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Scion tC
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The pictures of the interior I've seen make it look absolutely spartan, although they say the texture is like Japanese parchment. The only thing upscale about it is the panoramic sunroof and the wheels and tires. I will say that at $17K, it seems like a fair deal; its competitors are overpriced.
The content also has to be considered.
18K is a steal for the amount of stuff included. And even though the engine is mass produced, it is still 2.4 liters. That's a large engine for the price point. Climate control, sattelite radio, 17' wheels, four wheel discs......Puleeze. If you pull back from the microscope and look at the whole car, it's a significant move by Toyota.
Without reading a road test, I don't think you can judge. Is it going to be better than the RSX, Cobalt, Si or Tiburon? It's got a lot of tough competition.
Good package, maybe, but I don't see how it is any better than anything else on the market. (before testing)
18K is a steal for the amount of stuff included."
If you're open to other brands then the Hyundai Tiburon meets and beats an 18k Scion tC all day long in the price/equipment category.
MSRP: 18,199
Invoice: 16,561
Max out a Tiburon with a sunroof, 360-watt Infinity stereo, leather, and ABS which costs $2448 MSRP and $2222 invoice you now bring your total to..
MSRP: $20,647
Invoice: $18,783
Keep in mind the Hyundai has rebates, a 5/10 year warranty, leather, 6-cyl engine, 360-watt audio system, etc.
The only way a Scion tC at 18k can be a steal is if you MUST have a Toyota/Honda. Compared to some other competitors this is nothing special.
Ambull's quote pretty much sums it all up...
"The only thing upscale about it is the panoramic sunroof and the wheels and tires. I will say that at $17K, it seems like a fair deal; its competitors are overpriced."
I'd bet the tC will be just as quick with its 2.4L DOHC as the Tiburon is with its 2.7L V6, will return better fuel economy, offer more room and innovative features, better resale, more distinctive styling, and a better ride/handling tradeoff. If the price of the tC, with similar equipment to the loaded "GT V6" Tib, is $20,500, I dont see how anyone would favor the Hyundai.
~alpha
Like I said, at $18,000 this Toyota product is a steal compared to the competition. The Toyota name and reputation along with the content place it in a league by itself.
Sure a test drive will seal the deal. But on paper this car looks to be a winner just as the other two Scion products have turned out to be. Again, they only plan to sell 30,000 of the things. Don't plan on discounts.
alpha01 - More distinctive styling than the Tiburon? The tC is _very_ generic looking, it's nice, but distinctive it is not. The Tiburon is a much more distinctive car.
More innovative features? Such as?
(general) What platform is this car built on?
Styling is subjective, but I like the fact that the vehicle looks like a coupe but is a more versatile hatchback. The RSX is too "stubby" looking, though I will say the Tiburon is attractive.
Innovative features- the panorama sunroof, the multiadjustable reclining rear seatback, the aforementioned hatchback versatility w/ coupe styling, to name a few.
The tC is a proliferation of the critically acclaimed European Avensis chassis.
I hope this answered some of your questions.
~alpha
I don't know if I would call any of those features innovative, but they are rare at this price range.
The tC may be a great value and a great car, I'm looking forward to a test drive.
2.4 has it all over the 2.0 in torque.
I'll bet it cruises at a much lower RPM. RSX also doesn't have balance shafts.
But as we know, horsepower sells cars - just to say that a little extra torque in the tC probably won't be a strong selling point. It wasn't for the 2002 Si over the 2000.
Balance shafts would be a negative in the RSX because it doesn't need them. They are used in the 2.4, because bigger 4 cylinder engines aren't particularly smooth.
Im no engineer, but I can only assume the difference is due to exhaust restrictions? All are rated as ULEV-II in terms of emissions.
Naturally, it would be nicest to see this version in the tC.
~alpha
And really, if you like the car, who cares whether its 'geared' towards youth or grandpa? If Buick came up with a car that looked (sort of) and went (haha) like a porsche for under 20K, & turned out to be reliable (yeah, its a BIG stretch LOL), wouldn't you get it?
badjura - Buicks are actually among the most reliable cars out there. However, they definitely don't look like Porsches.
160 hp @ 6,000rpm
163 lb.-ft. @ 4,200rpm
Turning Circle- TBD (I'm interested in what this will turn out being, the Avensis's is I think 37.4 feet)
Curb Weight- 2925 lbs. (Manual)
Headroom- unknown (interested in this as well)
No mention anywhere of side air bags being available. This is kind of sad on a modern car. Come on Toyota, you can do better than that. Sure sign of cost-cutting right there.
Fuel Mileage Estimates- 22/29 (Manual)
Also another forum on the main page (won't mention forum since it's against the rules) says it will be priced around $19,000. I don't believe this will happen but this is way too high.
More torque than the RSX, significantly worse gas mileage. Heavier.
Looks like a nice car, we'll see about class leading. I _can't_ stop writing that.
-juice
I dont know if I trust those specs on the scion.com website. The 3200lb AWD RAV4 gets 22/27 on the EPA cycle.
Why is $19,000 too high for this vehicle? Price a RSX, Celica, Eclipse etc. lately? Across the compact segment, this is a competitive price except for the Koreans.
