WASHINGTON — When you buy a car, it usually comes down to color and some optional equipment that you can choose, or you just pick whatever the dealer has in stock. But it doesn’t leave much choice for the younger buyer who tends to want to make the car their very own and unique. How do you accomplish customizations and still keep that new car warranty?
As I can’t seem to leave a new car alone, it’s a game I’ve played many times. Luckily, Scion is on the same page and offers many appearance and performance items you can add to your new ride, and that won’t void the warranty.
The Scion tC, a sporty coupe with front wheel drive and the choice of a manual or automatic transmission, has been around for a while now. The $20,210 base price of the tC comes well equipped from the factory with 18-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, Bluetooth for the phone and audio devices and even HD radio is standard. There is good value for your money. The Scion I tested came with a few pricey options like $2,199 for some larger 19-inch wheels and $1,198 for the BeSpoke premium audio system, which you can crank up so you can hear it over the performance exhaust, a $700 option. With those options and a few more, the Scion tC stickered at $26,066 — not a bad price. But I would have left the stock wheels and added the bigger brake kit and suspension items.
The interior of the Scion tC is very user-friendly with easy-to-see gauges and plenty of room for a coupe. There is even room, once you get in the back seat, for adults on shorter trips. The front seats are sportier, firm and somewhat body hugging, yet that proved comfortable for the commuter car that I used it for. But the interior materials are mostly hard plastics, and it didn’t look as nice as some competitors. Some more padding where your arms tend to lay on the arm rests might help. The extra money spent on the BeSpoke sound system is worth the extra coin. It sounds good, plus you get NAV.
Driving the Scion tC can be a hoot with 179 horsepower. The car feels quicker than it probably is and it’s a fun little ride around town even with the automatic transmission. I enjoyed driving it. You definitely feel the bumps and potholes, probably more so with the 19-inch wheels. It was rather noisy on the highway as well. Test drive the tC with both wheel sizes on the highway before buying.
The small coupe does OK on fuel economy with 23 miles per gallon in the city cit and 31 miles per gallon on the highway. I managed 26.6 miles per gallon during a week of driving using regular fuel. I came away more impressed with the Scion tC.
The Scion tC means you can have the car any way you want it. With a starting price of $20,000 and many add-ons to set you apart from the crowd, the car is good to drive. Just get the upgraded sound system for those highway trips.
Editor’s note: Mike Parris is a member of the Washington Automotive Press Association. The vehicles are provided by STI, FMI or Event Solutions for the purpose of this review.