Toyota Scion tC

Scion has blossomed as the new company under the Toyota name and it's blown up the industry in the youth scene. Since the xB and xA have such a non-aerodynamic look it was a shock to see the line of the tC. It's Scion's first stab at presenting more of sports car look. Getting the Scion excepted in the tuner market was to be Toyota's biggest challenge. But if history repeats itself, we're bound to see the Scion-branded tC instantly grab the very same urban youth market. According to the reps at Scion-whom we nabbed at the recent IAS show in Atlantic City-import drag racers were hitting up the staff about building a drag car, so we already see potential. Unlike most journalists that write about how well the car performs in stock trim, we put the new tC under the microscope to see how well it will fit into the tuner market.

Under the hood lies a 2.4-liter 2AZ-FE four-banger with a whopping 86mm bore and 96mm stroke. In stock trim the engine produces 160 horsepower and 163 lb-ft of torque and since the engine is one of the larger four cylinders, Scion also incorporated the use of balancer shafts to lessen engine vibration. While the new powerplant has not yet been proven on the street, that doesn't mean TRD [Toyota Racing Development] hasn't been testing the water in aftermarket performance for this vehicle. During the press day we were also able to check out the prototype supercharged tC. While it was on hand for journalists to drive, the waiting line for seat time was equivalent to the Department of Motor Vehicles on a Friday afternoon. No, we didn't get a chance to take it for a spin. Some other journalists felt they had to take extended trips around the block, however, we did get a close up look at the engine. Most TRD chargers are designed as screw-type superchargers but for the four cylinders TRD incorporated the use of a centrifugal supercharger. I guess the fact that the supercharged tC was gone all day means it makes plenty of power. The supercharger does prove one point in our industry: The 2AZ-FE is able to take boost pressure. The TRD unit is said to run up in the 200-horsepower range at six psi of boost pressure on a mildly tuned factory engine management system.

The factory exterior is something a little different from the rest. Not like Scion isn't used to being out of the ordinary, but this model looks nothing like its fellow classmates. While the xB and xA are more like city street cruisers, the tC offers a sportier stance. The body's lines are very simple but since we are ImportTuner, we have the innate need to look beyond the lines. Most of our readers choose not to leave the body in factory spec and the same goes for the interior and powerhouse. The tuner market is about being unique and we set out to find that unique characteristics in the tC. So we looked at the factory front bumper and rear trunk lid. After careful examination, we decided the trunk could use a wing... but not the typical shopping cart style. It begs a more laid back look, following the bodyline from the rear window but continuing on past the trunk lid. The factory front bumper comes pretty flat, as if it hit a wall, but we are sure aftermarket companies will attack the nose of this car with fiberglass blazing. Even though the bumper seems extremely flat, there is plenty of room for a front-mount intercooler even in stock trim. As I stated earlier, the tC lines look very clean but personally we think it's crying out for an aftermarket body kit. From the side profile, the extra long wheel base makes the car look like the rear wheels hang out of the rear bumper, but a body kit could solve this little problem.