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Scion tC sleek coupe by Toyota arrives with nice price point
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A stylish two-door coupe flashing edgy arched fenders and an all-glass roofline glides smoothly through compound chicanes on Beach Drive, which winds through the leafy green canyon of Rock Creek Park cut into the heart of Washington, D.C.
Actually, this new car romps through the park, its four-pack engine firing up the Z-rated Potenza tires rolling on sparkling six-spoke alloy wheels.
The tires dance independently over rippled pavement as the chassis, designed with a wide track and long wheelbase, maintains a flat stance through so many bends in the two-lane park road.
And in the cockpit a driver strapped securely into the bolstered bucket seat maintains a firm grip on the sporty three-spoke steering wheel while plying the stubby stick of a responsive five-speed manual transmission.
A deep-beat rhythm throbs in the cab to pace the automotive action, thanks to tunes off a MP3-CD tracked by the Pioneer audio system through a Bazooka subwoofer.
Is this a cool set of wheels, or what?
It scores major marks for style and substance, and, as we observe during drive tests around the nation's capital, also draws spectator attention on the streets due to that shapely glass-top package.
This is the new tC coupe by Scion.
What's Scion?
That's Toyota's new line, sort of a brand within a brand to showcase custom-cool cars pitched to that 20-something market called Generation Y.
A pair of odd-shaped vehicles already carry the Scion badge -- xA is a five-door hatchback, while the xB looks like a box on wheels as contemporary homage to a panel van but in abbreviated format.
Both models made the market in California during 2003 but roll out to the rest of the country at Toyota stores during 2004.
Now add to xA and xB the new tC, a coupe developed exclusively for Scion in America.
It's a slick two-door and four-seater sized for the subcompact class with a glass lid, extensive standard features plus a long list of optional equipment to fashion a customized car -- and a nice price tag makes it downright affordable.
Toyota sets the MSRP for tC at $15,950.
Add $515 as freight fee to get the ultimate base price of $16,465 with a five-speed manual transmission, or $800 more for a four-speed automatic.
Frankly, the tC surprises us with quality of materials used in the car and notable standard content, particularly when factored against that favorable price tag.
Design of the package resembles a fluid and slinky coupe although there's a cleverly-disguised gate on the tail so tC brings the versatility of a hatchback.
It has a monochromatic face with the fat lip of fascia set low and tinted to the body color.
A thin bead of chrome outlines the narrow grille filled with a sporty mesh insert, as unusual shapes for the multi-lens headlamp clusters wrap around front corners.
Flanks go flat but fenders emphasize wheel arches with sculptured rims.
The windshield cants rearward at a rakish angle to set up the fluid line of a curving roof that tapers down to the stubby tail.
And that roof -- it's virtually all glass in the form of a panorama-style power moonroof, the first of its kind as standard feature for the subcompact set.
Climb inside to discover that the cabin feels airy and spacious, despite overall dimensions which tie the tC to the eensy-weensy class.
Driver and a companion sit on contoured buckets separated by a metal-tone console swooping down from the center of the dashboard.
Rear seats, split 60/40 in segments, recline and adjust to ten different positions for comfort or fold down to increase storage space in the back cargo bay.
The instruments panel adds three round binnacles housing white-faced analog gauges with amber illumination.
Platform for the front-wheel-drive (FWD) tC is derived from a Toyota car marketed in Europe. It's a broad and long structure rigged with independent suspension including front struts and a double-wishbone arrangement at the rear.
Steering by rack and pinion gears goes beyond the norm for an economy car to control noise and vibration.
Brakes carry a disc at every wheel with computer-controlled anti-lock brake system (ABS) as well as electronic brake force distribution (EBD), which measures differences in speed for front and rear wheels, then doles out proper braking force to all wheels.
Other safety systems range from dual frontal air bags to an auxiliary air bag positioned forward of the driver's knee and three-point seatbelts with pretensioners and integrated headrests at all seat positions.
Side-impact air bags in outboard bolsters of front buckets and curtain-style air bags concealed in headliners for front and rear seats appear on tC's option list.
The tC feels fun to drive, particularly in an urban environment on city streets, as it rips to speed quickly in a run through lower gears.
Power comes from a thrifty but lively 2.4-liter four-in-line engine with dual cams and Toyota's valve wizardry under the label of VVTL-i for variable valve timing and lift with intelligent control.
The plant produces 160 hp at 5700 rpm and 163 lb-ft at 4000 rpm through the manual five-speed or electronically-controlled four-speed automatic transmission.
It qualifies for Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) status and delivers good fuel economy numbers up to 30 mpg.
For enthusiasts, tC offers a supercharger kit from Toyota Racing Development (TRD) with installation by a Toyota dealer to boost the juice to 200 hp.
Other TRD add-on gear includes stiffer/shorter springs, a struts/shocks kit, performance clutch, leather-wrapped shift knob and special wide-lip Racing Hart wheels at 19 inches with high-performance Pirelli P Zero tires.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2005 SCION TC Specs |
| Description: |
Subcompact 2-door coupe |
| Model Options: |
Subcompact 2-door coupe |
| Wheelbase: |
106.3 inches |
| Overall Length: |
174.0 inches |
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 2.4-L I4 |
| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4 ECT |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc, ABS/EBD |
| Airbags: |
2 (front), 1(driver's knee) plus opt. 2 (side), plus opt. 4 (side curtain) |
| Gas Mileage: |
M/5: 22/30 mpg, A/4: 23/30 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 15,950 |
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