im reading the annual car issue of consumer reports. heres some info for the tc stright out of the magazine...

-voted the worst model out of the scion line
-average predicted reliability
-excellet owner satisfaction
-good accident avoidance
-26 overall mpg
-Highs: Relatively comfortable ride, quietness, rear seat, value
-Lows: No rear wiper, not sporty
-Overall road test score- 74/100 (Very Good)
-all crash and rollover tests for passenger are excellent and very good for passenger and driver
-Consumer Report Recommended

The Scion tC coupe offers a lot of features for the money such as a dual panel sunroof. the tc is powered by a spirited 160 hp, 2.4 liter, 4 cylinder engine, with the choice of a 5 speed manual or 4 speed automatic. handling is fairly nimble but not sporty. the ride is pleasant. The poorly designed radio controls have improved on 06 models. rear seat is spacious for a small coupe and seatback can recline for passenger comfort.

most of the stuff they say i agree with, except for the tc being the worst of the scions. the xA is my least favorite, and it was actually the only scion that was not recommended by Consumer Reports. I dont know why they still said tc is the worst of the scions, because we all know its the best . i agree that the tc is not a sporty feeling car, but for its price i dont think people expect it to keep up with a WRX. tC's are made to be tuned. Scion didnt make them sporty feeling, so we can do it ourselves.

 

Wait ... "not sporty" ... ? WTF? Are they retarded? It's not a hot rod, but it's certainly not a Chevy Aveo!

 

Who was voting on this stupid survey? tC the worst model of the Scion line!!! Were all the voters Dodge Neon owners???

Kevin

 

its based on consumer reports subscribers

 

lol. right, and what do "consumer reports subscribers" know about ANYTHING?

 

I don't know ANYONE who does subscribes to this mag...Someone who WOULD need to read this garbage probably EXPECTS the Scions to be a proper Toyota/Lexus. In many ways, they are. In some, they are certainly NOT. Then again, it's not supposed to be.
I do my own research. I don't need someone else telling me what works.

I can't believe they didn't find it sporty.To make this car really "sporty", give it better tires (and maybe a little more power), but it's plenty of fun to drive as it is.

 

i guess.. but its not like theyre all idiots. its more of a practical thing. i love my tc, but i agree that against other sport coupes it doesnt feel that sporty. acceleration, power and handling are only mediocre . but for its price i think that consumer reports is on crack. the tC is defnintely the best choice under 20k.

o ya.. and for those of u that wonder, i think consumer reports is for people like 40+. that may be the problem HAHAHA

 

actually, my dad does. but this goes back to what i said already above... haha

but yeah, i would say the average age of someone that subscribes to consumer reports is not even close to what the average age is for someone who owns a scion tc.

but the review for the most part is a positive one, which is good for the car and my resell value. and them saying that it's "not sporty" may entice some "older" people to buy it haha. but yeah, if they don't consider it "sporty", then what do they consider sporty in this price bracket????? a beetle? a focus?? an ion?? seriously, for the money, you can't get something more sporty than a tc.

 

Alright jackholes NONE of this 40+ bashing crap!

Plenty of us near-dead folks are not only damn-smart, but know a good thing when we see it.

I don't know what makes you 18-25 year olds think you're so damn smart, but in time, you'll realize that you're not. Every time I go to training or take a new class, I realize how much I don't know - try some humility, it will get you places in life.

As for CR - it's NOT a bad rag, and although I too think this is a crap review of the tC, it's just that - someone else's 2¢

Scott

 

really the way my suspension is set up, it doesnt feel like a sports car... it f'n feels like a racecar, and thats exactlly how it handles

 

sporty? it is a good handling car.. but i do think that the STOCK settings were just a STARTING point!! Put some other shocks/struts, and springs.. change the bushings and watch how fast the handling changes.. the car was designed to be upgraded and changed.. customized.. toyota knew we would!.. CR doesn't understand that..

And of course CR never understands the finer points of anything technical! Ever read some of their computer buying advice? It's hilarious! It just shows they really don't understand technical things and YES their "age" is showing in that aspect..

To the guy who is 44, i think that age isn't the factor here, it's more of the ATTITUDE or mindset... I know some older people (75+)who are current on many many things..

I agree that CR doesn't "understand" the market that is for us, and was designed for this mindset. Why would I care if CR understand us or not? that's their problem and why there was such a large whole in the market. Also their type of thinking is the same thinking ford/gm have and why they never have delivered a scion-type vehicle to us. It took toyota to think about how to reach this market and for one I'm glad they actually listened, no one else was.