~alpha
I guess everyone's definition of value is different. It's obvious you and gee35 really like this car's overall package. For someone who doesn't see it as a big deal to begin with, $19k with no way to lower the price is just too much.
IMO the RSX, Eclipse, and Celica really isn't much of a value. Not that I think they're bad cars, but to me they simply aren't worth it. So it shouldn't be any surprise that someone like me that hates sunroofs and would prefer the ride comfort and cheaper cost to have 16" alloys versus 17" would find a $19k Scion tC to be too high.
Even though it's a 4-door, the Mazda3 seems to be a better value. Once the rebates start being offered, you can easily get a 2.3 Mazda3 for less than 19k. The interior is competitive, the handling/sportiness should be on par with the tC, it can have 17" alloys, sunroof, everything the tC has, and more likely with a cheaper price tag.
Again the only thing that stands out about the tC is the standard 17" alloys and the sunroof. If you plan to put people in the back seat a lot to take advantage of the reclining back seats it's better to get a 4-door. Those seats won't do any good if you throw your back out trying to crawl in the back seat. Even if there's a lot of room back there, if you plan to put people back there rather often then a 2-door isn't a good idea IMO.
A Mazda 3 4Door 5M with moonroof, CD changer, ABS, side curtains, and 17-in wheels stickers at $19,105. Since we dont know about pricing yet on the tC yet, we really cant say anything other than it will certainly be in the ballpark, and if they can offer the base tC with most of the aforementioned Mazda 3 options being standard, at $17,000, then pricing will certainly be competitive, even at "NO HAGGLE" MSRP.
~alpha
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IMO, the SCC crowd (young, often wealthy or willing to spend, frequently has few family obligations)tends to waver freely between the number of doors. I think a lot of the SCC crowd would cross-shop between Mazda3, Tc, WRX, Eclipse, Celica, RSX, Golf even though they cross several car classes and several car levels.
Likewise, enthusiasts from the same crowd would probably cross-shop the 350z, G35c, Evo, Sti, RX-8.
There are just so many great models out there right now. Number of doors almost seems trivial, at least to me.
I say he mini-Lexus look, above average content, and Toyota lineage will make this car a winner.
I think for the SCC shopper, that may be the case (any # of doors, so long as it performs).
-juice
Just to be straight forward about this, the whole reason I'm not liking the tC for the most part is the sunroof. Usually sunroof cars don't have enough headroom for me. I noticed Edmunds has a little page up with stats on the tC and they list headroom at 37.6 inches, which I doubt will be enough for me. Plus since it's essentially 2 holes in the roof instead of one I would suspect this adds quite a bit to the price, even though being standard helps them keep the cost of it down.
Since pricing isn't available yet I can't really say, but over 18k and to me at least it just seems too expensive. But that's because I'm not all that thrilled with the car. At the same time though I do like the car enough and find it interesting enough to keep up with info on it. Once it's released and I'm able to see it in person I may lose interest and not care anymore, but for now I do think it's a nice car that I would consider owning (if there was no sunroof) and the price was reasonable.
But it's gonna have a sunroof, a dual one at that! I'd like the option of not having it too, but I don't think they'll make it that way.
It'll be an interesting car to see. I'm interested in it because of the engine and the sportier nature compared to Camry, but I may go with the Mazda 3 instead. I'm about to be an empty-nester, so I don't need 4 doors much, but insurance is probably cheaper for a 4-door.
Is that 2.3l Ford-derived?
-juice
I think Ford supplied the block but the rest was Mazda design. What I do know is this is Ford's 4-cyl for the future. The Focus will be using it and dropping the old engines it was using. If there is a problem with it I think Ford would move quick to solve the problem since it'll be used in so many of their cars across the world.
Autoweek gave the engine good reviews.
-juice
Too bad the first one I wanted to test drive wouldnt start- which certainly embarrassed the salesman!
~alpha
design is bare bones.
http://www.toyota-europe.com/showroom/avensis/gallery.html
1davao
I'm just curious about the front head room (only 37.6 in. !!!) cuz if that's true, then my 6'2 frame most likely wouldn't be able to fit comfortably inside...
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I actually think it is fun to drive a car for a while stock so that when you fix it up, you really appreciate the difference.
But then I saw this Scion Tc. I love the interior too. Very clean and well flowing design. Whereas the Chevy looks like more of the same. The Cobalt's interior is nice but it just looks...blah. You know? And I have a GM Card too.
Considering the parent company is Toyota, I can't go wrong.
I wanted to get the supercharger version myself but it most likely will require Premium gas. Then the insurance to top it off. Ask yourself, will it be worth it when you're probably sitting in traffic about 60% of the time?
I'd rather save money for a nice motorcycle.
The tC is going to be a great car, but FI or not, it's not really going to comepte with the Cobalt SS (in my mind).
Here is what Honda has in store for you...
If Lutz is to be taken seriously, they are going for the crown with Cobalt SS. Expect some serious action on this car, Eager young lads will be delighted to swing this thing...
many for things a lot more serious than low beams going out.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93