Around the end of the twenty-first century, Toyota came to the realization that the demographic for their American car brand had shifted. Once occupied by a wide variety of ages, the youth market was captivated by such icons like the MR-2, Celica and Supra. But for reasons beyond the industry, Toyota’s philosophy about cars shifted and the Supra was killed, followed shortly by the MR-2 and Celica. After the death of those sports cars, the young demographic almost completely left, leaving the middle age and seniors to take stock in Toyota. To solve this issue and bring back the twenty-somethings, the at-first American exclusive Scion brand was born. In 2004, they launched arguably their most successful model yet, the tC coupe. Now in its second generation, the 2011 model year is Scion and Toyota’s attempt to recapture that certain charm that made the old icons so special.
With a compact, front wheel drive, hatchback/coupe (liftback) architecture, the tC is without a doubt a sport compact car. This is the same basic recipe that made the Celica so popular as well as many of the Scion’s rivals such as the Honda Civic Coupe. The previous generation tC was a success story, with nearly 80,000 sold in 2006 and accounting for almost half of all Scion sales. For the second iteration, the coupe was given a dose of aggression as the body is much more chiseled, cut and defined. Still tidy in size, the 2011 is only different in width compared to the first generation model. Larger, 18 inch wheels are standard to fill out the fenders and the rear tail light section is more angular and deep. Clearly borrowing a lot of style cues from too-many renderings of Toyota’s FT-86 concept car, the 2011 tC’s profile almost looks as if it is a rear wheel drive coupe. Overall, it is a evolved-looking car with a very impressive stance.
Our time spent with a tC was done so with a 2011 automatic, which carried a price tag of $19,275. Added to our tester were $109 carpet mats and the $1,499 premium sound system with navigation. Final MSRP including destination charge was $21,668. Inside, the second generation tC has received some handsome improvements. At first, the center council, gauge cluster, stereo and even the steering wheel look aftermarket and custom. Unlike those ‘backyard’ install jobs, the Scion’s “custom” apointments actually work while still looking cool. The dials for the climate control are straight forward and easy to use which is refreshing as simplicity is always welcome, especially in a car of this stature. There is no reason for overly complicated interiors and the tC never became frustrating. And considering the price of the car, the Alpine sourced sound system is cristal clear and excellent.
Under the hood of all second generation tC’s is Toyota’s 2.5 liter 2AR-FE DOHC inline four cylinder. Sharing duty in the Camry and RAV4, the engine produces 180 horsepower and 174 lb-ft of torque and uses variable valve timing. Both of those ratings are higher when compared to last generation’s 2.4 liter, which made 161 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. Matched to the bigger engine is a much-improved six speed automatic. Also shared with the latest Camry, this automatic replaces the aging four speed slushbox found in the old car and features a manual shift mode. The improvements can be felt off paper as the new powertrain offers plenty of power. Acceleration isn’t rocket fast, but there is enough scoot to keep most drivers entertained at any point in the engine’s rev range. The transmission is a huge step forward as the six speed is very smooth and quick to respond. Fuel mileage isn’t too bad but could be more impressive: 23 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway. Though the automatic is worlds better compared to the older four speed, we can’t help but think about how much more impressive the tC is with the new six speed manual. Acceleration is cut down substantially when three pedals are on the floor instead of just two.
As a do-it-all vehicle, the tC has always been a winner. The ‘liftback’ turns the car into a coupe that doubles as hatchback. When the rear seats are folded down, the cargo space in the Scion is surprisingly large. Most items that are needed to haul around can be packed into the tC with ease, making it actually usable. Along with its utility is something that usually doesn’t go hand-in-hand with hauling capacity: good handling. The wider stance of the second generation ups the stability ten-fold, and makes the tC feel confident in its motions. The multi-link rear suspension offers good rotation with minimal body roll. Of course, everything could be tightened up with aftermarket parts, which is something Scion encourages. They even make a full line of Toyota Racing Development (TRD) performance components such as lowering springs and larger anti-roll bars available for purchase with a warranty.
At the end of the day, the second generation Scion tC is inexpensive but high-quality sporting coupe. It isn’t the fastest and it isn’t the most ‘raw’ car on the market, but it doesn’t need to be. Instead, the tC is multi-talented, able to accomplish many tasks and do them fairly easily. As an everyday driver, it achieves good fuel mileage, is Toyota reliable, comfortable and cargo friendly. As a sporting coupe, its powertrain produces enough juice to entertain and its aftermarket backing is large enough that a truly fast tC can be built. In automatic form, it is much more mature and sharper than the previous generation, but any entry-level coupe really comes alive with do-it-yourself shifting. The 2011 Scion tC is a handsome little car that properly pays homage to the Toyota icons of yore. If the Celica could look down upon the Scion, it would nod its head in agreement.
Photos: © Copyright 2011 Ossamah Shabbir
