2005 Scion tC Test Drive

A little more mature, a lot less inspired

Chances are if you are familiar with the Scion brand of cars, it's the radically boxy xB that comes to mind. But there is also an xA and a tC in the Scion alphabet soup of offerings. The tC is supposed to be the sporty one, the car to attract those who really care about driving. Sorry, it's not that good right out of the box. But there's a supercharger in its future! Prices: US $16,750 base; as tested, $18,529. Warranty: 3 years/36,000 miles.

First Glance

At the curb, the 2005 Scion tC has an I've-seen-this-before appearance. But what is it? It looks part Audi, part Hyundai, part Toyota. There is not one thing that seems unique about this all-new tC model. It's swoopy looking, though, and that is an immediate tipoff to a possible problem: insufficient headroom in the rear seat. And that's exactly the case. While Scion boosts about how the rear seats can be adjusted many ways and can even recline, there is no escaping the fact that normal heads will brush that slanted roof. And despite three sets of safety belts, there's only room for two people. Things are better in front. The bucket seats are well-shaped for support in spirited driving. Our tester had the standard dual front air bags and a driver's knee air bag, plus the $650 option that gave us needed side air bags and head curtains. But there aren't a lot of needed options on this car. Toyota has decided to make most features standard, let dealers install the few options there are, and then open the car to aftermarket parts. Standard on our 2005 Scion tC were 17-inch alloy wheels, halogen headlights, power outside mirrors with integrated turn signals, and a panorama glass moonroof with power tilt and slide.

In the Driver's Seat

The 2005 Scion tC was designed to use a chassis being sold in Europe coupled with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine used in the Toyota Camry. But this is a new car, unlike the xA and xB which were being sold in Japan before their introduction here. So note that while the xA and xB have their instruments in the center of the dash, the tC puts its instruments in front of the steering wheel, where most Americans and Canadians are used to seeing them. The tC's instruments were much easier for me to read. While the exterior of the tC is nondescript, the interior is nicely done, with clean, functional lines. Under the hood, that Camry four-cylinder makes a decent 160 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and delivers 23 mpg city and 30 mpg highway on regular gasoline with the standard four-speed automatic transmission. But the Scion tC is tad overweight for a pocket-rocket pretender, weighing in at about 3,000 pounds. There's a tradeoff here, as you might expect. The weight limits handling prowess but the car feels rock-solid in demeanor. And some of that weight comes from added safety features, so it's well worth it. Overall, this Scion tC performs adequately - nothing more. Get the aftermarket parts if you want a fast and furious contender.

On the Road

It's worth noting here just what and how much is standard with a 2005 Scion tC for $16,750. In addition to the safety features already mentioned, you get anti-lock brakes. Then you get a Pioneer 160-watt AM/FM/CD system with six speakers, air conditioning, remote keyless entry, one-touch down AND up power windows, and cruise control, all standard. These represent most of the needed items that were options on other Toyota products of recent vintage. And a note on that audio system: The CD player recognizes MP3s! This is one of the few factory units that can play your MP3 CDs. It can also easily accommodate satellite radio installed by the dealer. The 2005 Scion tC has plenty of scoot and is geared low to leap away from stoplights. It suffers a bit from body roll in turns, however. Braking was strong, but not exceptional. Overall, the 2005 Scion tC seems very much the committee decision that it is. In terms of performance and handling, it does nothing exceptionally well, all things reasonably well, and nothing horribly wrong. That might not be much of a sales pitch for some cars, but when the maker is Toyota and the underpinnings are from proven cars, then the Scion tC might prove many young folks' perfect match.

Journey's End

I've now tested all of the Scion models. Frankly, the 2005 Scion tC is my least favorite. I found it too cramped for my tastes, almost claustrophobic, even in the front seats. And I refuse to sit on the car's floor and look through the steering wheel as I did when I was learning to drive at age 12! Plus, the styling did nothing for me. On the other hand, the Scion xA reminded me of five-door Volkswagens of years gone by, and of the new Mazda entries. Not bad. The Scion xB takes boxiness to almost the ultimate extreme and the more time I spent in an xB, the better I liked it. After a full week of adjustment, I decided I really liked the xB, enough to recommend to my boss that he buy a bunch of them for delivery vehicles. But the Scion tC hatchback didn't endear itself to me - or prove a turnoff either. Day after day, it provided economical transportation for the daily commute, averaging about a respectable 25 mpg in mixed driving. Given all the standard equipment that comes with the base price, the 2005 Scion tC is a bargain among subcompact cars. And its parentage seems to promise a long and trouble-free driving experience for an owner.