Unveiled: 2011 Scion tC - New York Auto Show

I look at it this way - it's an intelligence test for Scion fanboys. Are they, in fact, dumb enough to buy anything with a Scion badge?

Only time will tell.
 
I suppose, but most Scion fanboys also put stupid body kits and such on them, so the stupid looks are almost moot for them.
 
I look at it this way - it's an intelligence test for Scion fanboys. Are they, in fact, dumb enough to buy anything with a Scion badge?

Only time will tell.
The cars are genuinely good cars, but yes, almost all "Scion enthusiasts" are just an off-shoot of the ricer genus.

The absolute defining factor on whether this car truly is shit or not, though, is going to be the price. The xA might not have been the best sub-compact on the road, sure, but that $13,000 "pure price" point for a brand new car got a lot of people in the door. And that's really the point of the Scion brand; cheap and cheerful cars for first-time car owners or kids in college. If this isn't cheap or cheerful (which it's alreay lost), then what's the point?
 
Well the current tC is sold at a starting price of around $17700 for a manual gearbox. Mind you it has the panoramic moonroof as standard.

But when it comes time for me to buy a car [maybe in 2 years time], it probably wouldn't be a Scion.
 
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But when it comes time for me to buy a car [maybe in 2 years time], it probably wouldn't be a Scion.
And that's the paradox; Scion's are supposed to be "My First Toyota", and ideally turn you into Toyota purchasers... but Toyota has nowhere for tC owners to go if they want another, better sporty coupe.
 
And that's the paradox; Scion's are supposed to be "My First Toyota", and ideally turn you into Toyota purchasers... but Toyota has nowhere for tC owners to go if they want another, better sporty coupe.

FT86? (whenever it actually comes out)
 
I bet Toyota thinks we'll buy Corollas. lulz
 
And that's the paradox; Scion's are supposed to be "My First Toyota", and ideally turn you into Toyota purchasers... but Toyota has nowhere for tC owners to go if they want another, better sporty coupe.

They're hoping the condom breaks and you've got to get a Sienna.
 
They're hoping the condom breaks and you've got to get a Sienna.
But in reality, most Scion enthusiasts just get chlamydia, which Toyota doesn't currently have an offering for. :p
 
And that's the paradox; Scion's are supposed to be "My First Toyota", and ideally turn you into Toyota purchasers... but Toyota has nowhere for tC owners to go if they want another, better sporty coupe.

It's not a coupe, but I think Toyota is expecting people to step up to a Lexus IS when they're done with the tC.
 
I was looking at a tC at a Toyota dealership and the guy tried to get me to look at a Corolla :lol:

I don't think this looks bad, it's kind of bland but so was the old one. The interior space (for the size) and driving dynamics pleasantly surprised me with the old one so I don't see why this one wouldn't hold up. Shame about the interior but it's not that bad.
 
I was looking at a tC at a Toyota dealership and the guy tried to get me to look at a Corolla :lol:
It was probably a Toyota sales guy that you were talking to, then.

Toyota guys generally know fuck all about the cars and could care less about them (because Scion won't make them as much money), and the first guy I talked to when I wanted a tC even tried to start haggling me on accessories, which is against Scion's rules. I ended up getting my tC from another dealership as a result, because they gave me exactly what I wanted for the advertised price the first time I asked.
 
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But in reality, most Scion enthusiasts just get chlamydia, which Toyota doesn't currently have an offering for. :p

Sure they do, it's the Camry and Avalon. Get one of those and when the car accelerates uncontrollably, hurling you to your doom, your chlamydia will cease to be a problem!
 
I was looking at a tC at a Toyota dealership and the guy tried to get me to look at a Corolla :lol:

That's a Toyota salesman for you. The last time I was at a Toyota dealership, I told a salesman I was looking through their used lot for a sport sedan. He brought me over to a Toyota Avalon. Seriously. When I said it wasn't my cup of tea, he recommended a V8 half-ton pickup. Remarkably, he didn't try to bring my attention to the TL Type S 6MT that was a few spots over...
 
Sorry for the MASSIVE zombie bump, but I've actually become interested in the new tC, and I thought a new thread was unwarranted.

The cars are genuinely good cars, but yes, almost all "Scion enthusiasts" are just an off-shoot of the ricer genus.

The absolute defining factor on whether this car truly is shit or not, though, is going to be the price. The xA might not have been the best sub-compact on the road, sure, but that $13,000 "pure price" point for a brand new car got a lot of people in the door. And that's really the point of the Scion brand; cheap and cheerful cars for first-time car owners or kids in college. If this isn't cheap or cheerful (which it's alreay lost), then what's the point?

The tC is priced at $18,995. That includes 180 horsepower, a six-speed manual, a panoramic sunroof, 18" alloy wheels, a 300-watt sound system, and a thick-rimmed flat-bottomed-leather-wrapped wheel with audio controls, all as standard equipment. That's a pretty darned good deal. What other new car offers similar options and performance at $19k? Also, most ride reviews I've read suggest that--and here's a real shocker from a Toyota subsidiary--the car actually has respectable steering feel and feedback and the shifter has a smooth, crisp action, and while understeer is a major issue in totally stock trim, Scion's available sway bars for the tC give it good neutral handling without an unpleasantly harsh ride.

For what it is, I'd definitely call the tC cheap. Yeah, a turbocharged sport compact like the MS3 or GTI is going to blow it out of the water, but with similar amenities, those cars could cost 30% more, and that's nothing to sneeze at.
 
I test drove a tC when I was looking, and I have no qualms admitting that it had a nice steering feel and plenty of power. I'm just not a fan of the looks and came across something much better :p

EDIT: ....and if you scroll up in the necrothread I said the same thing 6 months ago :lol:
 
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But now you can probably get a screaming deal on an old one if you can find an unraped one.
 
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