Scion tC

The Scion tC is a sports compact automobile introduced by Toyota in 2004 as a concept vehicle under its recently introduced Scion brand name. The Scion tC was designed to appeal to the Generation Y market and get them locked into the Toyota brand before any other car manufacturer could have a chance. They hoped to do so by making standard features numerous and optional features extremely easy to add. The Scion lineup in general, including the tC, was designed to replace the Toyota Celica, replacing it with a sportier selection that would be more attractive to younger buyers.

The Scion tC uses the chassis of the Avensis which is sold in the European market, and the Camry's 2.4 L 2AZ-FE I4 engine. Its low price (base MSRP of US$16,715 for the 2006 model) is a major feature, as well as the pure pricing marketing style that Toyota has adopted.

The name tC does not fit in with its stablemates the xA and xB because the name xC has already been taken by Volvo for its XC70 and XC90 models. According to Scion, tC stands for "Touring Coupe."

Manufacturer:	Scion
Production:	2005–present
Predecessor:	Toyota Celica
Class:	Sports car
Body style:	3-door Liftback
Platform:	FF

Specifications

• Engine: Double overhead cam (DOHC) 16-valve VVT-i 2.4 L 4-cylinder
• Power: 160 hp (119 kW) @ 5700 rpm
• Torque: 163 ft·lbf (221 N·m) @ 4000 rpm
• Transmission: 5-speed manual or available 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission
• Highway fuel economy/consumption: 35-30 mi/U.S. gal (7.8 L/100 km) (automatic); 34-29 mi/U.S. gal (8.1 L/100 km) (manual)
• City fuel economy/consumption: 29-23 mi/U.S. gal (10.7 L/100 km) (automatic); 28-22 mi/U.S. gal (10.7 L/100 km) (manual)
• Fuel tank: 14.5 gal (54.9 L)
• Brakes: 4-wheel anti-lock braking system employing disc brakes on both the front and rear
• Curb weight: 2,970 lb (1,347 kg) (automatic); 2,905 lb (1,318 kg) (manual)

Features

• Panoramic moonroof
• Supercharger (optional) - takes power rating to 200hp (150 kW)

Safety

NHTSA crash test ratings

• Side Impact Rating - Front: 4 out of 5 stars
• Side Impact Rating - Rear: 4 out of 5
• Frontal Crash Test - Driver: 5 out of 5
• Frontal Crash Test - Passenger: 4 out of 5
• Rollover Resistance - 4 out of 5

Supplemental restraint systems

• Driver airbag - standard
• Driver knee airbag - standard
• Front passenger airbag - standard
• Driver and front passenger side bolster airbags - optional
• Driver and passenger side curtain airbags - optional

Recall

In early 2006, a recall was issued for some 2005 and 2006 tCs due to the possibility of the glass wind deflector being shattered by debris. Owners were requested to bring in their vehicles to have a shatter resistant film installed.