What does oppo think of... Scion Tc

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 03/06/2014 at 16:49 • Filed to: oppopinion

0

44

I feel like making this a semi-regular thing. I post a car that is somewhat controversial or not talked about very often, maybe give a couple pros and cons, and see what you guys think of the car.

This time it's this car. The current generation of the Scion Tc.

The Good:

I personally think it looks pretty stunning. Dat window kink, dem black a-pillars, though the headlights have turned into a busy mess and wtf is up with that top part of the grille? It looks like it could be a really promising lightweight rear-wheel drive sports coupe along the lines of the FR-S/BRZ.

You can clunk through the gears on your own.

The wheels are all practically at the corners of the car.

180hp is good for a bit of fun

Cheaper than the FR-S ($19k vs $25k)

The Bad:

It weighs 3000 'murican pounds. That's only 600 (one American adult) less than my full-size Buick sedan, and I can fit more girls in my car.

Front-wheel drive. I'm not saying you can't have fun with a FF layout, but it is a huge turn-off for the potential enthusiast crowd.

Scion. ANY other badge would be great, Toyota. The brodude "youth appeal" badge kills the manhood of gearheads.

So what do you think, Oppo? Front-wheel fun or brodude bummer?

Party-vi > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:51

0

The first generation was a nice looking car and had a fun manual transmission. It's a decently fun car. I like them.

Victorious Secret > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:52

3

The Veloster Turbo has more credibility up its sleeves and thats barely a hot hatch.

The TC is what should have been the Corolla Coupe but Toyota is run by fucking morons who don't understand the power that the Corolla badge has because if they did they would sell a Corolla coupe and be dancing in even larger profits.

Fred (FreddsterExprs) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:52

1

I like the way it looks, but I don't think it is any match for the BRZ/FR-S. But it is one of my favourite driftcars on the FormulaD grid:

Nibbles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:52

1

It's a car. I've never seen one being driven by a person not wearing a cap tilted sideways

Though that grey they had looked decent. I'll give 'em that: decent greys

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:53

1

It's the best of the pre-FRS scions but that's not saying much.

jkm7680 > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:53

0

Definitely targeted to the high school crowd, in my opinion at least.

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:53

0

It's a coupe version of the Camry.

jlmounce > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:54

0

My wife owns 2011 tC. Overall it's a pretty decent car and you get a lot for the money. It's not nearly as swift as it should be considering it's power output. It also doesn't get the kind of mileage you'd expect. Handling is pretty good considering it's an economy car dressed up like a sports coupe.

I think an enthusiast would get bored with it, but as a stylish all around car, is pretty great.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > Nibbles 03/06/2014 at 16:54

1

...or a girl.

Tom McParland > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:54

0

They aren't bad, i can think of worse ways to spend 20k

GhostZ > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 16:58

2

Spiritual Successor.

PRBot II > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 17:00

0

When this car first debuted, I thought it was pretty good-looking. I wanted it. Toyota paid nice attention to detail with the texture of the dashboard, the reclining rear seat, the glass roof, and best of all... the manual transmission.

I drove one for a couple weeks and the performance was underwhelming. It needs a turbo so bad. I'm not wild about the updated looks, but ultimately any tC is basically a cute car for cute girls.

Nibbles > Where have all the lightweights gone? 03/06/2014 at 17:02

0

Have yet to see one of those piloted by a female. All bros lacking the trust funds to purchase a lifted F-250 PowerStroke

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Victorious Secret 03/06/2014 at 17:02

1

If the Veloster has more credibility then obviously the tC needs THREE DOORS

Where have all the lightweights gone? > Nibbles 03/06/2014 at 17:03

1

It's about 50/50 bros/girls who don't want Jettas.

Victorious Secret > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 17:04

0

I have the illusive 2 door Veloster.

Wat.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Victorious Secret 03/06/2014 at 17:06

0

JAKE HAS A BRAIN FART.

I was thinking of another small hatchback.

Carry on.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > GhostZ 03/06/2014 at 17:08

1

I was thinking this

HammerheadFistpunch > PRBot II 03/06/2014 at 17:10

0

Yeah, I test drove one when it first came out and I thought...wow, I thought this would be faster and more fun...it wasn't either of those things.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 17:14

2

My biggest problem with the tC is the typical owner. Here is one such person talking about their car and how it is better than the following cars in the discussion - Fiesta ST, FR-S, Mustang V6, Miata. Again, he is saying the tC is better than them. And previously he had probably mentioned the dual pane sunroof more times than I can imagine. So either a) he uses that bitch every hour, on the hour, or b) there isn't much else to say about the tC.....

"FR-S is great fun, Ive driven one but it is very small as far as cargo room. The tC is an excellent combo of: sporty, good accelaration, good fuel econ, huge hatch for gear, top notch and proven reliability, excellent torque/never feels weak like you have to rev it to redline, 300 watt HD Pioneer stereo with touch screen, FWD handling is excellent in rain and recent snow storms, and the 2014 suspension, steering, and spot weld updates made it handle well in the twistys. I have the best of all worlds all for under 20k. :)"

Looking at his other comments and remarks, he is impressed at things like a mitsubishi outlander with aggressive tires not getting stuck in a few inches of snow. I really feel for Scion because this is the person who talks up their car to the point where no one wants to get it for fear of being associated with them.

