Scion: Every Car Ranked Plus Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

#3- Scion tC

With over 418,235 units sold, the Scion tC was Scion’s best-selling vehicle in the 12 years that it was on showroom floors. When it came out in 2004, MSRP was set at a very affordable $16,465. Powering the tC was Toyota’s 2.4L 2AZ-FE four cylinder good for 162 HP and 185 lb-ft, quite competitive for that price point.

Standard options included a panoramic sunroof with front and rear glass panels, Pioneer CD paler, dual front airbags, keyless entry, cruise control, power windows and A/C.

With the capability to hit 60 MPH in 7.4 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.7 seconds, the Scion tC was Scion’s first real sporty offering. Despiting coming in at a hefty 3,016 pounds, the handling was sporty enough and handled corners in the canyons with aplomb. Its suspension softness could quickly be remedied with a bit of lowering, tuning and a wheel/tire upgrade.

The Scion tC was a real-home run and explained why it sold well. Unfortunately times have changed and competition has grown stiff from other manufacturers. For 2016 and beyond, Toyota will stop making the tC.

Did you know…

• The tC has a sedan cousin in Japan whom they share the same platform called the Toyota Avensis.
•  Scion introduced a Scion ready for tuning and priced super-cheap at just $15,000 for a manual and $800 more for an automatic. It was called the Spec pacakge and it came with 16-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, a fixed panoramic roof, cloth seats and a urethane steering wheel instead of a leather one. Anyone with the slightest itch for customization knew that you’d probably swap the wheels out, replace the cloth seats with buckets and put on a detachable steering wheel anywas. As for this writer, I’d love to come across one on the used market.

Next: Scion FR-S