2005 Scion tC First Drive

Back in the nineties, life was different. There was a Democrat in the White House, 9/11 was just another day in a long hot summer, and grunge was oozing out of the rainy Pacific Northwest. Grunge music – an angry shout that pierced the hair spray hypnotism of the eighties – chronicled the futile isolation and desperation of Generation X.

Strange days. The world is, indeed, a different place now. That President is on a tell-all book tour, September 11 is forever seared into the memory of Americans, and grunge sits forgotten on the shelves of second-hand music stores, replaced by a cultural collage of rap, hard rock and trance. Today’s Generation Y is more interested in getting ahead, having fun, and looking good than dwelling on anger and pain.

Maturing in a world that has bombarded them with marketing messages effectively neutralized by Internet chat rooms, Generation Y is not stupid. And they don’t suffer fools gladly, which is why Toyota is poised to become the top car company in the world, for Toyota does not build foolish cars.

One of Toyota’s most impressive efforts to date, the new 2005 Scion tC, is aimed directly at Gen Y buyers – with a wide nod and wink to the older folks out there who know a good buy when they see it. There are few better values than the $16,465 (including the destination charge) people will pay for a manually shifted Scion tC – not with this new car’s combination of low price, high quality and healthy dollop of fun-to-drive character.

Toyota has built fun-to-drive cars before, but the company isn’t known for Celicas and MR2 Spyders. When Gen Y thinks of Toyota, Camrys and Corollas are the corporate face because that’s what their parents drove. Scion, the hip nameplate that lets Toyota engineers hide behind a veil of slick viral marketing tricks, possesses far more street credibility with younger buyers. After all, Britney Spears just got herself a brand new xB from Scion of Santa Monica, and we hear it has sick green LED interior lighting (or is that the kiss of death for Scion?).

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Built on the same platform as Europe’s Toyota Avensis, the 2005 Scion tC combines a re-tuned 2.4-liter Camry four-cylinder engine with a longer wheelbase and wider track, covered by sheetmetal that looks like a coupe but functions like a hatchback. Furthermore, one of Scion’s goals with the new tC was to approach Lexus levels of fit and finish. The result is an inexpensive, refined, sporty small car that, were it labeled Toyota, would send shivers down the backs of the competition. Dress down the interior’s style factor a bit, and it’s easy to imagine the Scion tC as a performance-oriented Camry coupe, or the next Celica.

Offered in mono-spec trim, which means that it comes from the factory one way, options for the 2005 Scion tC are added by the dealer. Standard features include a panoramic glass sunroof and alloy wheels with a graphite-color finish. Inside, the Scion tC is equipped with sport bucket seats that offer the driver both height and thigh adjustments, cruise control, power front windows with automatic up/down functionality, power door locks with remote keyless entry, and power mirrors. Additional equipment includes auto-off headlamps, a first aid kit, an outside temperature gauge, a cargo cover, and a power hatch release.

Music is important to the Scion tC’s target market, so every single one is equipped with a new 160-watt, six-speaker AM/FM/CD Pioneer sound system that is prepped for XM satellite radio and features Scion Sound Processing with three pre-set equalizer settings and MP3-media compatibility.

As impressive as the price and packaging might be, the 2005 Scion tC needs – no, make that deserves – a more compelling design. Something sexier, with a sultry character line that evokes a night of mystery, action and romance, is called for here. The Scion tC is sporty looking, to be sure, but in a reserved way. It thirsts for more emotional lines, looking today as if it wants to bust clean out of its somewhat dowdy sheet metal. But perhaps that’s the point, Scion being about customizing your ride to advertise your identity and all.

To that end, the 2005 Scion tC is available with as many as 40 dealer-installed accessories, including niceties such as 18-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, a carbon fiber engine cover, a polished stainless steel muffler, unique grillework, color-keyed ground effects and a rear lip spoiler.

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Get the spoiler, because out of the box there’s a personality crisis going on: the 2005 Scion tC has an aggressive front end and that upscale panoramic glass sunroof – yet its overall character seems too refined for the coolness factor of the brand. Configured as a three-door hatch, the Scion tC is cleverly designed to look like it has a trunk. Turn signal indicators integrated into the side mirrors and a chrome exhaust tip add flair, while leaving a relatively blank canvass for personalization. The Scion tC comes in seven colors: Azure Pearl and Flint Mica, which are new to the Scion line-up, Super White, Silver Streak Mica, Black Sand Pearl, Black Cherry Pearl and Indigo Ink Pearl. Interior decor is limited to dark charcoal woven fabric upholstery.

Like the exterior, the interior reminds you that this is a Toyota behind the marketing magic – but for good reasons. Materials are of high quality, sound dampening matches that of higher priced vehicles, and the feel and construction of the sport seats indicates that the Scion tC should cost more than it does. There is practical utility inside, and the cabin is quite roomy. Storage solutions include four map pockets; CD, bottle, cup and cell phone holders; shopping bag hooks in the side panels; and a two-tiered, fabric-covered center console. The cargo area holds 12.8 cubic feet of stuff with the rear seats raised; more with them folded down.

Inspired by Japanese stationery, the dash and upper door panels are grained for a unique feel, one that is neither superb nor silly. It’s different, of good quality, and brings strong Scion brand character to the inside of the tC. Other unique touches include amber gauge illumination, metal-tone trim, and instrumentation that is industrial in design and operation. A day/night feature reverses the contrast of the gauges for easier viewing. Of special note are the flush-closing dash vents, the contrasting metal-tone center console and the cast-aluminum temperature control knob. Best of all, the rear seats offer a 60/40-split and actually recline to 45 degrees, adjustable into 10 different positions.

Perhaps the most glaring error on the inside of the tC is the plastic panel that closes over the audio controls. Success rates for opening the panel are 50/50, and it feels flimsy; we’d guess it will break soon enough, and hopefully before the three-year/36,000-mile bumper to bumper warranty expires. Another potential weakness is the blinds that cover the glass sunroof; made of a thin material, it’s easy to forecast that these might wear poorly over time. But overall, the 2005 Scion tC offers high levels of quality where it matters – the dash, seating and controls – as well as a few innovations that are impressive enough to attract buyers on their own merit.