IVIIVI4ck3y27 are you referring to the Cobalt SS non S/C? Even the Cobalt SS has a 2.4L 174hp still more than a Scion Tc. I have no experience driving that car. I do however have the experience of driving the Scion Tc and a Cobalt SS S/C and there is no comparison in power, torque or exceleration compared to a SS/SC.

Bottom line, Scion is selling so many of the tC’s that they must be doing something right to a lot a people. A successful business project, even if unexpected is still a money making engine. You guys really think auto manufacturers care about what we think? I just ordered 40 units of Suzukis directly from their factory and they put the deadline on payment a months prior to delivery or else a penalty. What a great way to screw a prime customer…

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“more or less” you are wrong.

the tC is “more or less” a two-door Toyota Avensis. which has absolutely nothing to do with the Camry… not even the same class of car. the engine (while also appearing in the Camry) is available in the Avensis as well.

either way i think the tC is kinda dumb. weird proportions in the rear combined with FWD and a dog engine does not a sporty car make. Scion really needs to make a RWD car … something… anything… right now they aren’t doing a whole lot to differentiate from Toyota in any meaningful way.

Fact: The base Mazda 3 comes with a 2.0 Liter 4 with 148 horsepower, which is less than the tC’s 161 hp.

Fact: The base tC costs $17,620 and comes with more standard features than the Mazda 3s which sells for $18,070, it’s even more for the 3s Touring ($19,060) and 3s Grand Touring ($20,530) which still have features missing from the tC’s standard features that cost extra!

By the time you add the additional options to match the tC’s standard features, you’re up over $19,000 on the 3s, and are still climbing on the sTouring and Grand Touring whereas on the tC you could’ve already been adding additional options that aren’t even available on the 3s. Keep in mind that the tC has 161 hp to the Mazda 3s’s 156 hp. It’s largely a wash but in fairness… the tC still clinically has more horsepower than the 3s, sTouring, and sGrand Touring. It also has a significantly better car stereo which you’d have to drop a ton more change in the aftermarket to beat as the 3s’ radio is average.

All in all, the tC is a better value than the 3s in that regard. Not to mention, the tC’s base wheels look better than the optional wheels on the 3s, 3s Touring, and 3s Grand Touring which all cost more than the tC’s. My EMX 18″ wheels blow anything on the 3 away and look better than many aftermarket wheels out there. They also won’t void the warranty and work with the tire pressuring monitoring system that comes with the tC standard.

Fact: The Mazdaspeed 3 “BRAND NEW” sells for $22,975 which is much more expensive than a tC. True, it’s far more powerful but it’s also in a completely different category of car as it’s more in the loaded Si or GTI territory which come at a considerable premium over the tC. Those cars base in the lower 20’s and sell for almost $30k when optioned out. For some people, it’s more expense than it’s really worth, and the last thing someone like me would want to do is buy a lame duck stripper version of one of these when I can add desirable content and add-ons to a more practical and affordable offering in the tC, Civic EX/Si, or Mazda 3s. True, you could buy one used… but since it’s a performance car that’s been used, it’s likely been used and abused too. I also want a FULL warranty, that’s something that used doesn’t necessarily jive with.

So if you are into having a solid reliable mode of transport at an affordable tag with a reasonable roster of options, the MazdaSpeed 3 is *NOT* in the same category, it’s not as affordable… and while it offers a lot of bang for the $, it’s buck costs a rung higher than the tC’s target market. Cars like the Cobalt SS (non-Supercharged), the Mazda 3s (and sTouring and sGrand Touring), and Civic EX and Si are more in the category with each having their considerable strengths and weaknesses. It’s just in that comparison that the tC is more in the sweet spot vs. the others, and I think it’s the best looking inside/out of the bunch. It truly looks better in person than it does in photos.

The MazdaSpeed hatch isn’t even as aesthetically appealing as the GTI (another car that looks better in person than in photos), A3, or C30 (amazing looks, but disappointing compared to the GTI, still like it better than the MazdaSpeed 3 though) which are more in it’s range. If they offered the sedan in a MazdaSpeed offering… it might be a different story but I still think I’d rather have the GTI or maybe even a GLI if I had the choice. That said, I wasn’t in the price point to buy any of the above.

