Scion sales have been on a roller coaster for years. Scion sold almost 5,200 fewer cars last year compared to 2012, while 2012 was up 24,000 sales on 2011. With the exception of the fantastic FR-S, the rest of the product line needs a jolt of funky looks or more power or something—anything.
The second-sportiest car in the Scion lineup is this, the two-door tC hatchback. Sized a little smaller than a Toyota Corolla, its practical measurements suggest it should sell well. Indeed, the tC represents 40 percent of all Scions rolling out of dealer doors. While a new-for-'15 tC should come next year, for now we have this baby; thus, we present the last year of the Scion tC as we know it. For 2014, the car gets 18-inch wheels on 225/45 R18 tires, new headlights and a new hood. The grille has an embedded tC logo and LEDs.
Photo by Scion
A relatively strong 179-hp 2.5-liter four powers the car. Our test car came with a manual transmission, for which we should thank Scion with flowers, candy and Starbucks gift cards. It could have put in another (expletive deleted) CVT, like the one offered in the Corolla, but it didn't. Opinions varied among those of us who drove it; some felt the shifter was a little flimsy. A TRD Quickshifter is available for only $145. It sounds like a promising fix—we recommend it sight unseen. After a week hammering the tC without the Quickshifter, we more or less got the hang of it and really started wailing. We got an 8.1-second 0-60 time with only a few passes.
The EPA rates the tC with electric power steering at 23 city/31 hwy/26 combined. We ran through two tankfuls; the first one returned 22.5 mpg and the second 23.8, but both those tanks were drained at high speeds and with hard launches. Ride quality was good, even on Detroit roads.
Photo by Scion
Overall, it's a solid car—it does everything reasonably well. The tC starts at $19,965 with a manual transmission. With a couple options, this test car's price went to $22,260. So, for not a lot of money, you get a mostly fun little car. And don't forget the Scion parts cornucopia, both official and unofficial, making the Scion range a case study in mixing and matching and giving customers what they want, but only if they want it.
Still, we might save up four more grand and get an FR-S, or just two more and get a Ford Fiesta ST, about the best performance bargain in the FWD hatch segment. Or you might wait another year to see what the new tC looks like. Hope there's still a manual trans.
By Autoweek Staff
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