There's no demographic that's targeted more often than young, affluent males. Though these buyers may not have quite as much expendable income to throw at new car purchases, automakers are still very keen to cater to the needs of Generation Y in an effort to earn a customer for life.

Toyota is no different than any other automaker in this regard; perhaps even more so as the Japanese giant's customer base is just about as old as that of Buick. In an effort to resolve that issue, Toyota created the Scion brand in North America back in 2002 and has been marketing the heck out of its up-and-coming feeder marque ever since.

The ploy has mostly been successful. Toyota merrily points out that Scion has the youngest average customer in the industry and that 71 percent of all 800,000 or so Scions have been sold to buyers who are new to the Toyota family. Interestingly enough, with a median age of 26, it's the tC coupe's 310,000 total sales since 2002 (accounting for 41 percent of all Scion production) that manages to attract the youngest customers of all.

In other words, while the funky xB may be the most recognizable, it's actually the tC that is the brand's most important product. Therefore, Scion absolutely needs the new 2011 tC to be a runaway hit. Especially since the second-generation of the xB has, by many measures, failed to live up to the successful formula set out by its straight-ruled predecessor.

So does the new tC pass muster? We set out to answer that very question when we grabbed the keys in sunny San Diego. Read on to find out what we learned.

All in all, Scion seems to have shot off just about a perfect bullseye with its latest tC. It no longer looks like the car your girlfriend's best friend would drive and it's a competent driver with plenty of room for aftermarket and dealer-installed upgrades. You won't be challenging Volkswagen GTIs, V6 Ford Mustangs or Hyundai Genesis Coupes, but that's okay. Some people just want a stylish car that's cheap to buy and economical to drive. And, at its $18,275 well-equipped starting price, that's exactly what Scion has crafted with the 2011 tC.

It's.... OK. For over $18k though, I doubt a nicer steering wheel is going to get me in one.

I'm surprised you guys (autoblog) liked the interior as much as you did though... given it's Toyota Parts Bin design. I do like how the radio/hvac are angled toward the driver though. Gives it a bit more of a "cockpit" feel. Hehe... ****.

Seriously though, I am really interested to see how well this sells. It does fit a lot of the things current tC owners have been asking for... but I just don't think it fits them very well.