 

i agree mich. tc's have the potential to be sporty, but arnt close to being sporty stock. it takes a good dollar to get some speed and handling aspects down. CR is a good magazine for an opinion. the writers arnt experts about anything. if anything they are just journalists who base their facts on surveys and interviews.They may rag on the tc, but keep in mind they tested every other car too. Compared to an impreza, the tC would not feel sporty. in the end CR recommended it as a good buy for overall performance, which i think means more than anything else. after all, it wouldnt matter how many crazy ___ mods you put on your car if it was a block of crap.

 

that's right, young people who can open their eyes and admit to themselves that they do not know everything will learn a lot more, and faster.

as for the review; who cares, it sucks.
It just gives this website more purpose for having some real feedback from people who own the car.

 

i like consumer reports. i believe they are more trustworthy thatn a lot of other mags since they don't have advertisement. didn't the review give the body integrity of the tC the worst rating. it seems like your talking about the same review i read of the tC. i was sad to see it get a black dot for the integrity review. i tried to find what they test for when rating integrity. could it be the rattling???

 

I'm sure they are rating the tC the worst of the Scions according to gas mileage. (The xA & xB get 30 mpg while the tC gets 26. 4 less flippin' miles-who cares? not me.) The poor babies complain about not having a rear wiper??! Minor complaints to say the least. I'm just happy that I have a high rated model. (Overall.) BTW-the Honda Civic was the tops for under $20K. Again, it seems they rated this according to gas mileage. I laughed when I read the Chevy Cobalt was "least reliable".

 

I'm sorry but a lot of you need to step back and realize that you drive a $17k car... Understand that CR is not rating your modded tC, but a bone stock one. Sporty is BMW M3, Audi S4 and Infinity G35. If your car rides and feels like any of those out of the factory then you can say that the review sucks all you want. You're failing to see the fact is that the tC was overall rated a "Very Good" buy and recommended. Also keep in mind that Consumer Reports is not a tuner mag, the tC placed third among Scions not because of gas milage but because the xA and xB rated higher in more categories than the tC. Accept the fact that none of our Scions are perfect no matter how much we mod them, and be grateful that the car is looked highly upon by others outside the tuner community.

 

I have this mag and read it cover to cover (they placed the tC on the front cover, by the way). Interesting is the point about the tC being the lowest rated Scion. The tC got a score of 74 and was rated "recommended." The xA received a score of 37 and was not rated "recommended." Based on results of surveys of owners of 2005 models, the xA had a slightly higher reliability rating. Based on the surveys, they have given the 06 tC a predicted reliability of average, whereas the 06 xA has been given a predicted reliability of better than average. This reliability rating is only a part of an overall score, and again, the tC had 2X the overall score of the xA. The xB got a score of 50, so by far, Consumer Reports rated the tC has the HIGHEST rated Scion. NOWHERE do they state that the tC is the "worst rated Scion."

And, if CR considers our tCs to be "not sporty," it does not change the cars that we have. It's no big deal! Motor Trend made the same comment in a recent comparo. But the point, again, is that it doesn't matter. Our cars rock!

 

What I realize is this. 17000 may not seem a lot to some of you, but for me it is. Your not going to find a sportier fun car for this price. While I may never be able to afford a true sports car, this one does just fine. I have a lot of fun driving it. As for the review, there are always some validity to every review whether you agree or not. The truth is, that the ultimate review comes from the person driving it , and your own personal review is what matters most.

 

jrussell i think u got a different mag. this one has all civics on the cover. i agree with nips and aznbread. the stock tc is not sporty compared to comething like the wrx or g35. the price is much lower, which evens out when you spend the difference to buy modifications to get it up to a sports car standard. consumer reports is just a buncha journalists giving out basic info. the vote for tc as the worst scion was for overall characteristics given by consumer reports readers. most of them probably have never driven a tc. they base their reviews on numbers and pictures. there are sporty tcs out there with sc's and what not, but straight from the lot, the tc is just a normal car.

 

like i said, i like consumer report. i think they are a great source to guide peopl on buying quiality products and cars. for the most part i think they are pretty accurate.

i guess the tC isn't considered very sporty. i can see why they say that, there are a lot of other "more" sportier vehicles out there. i don't mind the performance at all, i'm actually very pleased with the power and room it has.

it is disappointing to see those black filled dots on the tC review for integrity, and just average paint. wish it had all solid red dot or half filled circles.

i hope my and all tC doesn't get too much worse as it ages. i think the biggest part to make the car good whether it's modded or not is the paint job. and since the tC's paint is a little on the bad side, i just hope it doesn't dull out, chip, or fade too bad. my 91 4runner's paint is great. looks like a 97-98 model car, maybe even better! hope the tC will give me the same results, but i doubt it

never the less i enjoy driving my car, and it looks great