I had this posted in my regional forum, I think people will like to read it seeing as not everyone visits the great lakes forum

Interior

Pro: It's very ergonomic, nicely finished, and I don't have any complaints with the dash. Everything seems so far, up to expectations. There are a lot of neat stuff in there, like the top of the center box pops up, the SSP-> xA, xb, tC, the outside temp, memory driver seat. My family has had over 7 toyota's, and it felt at home while still feeling like I was venturing because of the design. I also LOVE the auto up and down features on both doors. The sunroof is very large and also very welcoming. The sunroof and the panorama moonroof make the car feel very "roomy/airy" inside. The hatch provides a lot of room with the seats down also. Even when it's up, I could fit my hockey bag, and my 33" goalie pads no problem.

Con: The large pillars in front and the back obstruct viewing on certain angles, especially when backing up, it's not bad bad, but it can get annoying. The flip up.down cover for the stereo is at times finicky. I am used to driving a 92 Celica ST, a 90 Celica All-Trac Turbo, and a 91 MR2, the seats in the tC would be incredibly insufficient on cornering, there is not enough lateral support. I would seriously consider changing the drivers seat if I (g/f's tC) bought this car. If you ever get a chance to drive a celica all-trac turbo with power lumbars, you will love it.

Exterior: The body does look a bit pudgy, but still very beautiful. The lines flow very well, there is not a lot of wheel gap, and the wheels really compliment the flint mica. The headlights do look very bimmer-esque. Also, the sunroof looks hot when it's open. I don't really have any complaints about the exterior looks, I really really like it. I know it's not a sports car, but it does cue to a "wilder" side.

Driving Impressions:
This car is fun to drive to a "normal" person who isn't used to "fast" or "agile" cars. The gearbox is placed well, and shifts very smoothly. I beleive it does 0-60 in around 7.5 seconds. The car uses it's torque well, and you can ease into traffic comfortably on the highway in 4th gear, you can use 3rd if you want to fly. The biggest thing I didn't like was the "short" 1st gear, I know it's made for torque but to me, it's very quick and short. I was also surprised by how soft the clutch was. My mom's 2000 v6 camry 5spd (1% made) has a grabbier clutch then the tC even though it has 39,000 miles. It makes the tC a very driveable car. I haven't dropped the clutch yet and have no plans too. Just yesterday, I was going 27 mph in a 55 and dropped it to 2nd and shifted at around 5600 rpm and hit 75. To be honest, this car is no slouch and actually feels very quick. It would give my n/a mr2 a run for it's money...but only in a straight line.
Like I said, the seats don't offer enough lateral support for the spirited driving occasions. While driving the car in a curvy back road, you can tell it has body roll, but it also doesn't really give in to it badly either. I was quite impressed given the weight of the car and the lack of rollbars. I did get the back end to slide out a bit (and the whole car to slide) while turning a sweeping curve at about 25 mph (I live in a small town with lots of back roads) and but the tires caught and planted the car straight again. The truth is this is no canyon carver, but it does handle quite well for a sporty coupe.


All in all, it's a very perfect car for my g/f. It's good on gas (about 24 mpg city/hw), 87/89 cheap gas too. It's quick and somewhat agile, but also has enough features to blow away any same price competition. And it looks very good while doing it.

If I were to ever get a tC, it would NEED to have a better drivers seat for lat. support, and sway/roll bars. I thought about springs, but I assume the bars would suffice, plus the roadnoise isn't to bad on bumps.
Just for more info, we test drove and looked at a 05 corolla s 5spd. It was a LOT slower and very "boring" compared to the tC's drive. Also, to get a similarly equipped rolla, we would've spent almost 18000, 15000 more. We also looked at a 2005 celica but at almost 19000 base price and not as loaded as the tC, we didn't even test drive it. Plus, insurance and cargo room would've taken a hit. Thought the rolla gets 31/37 mpg and the celi 30/35 was the only "bad" side of the tC.

All in all, a great buy and a really nice car. I read another review and the guy asked the other riders how much they thought the car was, the lowest was almost 20G, honestly a great buy!

