2005 Scion TC - Driving Impressions

When conceiving the tC, Scion used performance, Lexus-like refinement and style as hotkeys. Yes, style. No more rebadging Japanese-market box on wheels weirdness here. Toyota turned Scion loose to create something of its own design, something conceived and executed exclusively for the U.S. market. Notice there's no room in the trunk lid for a Japanese- or European-style license plate.

Scion also wanted the tC, which is only available as a two-door coupe, to offer untouchable value. And it does. When equipped with everything but optional wheels, CD player and curtain airbags, the tC is priced at a no-haggle $16,465. This alone should ensure the car's success.

By dropping in the 2AZ-FE 2.4 liter, whose normal duty is pulling centenarians to golf lessons in the base-model Camry, Toyota continues with the current "bump the displacement" trend that's doing great things for the compact car market. Plenty of technology is incorporated into the 2AZ-FE, although most of it, like dual balance shafts, is there to reduce noise, vibration and harshness or to obtain the engine's superclean U-LEV CARB rating. Toyota's VVT-I acts on the intake cam, which presses on reduced-rate valve springs for help with efficiency, but is partially responsible for the rather low 6000-rpm redline, the main culprits being small ports and a long stroke.

Displacement is displacement, however. Scion rates the engine at 160 hp at 5700 rpm and 163 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm, enough to make the 2900-pound vehicle feel quick, thanks to a very low 4.235 final drive and short enough gearing in the five-speed manual to keep the engine within easy reach of the 4000-rpm torque peak when cruising. An automatic transmission is also available. If you care, put on a dress.

We haven't been allowed to actually test a tC against our radar gun yet, but our butts tell us that with the five-speed shifted by a monkey all hyped up on carbs and dried pineapple, the tC should manage the quarter mile in the mid 15s at about 90 mph, which is about as quick as a stock SVT Focus.

The tC shares a decently stiff chassis with the up-market Avensis, which competes with the Volkswagen Passat in Europe, and its suspension configuration is not far removed from the Celica. McPherson struts in the front, double-wishbones in the rear and discs on all four corners combine for a very decent starting point and a high level of sophistication considering the price tag. The standard 215/45-17 Bridgestone Potenzas are the same found on the Lexus IS300 and with that kind of stick, the open differential didn't cause us any trouble.

Once underway, the driving experience belies the low price tag, and is well above that of the other Scions, particularly in steering feel and grunt. In order to increase steering feedback, Scion added extra bracing and increased the diameter of the steering shaft. Scion's engineers bafflingly chose the Volkswage Jetta Sport as a handling target. Despite this, the tC is a competent performer. The car's 2,900-pound heft is palpable, but the tC is a willing back road co-conspirator. Although Toyota has dialed in enough understeer to rub the Bridgestone off the front tires, a big, fat rear bar should make the tC's handling nice and neutral.

When we see the front of the TC, we see a little Volvo S40. More importantly, however, we see a honkin' hole for a front-mount intercooler. Although you may not see much of the xA or xB in the tC, Scion assures us its genes are there in the grille, turn signals and fender flares. Some think the car's profile and proportions steal from the Infiniti G35 Coupe. Although there's nothing wrong with the tC's form, we wish Toyota had taken more stylistic risks. Maybe a hood scoop. Maybe some wheelflares. Editor Oldham wants a big chicken on the hood.

The goal of Lexus-like refinement is realized with the best quality interior materials of any car in the segment. The air conditioning and radio controls are impressively up-market, the gauges are clean and purposeful, and all that extra sound deadening, which is likely a factor in the car's porky curb weight, helps make the cabin quiet, despite its wide tires. There's also a perfect three-spoke wheel and a cool damped door, that when closed, conceals the sound system's head unit just like in the $60,000 Lexus SC430.

The rear seat sports plenty of room for two six-footers, making this realistic transportation for the club-hopping crowd. Plus, they fold flat for cargo hauling. The tC is actually a hatchback, not a coupe, so hauling home that new set of wheels and tires is possible without borrowing your buddy's piece-of-shit green Chevy van.

The only gripe we have with the interior are front seats that offer no lateral support and caused us to brace ourselves with the steering wheel. As a U.S.-market-only car, the seats were no doubt designed for our plus-size populous.

The base sound system is a Pioneer six-speaker system, and Scion added extra acoustic damping materials to the interior of the car to help with imaging. Optional is an in-dash six-disc CD changer and subwoofer system-however, we found the base system not just adequate, but superb. Scion knows its audience and the bass-heavy music they listen to and built its system accordingly.

Integral to the Scion ownership experience is personalization, and Scion is seeing that buyers needn't stray from the dealership to satisfy this desire. Items available at the launch of the vehicle include an AEM intake, Hotchkis strut tower brace, TRD muffler, TRD springs and dampers, performance clutch, optional wheels, and we suspect, every manner of shift knob.

For its supercharger system, TRD decided to go with a Vortech centrifugal blower and piggyback ECU rather than the traditional Roots-type blower largely to reduce complexity. The intake manifold on the 2.4-liter faces the firewall, making removal difficult, and the Vortech system takes just 2.5 hours to install. Although we didn't get to test the blown car, we did get to flog it for a while on the streets of Washington D.C. We were pleasantly surprised.

We feared the same awful power delivery we've experienced on some centrifugally supercharged Honda B-series powerplants. But our fears were unfounded. Power gains were felt everywhere, and the car accelerated quickly into its drivetrain-limited rpm wall. Stiffer valve springs and a higher redline in combination with this blower would be a potent combination.

So Scion has finally built a car we don't mind being seen in. We don't mind driving it, either. In fact, we're thinking Project tC. What do you think?