I cross-shopped all of the above (tC, Cobalt SS, Civic EX, Civic Si, and Mazda 3s) and in the end… bought the tC. The tC is a capable handler, it might not have won the awards that the 3 has… but it’s also cheaper to get with the options I wanted and I wasn’t looking for an autocross star in as much as I wanted a sporty, fun to drive, but yet solid coupe. I also don’t care much for sedans and the notchier looking hatches and while the 3 sedan isn’t bad looking… it’s nowhere near as sleek looking as my tC. I’ve gotten a ton of compliments from co-workers since I bought it and even had one of my co-workers run across a parking lot as I was walking to my car to look at it up close and see it inside/out. The only other car in the lot to draw as many stares as mine has been my co-worker with her G35 coupe, and suffice it to say it costs considerably more.

In the end it came down to the tC and the Civic coupe because I wanted a coupe. The tC has the more normal and desirable dash styling vs. the Civic coupes 80’s whizbang GM concept car inspired dash and annoying car stereo options (makes the 3s’s radio look better, I didn’t want the nav system and didn’t care for it in the Honda when I tried it anyway). There’s also the problem that the lower model Civic’s are underpowered and wheezy compared to the far torquier tC, and the Si while a wicked ride… does not come with an automatic or DSG option (which I would love to see even the tC offer) and has to be revved to bloody murder to make it go. The Cobalt SS, while having the power (most comparable to the tC, has a bit more power/torque but isn’t built remotely the same), has an interior that looks like it won’t make it home without falling to pieces. Considering the Cobalt’s general reputation and as a former GM owner (2 Chevrolets), I’ve grown to know quite a bit about GM’s decontenting and corner-cutting over the years. From cheap materials in the braking systems to interior panels that rattle themselves to pieces, electrical system gremlins… after being burned 2 times, the GM options fell from the list quickly.

Oh and just to add when GM began announcing bringing the Astra (the 3-door is rather nice even if it’s not a traditional coupe, it has a coupe-like angle to the hatch which I dig) over, I was intrigued. I checked it out at the Chicago Auto Show briefly before buying my tC. While it looked screwed together a lot better than the Cobalt and made of better materials (still dislike the way the radio is handled in it vs. my tC), the lack of a suitable Redline at launch hurt it. It’s powertrain offering is less powerful than the sweet spot of the lineup I was looking at. An Astra with at least the power of the Cobalt SS would’ve been something to ponder, but after years of GM ownership and GM-level expenditures to keep the 2 cars going… I think I’ll pass on GM cars for awhile.

I know there’s a lot of Toyota haters on this site, I also know there’s a lot of people that like to spew trash. Yet in the end if you can remain objective you can see that the tC is a far better car than it’s given credit for. True, it could always be better… but that’ll always be the case no matter which car you pick. There’s things I’d love to change (i.e. bit more trunk space, bit larger cabin, some changes in material selection, foregoing the panoramic roof for a nice sunroof and a nicer sunroof shade), but in the end… there’s a lot less I’d want to change on my tC than there is on the cars that it competes against. Mazda would need to shed 2 doors from the sedan, get a better sound system, and get some wheels designed for it that don’t look like Wal Mart hubcaps by comparison, and find a way to sell it for cheaper with the same level of options standard as the tC. The Civic needs either a DSG-option for the Si, or needs to put a torquier and more powerful engine in the EX, with a complete interior overhaul (analog gauge pleeeeease, ditch the digital garbage), and a decent sound system. The Cobalt SS needs a major overhaul and the Astra needs a Redline badly, whether a turbocharged version of the current Astra mill, or a bump in displacement to closer to the Cobalt SS coupe’s. Something about GM and turbos scares me… but then again, something about GM and 4 cylinders does much the same as well.

Other than the tC, I think Scion is missing their intended audience with their current lineup. Every xD and xB I have seen on the road is always piloted by a more mature member of the population. Most tC’s I have seen on the road are driven by younger people.

I’ve only seen these things in Alberta as imports. Any sort of SCION is rare. In fact, if you look at the RIV Canada, I think most SCIONs are exempt from import. So I’m not sure how they’re getting here – certainly no dealers around here.

But – if SCION built a small truck with a small Diesel (I know, I’m a broken record) and sell it from Toyota dealerships, I’d buy one.

Anyway, tC is more or less a Camry with two doors and taut suspension. Worse, the first generation xB and xA were redesigned ECHO with rear DRUM brakes, yet they sold fairly well, so go figure.

Toyota tried to slap some plastic on a Camry in Australia and call it a sport model last year and it flop. Let’s see if American are gullible enough to take their crap. Oh wait, you said only 2,300 available? It must be a collector item so they will likely fall for it. Sad!

Once again proving that the Japanese know who they can get away with selling ****ty cars to: dumbass Americans.

Seriously, though, as if the tC wasn’t a posermobile as it stands, $3000 for a rice job that probably weighs its weak ass down even more? Go Toyota!