# Scion Test Drive



## the_s_rabbit (Mar 8, 2005)

I'm in the hunt for something to replace my gas hog X5. Decided to check out Scion last night and here's what I found. Yes, it is a long read!  

Scion Test Drive

xA - 5 speed manual

Pros: Fun to drive, outward viewability, handles well, economical
Cons: Lack of cargo space, cheap interior

The xA is a fun car to drive, no doubt about it. It is very light and gives
you the feeling that it wants to be thrown around. It's about the size of a Mini Cooper, maybe a bit smaller, but with a tall roof line. The seating position is very high, even with the low ground clearance. The visibility from the driver's position is outstanding. The side mirrors are more than ample. The windshield curves around you, thus allowing your peripheral version to pick up what's going on along side of you just as much as what's in front of you. This also gives you the illusion that you are going really fast! The car feels well planted on the road and stable. The steering feedback is good, something that you wouldn't expect from Toyota. When pushed to the limits, there is no traction control to stop you. I managed to get some wheel slippage on a 1-2 shift. It scared the crap out of me because I totally didn't expect it. Imagine how much more fun this car would be if it were RWD!

I got to test drive this car by myself, which was great. That gave me a chance to really test it without being distracted by the dealer. I did use the opportunity to do something very stupid. I call it the "Hey moron, this is a FWD car" test. From a dead stop at an intersection, I revved the engine up to 3,000 RPM's before letting the clutch out. I expected a bit of slippage and some chirping, but what I got was massive squealing and wheel hop. The front tires bounced off the ground about 6 or 7 times before the car took off. Yes, this is stupid, but I wanted to see what would happen due to the light weight of the car and just over 100 lb./ft of torque. Apparently there is enough engine torque for most applications.  
By the time I got to the other side of the intersection, I felt like I was going 60mph. I glanced at the center-dash mounted speedometer and it showed a whopping 25 mph. It really feels like you are going so much faster in this car!

I proceeded into a residential area where I could test the car's handling capabilities. It felt nice and tight around corners and body roll is very well contained, again another surprise from Toyota.

Now onto the bad. The cargo space in the hatch with the seats up is next to nothing. You could maybe squeeze a kid-sized golf bag back there if you're lucky. With the rear seats folded, you have decent room, especially height-wise. So it's good for stacking.

The interior feels cheap and chinsy, even for Toyota. The stock stereo distorted at a volume that wasn't all that high, and it seemed to produce too much treble at high volume as well. I do like the center mounted gauges, due to the seating position, they are very well placed. However, the tach could be a bit bigger. The gearbox is a bit rubbery, and the shifter is long because you sit so high up. For the most part it was fine though. The clutch is soft and mushy, with almost no feedback. However, the re-engagement point is right at the top of clutch travel, so one could get used to it pretty quickly.

If this car met my cargo needs, I would certainly want it. It gets great gas mileage, over 30 mpg city - close to 40 highway, and it's a blast to drive. For it's price, it's hard to beat.



tC - 5 speed manual
Pros: Exterior styling, affordable performance add-ons available, rear leg-room
Cons: Isolated driving feel, lacks excitement that you'd expect, cheap interior, rear head-room

After driving the xA, I was largely disappointed with the tC. The tC is the type of car I usually buy: Compact sedan or coupe, and sporty. The tC reminded me of my old 91' Celica GT, but failed to live up to the driving experience. This particular car was equipped with the Sport Exhaust, but it still sounded dull.

The interior quality is the same as the xA, but it looks a bit more sporty. However, the gauges are harder to read than the xA, and are not center mounted (which is fine). The steering wheel should be thicker for a sports coupe, but this one is chinsy. The gearbox is rubbery, the clutch is again soft and lacks feedback. 

The steering lacks feedback. Handling seems good, but not great. Acceleration is not what I expected. It feels very linear, but never really pulls you. Road noise is well contained. The ride feels softer than the xA. 

Rear headroom is a joke. I'm 6' 1" and it wasn't even close to a fit for me. Anyone over 5' 10" would probably have problems with the rear seat headroom. This is surprising because rear leg room is actually very good for a coupe. It would be good for a small sedan even.

Deceptively, this car is actually a hatchback which is nice. You get decent space without the seats folded down, and when they are folded, you get quite a bit of space to haul whatever you desire.

Overall, this car just let me down. I use to own a Mazda 3s which has a similar price point, engine, and power/weight ratio. The Mazda 3s is better than the tC in every aspect. The tC just feels uninspired when you get behind the wheel. There is nothing about it that really gives you the desire to push its limits, unlike the xA. If you buy the TRD supercharger for $4,000 (brings bhp up to 200), it might be a different story. However, at that price, there are better alternatives.


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## gojira-san (Mar 1, 2004)

Where's the xB review?


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## SmoothCruise (Jul 23, 2005)

Cheap interior? Well what were you expecting? That's like complaining that motorcycles have 2 less wheels. It's not really a con.


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## the_s_rabbit (Mar 8, 2005)

SmoothCruise said:


> Cheap interior? Well what were you expecting? That's like complaining that motorcycles have 2 less wheels. It's not really a con.


In comparison, I feel Toyota's in general have a better interior. I use to have a Mazda 3 and that interior was better as well. Probably just as cheap really, but better use of cheap materials.


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## SmoothCruise (Jul 23, 2005)

the_s_rabbit said:


> In comparison, I feel Toyota's in general have a better interior. I use to have a Mazda 3 and that interior was better as well. Probably just as cheap really, but better use of cheap materials.


I hear ya. Still tho... it's like BMW making a great handling SUV which is an oxymoron. It is what it is. By the way, where's my manners? Thanks for the review.


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## chuck92103 (Oct 9, 2005)

SmoothCruise said:


> Cheap interior? Well what were you expecting? That's like complaining that motorcycles have 2 less wheels. It's not really a con.


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Yeah the Scion is a great car, my only complaints are.

1. Cheap interior
2. No space.
3. No V8 option. 
4. No comforts seats


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## the_s_rabbit (Mar 8, 2005)

chuck92103 said:


> :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
> 
> Yeah the Scion is a great car, my only complaints are.
> 
> ...




Tough Crowd!


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

What the hell do you expect for $15k? A Rolls Royce?


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## chuck92103 (Oct 9, 2005)

Seriously though, the Scions are a great value IMO. Although the designs are bit awkward. 

My neighbor bought one (the coupe/hatch), runs great.


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## the_s_rabbit (Mar 8, 2005)

BmW745On19's said:


> What the hell do you expect for $15k? A Rolls Royce?


Did you actually read the f0cking review?

I gave the xA a big thumbs up. The tC was a let down, compared to other cars I have owned in the same price range.


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## hockeynut (Apr 14, 2002)

I really like the tC, esp the mondo sunroof!

For < $20k seems like a great commuter.


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## Shabba (Feb 26, 2005)

I owned a 2004 xA for about 8 months. When I went rafting at NOC 2 summers ago, we took the looong way home to Atlanta and went down Deal's Gap. Myself, g-friend, 2 buddies and the hatch full of coolers, booze, etc. I had the Enkei 18's on the car with Dunlop Sport 8000 as the meats. That car, with just me in it, would have given my old 944 a run for its money (quite possibly beaten it) down the Gap... Un-focking-believable for a 12k car...

When I moved to Richmond though, the driving back and forth to ATL got old with the tin can feeling the car gave me. Good car, but not for me...


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