Most-expensive Scion becomes coupe du jour
09-02-2004, 02:41 PM
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Most-expensive Scion becomes coupe du jour
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classi...471aug29.story
Most-expensive Scion becomes coupe du jour
Jim Mateja
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.
- - -
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.
Most-expensive Scion becomes coupe du jour
Jim Mateja
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.
- - -
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.
09-02-2004, 04:13 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 146
people talk about problems like the cars are exploding out on the interstate. A couple popping moonroofs one or two transmisson complaints? Come on. How come the only people really complaining about problems are the people not driving tCs ?
09-02-2004, 04:16 PM
#6
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Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 337
Originally Posted by fireballfish
Have you not read the problems that a lot of tC owners are having? In what way was his post childish?
09-02-2004, 04:21 PM
#8
Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: South Jersey
Posts: 33
ohhh, silly cybergypsy
It's "her" post, and the only reason people have trouble with Cybergypsy is not that she hops on every tC thread and bashes it (which is merely annoying) but that she does so in a flip, knee-jerk manner (search her post history).
This is counterproductive to the forum, because people respond to her rants with blind love for their tCs and begin making fun of her for driving a tall echo. She then refers people to her extensive list of other cars (of which I think she has turned over something like 30) as evidence of her car knowledge..... eventually the thread is lost in jabs and counterjabs and nobody can remember what the original post was about. (like now)
The best response is to glean any facts that may spring from her vitriol, and ignore everything else.[/code]
This is counterproductive to the forum, because people respond to her rants with blind love for their tCs and begin making fun of her for driving a tall echo. She then refers people to her extensive list of other cars (of which I think she has turned over something like 30) as evidence of her car knowledge..... eventually the thread is lost in jabs and counterjabs and nobody can remember what the original post was about. (like now)
The best response is to glean any facts that may spring from her vitriol, and ignore everything else.[/code]
09-02-2004, 04:32 PM
#9
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Riverside/IE, CA
Posts: 570
Just stop feeding the trolls, they get off on attention.
Anyways, the tC does have it's share of problems, but it is an a new model and that is to be expected. However, aside from a few troubled cars, most of the "problems" are things like creaky sunroof, AC complaints, and shifting being a little vague. These can be expected from any car company that introduces a new model to the masses. Cars that have been in production for many years such as the Corolla and the Camry will have less problems because the manufacturer improves upon it every year. I'm sure many of the problems will be addressed before the '06 models show up in showrooms.
I'd be wary of Scion reviews, good or bad since most journalist reviewers are older than the target audience of Scion.
Anyways, the tC does have it's share of problems, but it is an a new model and that is to be expected. However, aside from a few troubled cars, most of the "problems" are things like creaky sunroof, AC complaints, and shifting being a little vague. These can be expected from any car company that introduces a new model to the masses. Cars that have been in production for many years such as the Corolla and the Camry will have less problems because the manufacturer improves upon it every year. I'm sure many of the problems will be addressed before the '06 models show up in showrooms.
I'd be wary of Scion reviews, good or bad since most journalist reviewers are older than the target audience of Scion.
09-02-2004, 05:36 PM
#11
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: W. Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 14
I think it's pretty cool that when message boards were mentioned, I believe the list of requests of different models was taken from this board. And in that case, I think Scion needs a model with AWD and a big-___ turbo!
09-02-2004, 07:20 PM
#12
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 16
Originally Posted by TrafficinLA
Anyways, the tC does have it's share of problems, but it is an a new model and that is to be expected. However, aside from a few troubled cars, most of the "problems" are things like creaky sunroof, AC complaints, and shifting being a little vague. These can be expected from any car company that introduces a new model to the masses. Cars that have been in production for many years such as the Corolla and the Camry will have less problems because the manufacturer improves upon it every year. I'm sure many of the problems will be addressed before the '06 models show up in showrooms.
Though, built-in limited edition status must be nice.
09-02-2004, 09:30 PM
#13
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Riverside/IE, CA
Posts: 570
Originally Posted by bender2929
The only problem is that, according to the article, Scion models won't have very many years to get that refinement.
Though, built-in limited edition status must be nice.
Though, built-in limited edition status must be nice.
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