imjonk

This is kind of a follow up to my initial two month review on the tC.

Details
For the holidays i made a road trip back home because i had spent any money for a plane ticket on monthly car payments and insurance. So, i figured i'd make use of my "investment" (are cars ever really an investment?). So, the trip from San Antonio, TX to Atlanta, GA began at 9:30PM on Friday night, Dec. 24, 2004. 1000 miles there. 800 miles while there for a week. Then 1200 miles back (because i got lost).

Comfort
It was a good drive. The seats never got uncomfortable for me. i'd just occasionally adjust it for feel. Plus the cruise control came in handy. Road noise was more apparent when i was trying to use my cell phone, but still wasn't too much of a concern. Overall very comfortable. But maybe i'm just used to the crappiness of my old car's seats.

Driveability
The only real concern i had was when i was cruising at 90 MPH and my tach wanted to stretch past 4K. It just didn't feel right. And then on this lonely stretch, i had to see if i could hit 120 MPH. So, i did. Several times. Getting past that was a bit difficult and i didn't have too much free space to do that... But the car felt steady regardless.
The ONE time i felt unsure of the car was when i was driving past Houston and going over the iced bridges. The car seemed to want to spin out a lot. Maybe it's a combination of the torque and the tires, but i didn't feel too comfortable with that.

Fuel Economy
Actually, it wasn't that bad until i started going on those sprints. Towards the tail end of my initial trip to GA, i'd get about 230 miles before my light would come on. This only happened twice, but i was getting concerned. Though on the drive back to Texas, i had a consistent 330-360 miles on the tank before the light coming on even though i was driving even faster.

Experience with Known Issues
i did not have any rattling of the hatch or popping of the sunroof. i didn't really use the sunroof all that much on the drive there because it was 30-36 degrees.

The Pure Thrill
Now, i normally drive just to drive. i get up to 90 MPH, flick on the cruise control, and i'm just cruising along. i was driving through Houston and there was a lot of construction and it had these tight two lanes with barricades on both sides. This red Grand Am or something was being obnoxious and so i just decided to gun it. i lost them and i didn't see them for a long time... Still in Houston.. there was this 240SX being even more obnoxious. Tailing me.. pulling up next to me.. revving.. so i decided to see what my poor tC could do to escape the jerk's heckling... so i just gunned it again.... got up to about 110+. the 240SX made some poor lane changes and i just slowed down for him to try it again. Anyway, he tried... he lost.. and he exited and i waved goodbye. Then i started looking for the IKEA because i wanted to buy some furniture to take home....
Also the spinning out at high RPMs was pretty fun and manageable. It's not like you peel out and your car just jerks to the right into other cars. But yeah... that's not really too smart....

Summary
The tC is a blast to drive. i don't have any real "mods" except a rear sway bar. Good stuff. The only real issue on a long drive like that for me was the 6th gear thing. Though some of my driving was a little reckless sometimes, i was pretty comfortable driving it past the speed limit and beyond. i didn't drive nearly as fast when it was raining and over the ice (of course), but overall the tC performed admirably. i'm very pleased with my purchase and if 18-19K is all you want to spend on a new car i'd recommend the tC above all else (though i am a little biased of course).

jasonbegin

nice, Thank you....

StraitR

Thanks for the insight... nice read

kaypee

I did the bay area <-> seattle trip twice this year... one thanksgiving, another for christmas. 900 each way... 3600 mis. in a span of a month. (booyah, said Stuart Scott.)

And you're review's spot on. I actually took highway 101 over i-5 for most of California and that was FUN. Great curves that you could gun at 60 or so. All with stock suspension too and an auto tranny. Probably would had more fun if I upgraded the tires then, I didn't have much confidence in them...but still.

JdMBboFSD

very good writeup on your experience, this helps a lot of potential buyers that review before they buy...well atleast i do....

RussianTC

I did a Bay Area <-> Vancouver trip this summer, but in a rental. Took the same road you did. That was an awesome trip, I want to do that in my tC now!