 

Great Review! Don't think I disagree with any of your points.

 

the TRD springs helps a bit with handling and I think is a must have for any semi-enthusiasts

 

sorry for double post, forum was crashing

 

properly aiming the side view mirrors gives an uninterrupted view from rear view to side view to 'turn your head' view. but i agree the pillars in newer cars do get in the way.

no swaybars? you sure? :D

 

Great review!

 

I mean, in 2nd gear and you hit 75? It's gonna blow your engine.

 

I meant shifted around 5600 before each shift, I was in 4th @ 75mph, lol, not that crazy, or stupid.

 

I did some more playing with the interior.

You can change the stereo greeting to your own custom one which is cool.
By the feet in the rear, there are grocery bag clips you can use, it currently holds a yankee candle mango car scent.
The hatch, when open, has handles on both ends so you don't have to reach on top of the hatch to bring it down.
The spare tire is really skinny and ugly.
The memory seat is really awesome (driver side).

yesti-I meant "true" roll bars. Whatever, a big peice of metal pipe that connects one side of the car to the other

 

Oh, like in convertibles? Are they so your head doesn't bonk the ground if you flip over? I thought you meant the anti-sway bars that are under the car and are part of the suspension to reduce body lean in turns. The tC has those. Sorry for the confusion.

 

yeah man u pretty hit all the major points....i do agree with everyone of them especially the new seats thing....whenever i get sumn speed and try to take a corner, i feel like im gonna go out thge door or end up in the passengers lap....i think when i finally install the sway bar itll be better with the body roll and the slipping and sliding :D

 

No not like verts, strut tower bars...that's what I was trying to search for in my head.

Another note, wtf was Toyota thinking when they made the air flow vents? They have worse aim than a girl trying to pee standing up! lol

 

Form over function....

 

Thanks, GT4Dreams for the well written and accurate review.

 

I know this may be a totally stupid question but were you comparaing the drive in a normal Corolla or an S-type?

 

Strut tower bars do very little for the tC as the strut towers are practically part of the firewall. There has been some chatter on the forums by people that have them and even they say it only looks good but does nothing.

LOL supposedly the vents are designed for 'airflow over quietness' or something like that. But I do agree that aiming them is quite a challenge. I just make sure they aren't blowing at my face ;P

we just got wet okole seat covers on my wife's tC and the thickness makes the seat hug you a little more and it is nice and soft. Not sure if it will keep you from flying around the passenger cabin, well maybe if you sew velcro to your pants ;D

 

The original poster drives an MR2, I don't think there's anything you can possibly do to a Scion to even bring it close to matching the cornering ability of an MR2. My '91T had 14-205/60 size Good Year H-rated all season tires and a misaligned suspension and it was still a lot easier to turn into a tight corner than the Scion.

The only thing I don't like about the Scion is the size and placement of the tachometer. The engine noise is so quiet I can't hear when the RPMs are getting up there, and I can't feel it in the gas pedal either with the drive by wire design. It would be nice if the tachometer was at least the same size as the speedometer. It's hard to keep an eye on being tucked way down in the corner.

 

Have to agree with you there. The tC is NOT a sports car. It is a sporty commuter especially since it is so quiet.

I drive auto so tach is just for fun. ;P (hence the commuter comment)

 

[quote="91Mike"][quote="Audicted"]
The original poster drives an MR2, I don't think there's anything you can possibly do to a Scion to even bring it close to matching the cornering ability of an MR2. quote]

Remember, my daily driver is a 92 Celica ST, 102 hp/ 103 lbs of torque, one heck of a fast sports car This spring, I'm installing some kyb gr-2 struts on all corners with eibach sportline springs in my mr2 along with a front tower bar and a rear tower bar...can't wait to feel the difference!

Yea, I've been reading more about the trd springs, sounds like a great comprimise.

 

Eibach has prokits available which lower 1.4" and are also progressive (like the trd) for around $200 plus shipping. Now we need adjustable shocks/struts!