did it was fun to drive. This would be a car that if I was younger I'd probably look into with fun looks and roomy enough for friends. But I'm not sure if I would add all the extras turning an otherwise relatively cheap car into a pricier piece. But as a daily driver I can see it being good with mileage and I don't think I'd get bored with it.
MOTORSPORTS EDITOR MAC MORRISON: Here's a perfect example of the famous, age-old axiom that says you can put diamonds on excrement, but no matter how many or how much they cost, it's still excrement.
No, I'm kidding, that's way too harsh. But I just wanted to make a point. I liked the original tC that we had as a long-term test car a few years ago, and this version is a good little car with sharp styling and some cool trim and features. But loading it up with nearly $7,000 of Scion-endorsed personalization pieces is beyond stupid. Well, that, and maybe I'm getting too old to appreciate the fun in doing so. Or maybe I don't know how to have fun anymore, period. But it's still stupid.
Seriously, here's the thing: Even with the snazzy 18-inch TRD rims, Toyo Proxes rubber, TRD sport muffler, sport pedals, custom shift knob, rear spoiler lip and more, this car isn't much better than it would be without all of that stuff. And either way, it's a long way from being a performance beast. The clutch position relative to the seating position (and the way your leg falls) makes it a challenge to engage and disengage the clutch smoothly. The steering feels a little rubbery and the car torque steers noticeably, making it a jerky little thing to hammer on like a sports car. The tC does not respond smoothly to enthusiastic driving, making it as much of a chore to operate as it should be a joy. And that's a problem.
I like the design inside and out, and it's put together well with some cool styling cues, especially in the interior, which has some sweet optional "mood" lighting. The sport muffler gives the car a mean little rumble at almost any rpm, which I liked. But again, the trouble is that the exhaust sounds much better than the car actually goes.
Once you get the hang of the shifter and clutch, you can drive the car relatively smooth and it's a fun, sporty compact to zip around town in, so don't get me wrong, I do like it. It rides firm and hangs on in the corners enough that you can have a good amount of fun. But it irritates me that the Scion line is more flash than substance, and that "kids" get sucked into dumping loads of money on the mighty, profit-margin dreams known as "accessories." Toyota must be laughing all the way to the bank. I don't blame it.
In reality, if someone was willing to buy this car and dump $7,000 on that stuff, they'd be a lot better off just buying a $23,000 car like a GTI or MazdaSpeed 3 and leaving it stock. That's what I would do if I were shopping in this category.
2010 Scion tC
Base Price: $17,670
As-Tested Price: $23,468
Drivetrain: 2.4-liter I4; FWD, five-speed manual
Output: 161 hp @ 6,000 rpm, 162 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm
Curb Weight: 2,932 lb
Fuel Economy: (EPA/AW) 23/19.7 mpg
Options: Upgrade TRD 18-inch five-spoke black finish alloy wheel, Toyo Proxes, TRD wheel locks ($1,999); ground effects ($1,083); TRD sport muffler ($525); Scion security ($469); fog lights ($437); rear spoiler lip ($385); illuminated door sill ($335); LED underdash cupholder illumination ($250); sport pedals ($79); floor and cargo mats ($171); custom shift knob ($65)
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