PRBot II > HammerheadFistpunch 03/06/2014 at 17:15

0

I drove one with a slush box, so it was pretty awful. Good-looking car for point A to B though.

Crocket Bernet > Where have all the lightweights gone? 03/06/2014 at 17:16

0

Amen to that.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > jkm7680 03/06/2014 at 17:17

1

At first, it worked. It was cheap, easy to upgrade and customize, and pretty economical to own. But the competition got a lot better while the tC fell flat because the old tech it's based on is falling flat. I've been saying this for a while now, but Scion is struggling now more than ever because the formerly "superior" toyota products are eclipsed by just about everyone else. So the older toyota components are very heavily outgunned by the competition.

GhostZ > Where have all the lightweights gone? 03/06/2014 at 17:22

0

Nah, Celica wasn't based on a corolla chassis, the Tc is, I believe.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Where have all the lightweights gone? 03/06/2014 at 17:25

1

here's the thing about the 7th gen celica though...in GT-S guise it was a legitimately good little FWD coupe.

The celica was very very light and had a high strung revvy engine and a stiff ride. The TC has none of those traits.

crowmolly > GhostZ 03/06/2014 at 17:26

0

I was led to believe the Tc actually stands for Toyota Celica, its predecessor.

feather-throttle-not-hair > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 03/06/2014 at 17:28

0

I basically agree with you, but the caviat is that for every car, good, bad or otherwise, there is a moron out there who loves it and will make you hate it, if you happen to speak to that moron.

Someone out there there's just some derpface waiting to corner you at a party or something and then talk your ear off about your favorite car totally ruining it forever.

mattoverdrive > Tom McParland 03/06/2014 at 17:30

3

On the other hand, I can think of better ways to spend $20k.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 17:31

0

This is fair. I think the biggest problem with the TC is the ownership group.

Taken by it's self, the car is a solid 6.5 out of 10. In other words, i'd rather drive it than probably 65 percent of cars on the road. A lot of that is the Manual transmission. I think they're OK looking, maybe a bit on the good side of average. 180 hp is also "maybe a bit on the good side of average."

I'd never buy one, but considering most of what's on the road are camry's and AT outbacks, i'd probably have more fun in the scion.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > GhostZ 03/06/2014 at 17:34

2

It's actually based on a European Toyota we don't get over here. It's called the Avensis, and I believe the platform is somewhere between the Corolla and Camry.

GhostZ > crowmolly 03/06/2014 at 17:35

0

But mechanically, it has a lot more in common with the Camry coupe (also Toyota Solara, which was just a Camry Coupe too before the Tc came along) than the Celica ever did. I think the Celica had it's own frame and engine options independent of the Corolla (though I believe the last-gen Celica's engine may have been shared, it's the odd one out), but the Tc has the same engine and chassis as the Camry/Avalon/ES platform, the manual transmission and coupe body is the only unique thing.

Where have all the lightweights gone? > feather-throttle-not-hair 03/06/2014 at 17:35

0

I definitely agree with you—the GT-S Celica was a great car. Unfortunately, the base Celica attracted the same people the Tc does—half bros/half daddy's girls that didn't want a Jetta.

GhostZ > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 03/06/2014 at 17:36

1

I think you're right, actually, after doing some more research.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 17:36

2

I'm a fan. I think they look fantastic, and they're one of the last liftback coupes. I know the performance is a little lacking, but if it were this or any of the other luke-warm economy cars, it would be near the top.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Where have all the lightweights gone? 03/06/2014 at 17:38

0

Yeah okay. I can get behind that statement. Those people all got the "Action package" though, which will always be remembered as one of the worst factory body kit to ever be fitted to a vehicle.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > GhostZ 03/06/2014 at 17:38

0

I did a lot of research on these when they first came out with the second gen. I find it to be a very attractive car.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 17:43

0

It actually felt nice to drive - and mind you, I was worried that Scion may have lost the plot since I loved the first-generation tC more.

Good to know it's in safe hands still.

syaieya > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 18:32

0

I don't understand the stigma surrounding Scions.

Sure, it's not a prestigious brand, but I've known many people to own them and they just seem like average a to b kind of cars.

GoliathRex > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/06/2014 at 23:04

0

Go test drive the competition and I would be surprised if you still want the TC. The Civic Si, Veloster, and even Forte Koup all drive better at a similar price point. All 3 also have much nicer interiors and similar if not better practicality.

Sir Sonoma > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather 03/07/2014 at 07:57

1

I gotta agree. I know that they're underpowered and FWD, but at the same time, I loved the way that the second gen ones had a clean, solid look that stood out from the mess of overstyling that's been present in too many brands now. The refresh that copy-pasted part of the FR-S front end on it definitely fixed that, though. :/

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/08/2014 at 15:03

0

If done right, pretty cool.

Built thread

evilfacelessturtle (Hooning a Ford is Domestic Abuse) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/10/2014 at 02:17

0

The Corolla it's based on is way outdated and in the last comparison any magazine even bothered to include it in, it came in dead last, with many complaints about the cheap, hard dash that was already developing squeaks and rattles.

No thanks.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Fred (FreddsterExprs) 03/10/2014 at 17:30

0

well yeah the TC in formula D is pretty sweet. But that is mostly because they ditched the FWD part of it lol.

Cebu > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 03/12/2014 at 10:07

0

I've only seen it as a brodude car, excepting two as regular commuters. The tC is the whole reason I dislike Scion- including the fC.