Most-expensive Scion becomes coupe du jour


Published August 29, 2004


Never assume.

Obviously, the reason the Scion xB wagon was selling so well was price, a mere $14,480 for a vehicle that includes a cabin full of amenities as standard.

The reason the Scion tC coupe that joined the lineup in July wouldn't sell as well is that it starts at $16,750, though it also offers a long list of standard equipment.

Since Scion is the Toyota division devoted to getting folks in its cars while they are young and on a tight budget in the hopes of keeping them there when they are more affluent, obviously a $16,750 car wouldn't be as popular as a $14,480 vehicle--even if the latter looked more like a Tonka toy than an actual motorized machine.

So what happens?

"We sold 6,300 tC coupes in July, its first month on the market, and 5,800 xBs, which was its best month in the market," said Brian Bolain, Scion national sales manager.

"We said once we had all three Scions available nationally, the xA sedan, xB wagon and tC coupe, we'd be on target to sell 100,000 vehicles annually. Now, after what happened with the tC in July, I'd have to say we could sell 125,000 cars and still will be short of vehicles," Bolain said.

Little wonder.

We tested the tC and found it as pleasant as the xB is odd.

While styling doesn't stand out like that on the boxy xB, the finish was a rich dark gray metallic usually reserved for luxury cars.

The tC is a two-door hatchback, a concession to youth, who, according to Scion, can lift the hatch, toss in the duffel bag and be on their way.

If you need more cargo room, the rear seat backs quickly fold flat. If you need more people room, lift the lever on each front seat and they slide forward to open an entry/exit aisle to/from the back seat.

But make no mistake, the tC is an economy car powered by a 2.4-liter, 160-horsepower 4-cylinder that produces 162 foot-pounds of torque. Not real quick off the line, especially with its 4-speed automatic. It shows spunk once at 30 m.p.h., but off-the-line movement is reserved.

The 23 m.p.g. city/30 m.p.g. highway rating makes it obvious this car is dedicated to mileage rather than performance.

Ride is pleasant and you don't suffer lots of unnecessary movement just because you've opted for an economy car. Handling benefits from a sports-tuned suspension and 17-inch all-season radials in a car that typically would be shod with 15-inch treads. While sporty, however, tC isn't a sports car. Ease up in tight corners because even 17-inch radials don't handle as well when driven on the sidewalls.

Some neat features include grocery bag holders built into the walls in back, because even youth has to eat, and small compartments under the rear cargo floor next to the spare tire well to hide things.

A couple gripes, however, one being the sharply sloped and slanted hatchback. While headroom upfront is adequate, in back the hatch glass will make contact with your melon unless it's on a spring and can be easily contorted. And, being in such proximity to the rear-seat passengers, that glass comes with a series of black bars to keep the sun from boiling your melon.

The walls in back are indented to provide sufficient arm room. Too bad the front seat backs aren't indented to give rear-seat passengers some needed knee room. Cupholders are built into the rear seat walls, but would best be used to hold juice for the kids.

The roof line also is low where it meets the windshield. If parked too close to the stoplight, you'll have to open the power moonroof to see when it turns green.

As mentioned, the tC starts at $16,750. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, power windows, power door locks and power mirrors with turn signal lamps underneath. Also standard are power moonroof, Pioneer AM/FM/CD player with six speakers, remote keyless entry, cruise control, rear window defogger, tilt steering wheel, vanity mirrors, outside temperature gauge and digital clock, power plug and anti-lock brakes.

Options are limited, but add the front side-impact air bags and front and rear side air-bag curtains for $650.

Scion's mission was to bring new faces into the showroom, and it has lived up to expectations, Bolain said.

"We've found 80 percent of all buyers are new to Toyota and never had experienced Toyota," he said. "These are people who wouldn't have visited Toyota if it wasn't for Scion, so most of our sales are plus business."

Also surprisingly, though the tC starts at about $2,000 more than the xB, it is attracting a younger buyer, Bolain said.

The median age of a Scion buyer is 35, with the typical xA buyer in the upper '30s, the typical xB buyer in the mid '30s, and the typical tC buyer in the lower '30s.

But Bolain said while youth may be acquiring the car, it appears the generosity of Mom and Dad may be the reason. Up to 35 percent of the cars are bought with a co-signer, "which means younger buyers are getting help from their families."

Most sales include trades, and the popular ones are Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra and Ford Focus among the small cars and Honda Accords and Nissan Altimas among the midsize models.

But no one has traded in a Hummer.

"Not yet," Bolain said.

Because Scion is doing so well, what's the chances of Toyota building some in the U.S. to ensure supply keeps up with demand?

"Scions are built in Japan because the plants there have flexible production and can move assembly back and forth among vehicles as we need them. Our U.S. factories are geared to make a lot of the same vehicle without moving back and forth between vehicles.

"Besides, we want this to last a long time rather than become a big bubble that bursts. We don't want to flood the market with cars and six months later become yesterday's news. We don't want to flood the market because all that does is encourage discounting," Bolain said.

He added Scion is sold using a no-haggle, pay-what-the-sticker-says philosophy that makes it easy for consumers to shop and easy for dealers to make money and want to keep selling the Scion brand.

Another Scion mission is to revise its lineup frequently, so xA, xB and tC will probably be around only a few years before new models replace them.

"The next worry is how to evolve these models with short lifecycles and then something else," he said.

"We've visited the Scion chat rooms and what people want next runs the gamut--rear-drive cars, convertibles, station wagons and SUVs," he said.

What will they get?

Stay tuned.

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TEST DRIVE

2005 Scion tC hatchback coupe

Wheelbase: 106.3 inches

Length: 174 inches

Engine: 2.4-liter, 160-h.p., 16-valve 4-cylinder

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Fuel economy: 23 m.p.g. city/30 m.p.g. highway

Base price: $16,750

Price as tested: $17,545. Includes $650 for side-impact air bags upfront and side air-bag curtains front and rear and $145 for carpeted floor mats and cargo mat. Add $515 for freight.

Pluses: A solid compact coupe with fairly spirited performance. Pleasant ride and handling. Very good mileage. And lots of standard equipment--from air conditioning to power windows, door locks and mirrors to power moonroof and anti-lock brakes. Rear seat backs fold for more cargo room, and front seats slide forward for easier entry into back seat.

Minuses: Rear seat head and leg room. Low roof line upfront obscures stoplights.

 

Low roofline obscures stoplights? WTF?!? This is certainly news to me, I've never had this happen. Besides, pulling too close to a stoplight to see it is your own stupid driving, not the car's fault.

And complaints over rear legroom? Are they comparing the tC to a 30k sedan? I've received nothing but compliments on the roominess of the back seats for the size of the car.

As positive as this article is, I cant believe the pickiness of some people in what they ask for from a coupe, not to mention a 16-17k coupe.

 

I agree with Redfish, everyone that has ridden in the back of my tC has commented on how much room there is for a car this small! Heck, even my tall friends 6ft+ love it, they just lean the back seats back and just relax!

 

I was excited to see this review yesterday but a bit dissapointed after reading it. He's usually an excellent reviewer but this one is a bit subpar.

 

If that guy is complainting handling, car weight or radio cover door, I would be ok.... like he may have his point. but complaint about rear seats leg room is BS, I wonder he ever complaint about civic lack of rear seat leg room. he even complaint about the rear seat cup holder? what's wrong? is this guy trying to compare it to a G35 or something. did he just say tC is not a sports car but rather a econ box? he get to know what to expect for a econ box....

tC is far from a perfect car. but all the minuses that he mention about was...just sound like picking bones in an egg.

 

I doubt he drove the car for long or got in the back seat. Even with automatic, the tC is quicker than almost anything in its price range. How many cars even twice as expensive go 0-60 in 8.5 seconds? The rear legroom is better than most 4-doors this size. Has he been in a Jetta or Mazda3? And he failed to mention the reclining back seats that mitigate the rear headroom issue.
Just not a good or thorough article. I shall ignore it and enjoy my car.

 

That review is ridiculous. It really seems as if someone told him he was going to review a 45k sports sedan and then gave them the tC - it's funny because he says the 160/163 engine is kinda wimpy, and at the same time the 23/29 gas mileage is good - most other reviews (that know they've got a sport compact) say that the thing is pretty fast (7.4 to 60!) and that the gas mileage is pretty weak.

One thing this really points out that I find very disappointing is that cars these days come with RIDICULOUSLY overpowered engines. The only car I know of that needs a 300 HP engine (other than something you're racing) is some sort of huge truck or van. I hate seeing these things in passenger cars. I hope gas prices hit $5/gallon - I can pay it. I can't wait until someone scraps the rest of those damn Hummers that make my daily commute so dangerous.

 

same boat here, those huge SUVs should not be getting any tax write out, and they must get some special lisence to drive. hate to see those SUVs zip around highway. now i learned that i should never get any close to those SUVs since they never pay attention on the car around them. i love to pay extra 2 dollars per gallon for gas to see those SUV/pickup truck disappear.

 

I also disagree with the rear seating room... it's huge back there, and obviously he didn't try reclining the rear seats... heck, he probably didn't even sit in the back seat. He can gripe all he wants, I enjoy this car!