|
|
 |
| I purchased my 2005 Scion tC Release Series 1.0 new and amazed the dealer when I didn't ask for anything else on it and then said, "If it had the wing on, it I wouldn't buy it." So, I've been driving this limited edition Absolutely Red tC for almost exactly two years and have put just over 32,000 miles on the ticker. I'll start with the boring stuff--the kind of info your Mom will want to know, but any enthusiast never asks about: Comfort, practicality, fuel economy and maintenance. |
| The Scion tC is very comfortable, even for four normal sized adults. Rear seat leg room is surprisingly abundant, and head room is better than any other coupe hatchback. With the rear seats folded down, it can swallow more junk than your favorite adult film starlet (don't tell your Mom that). Seriously, there is so much room in this little car that I am continuously surprised by its storage space--I've crammed everything my wife and I need for a week at the shore in there, so you can easily fit a semester's worth of clothes, CDs and books. |
| Even at highway speeds [cough]80[/cough] the tC gets very good gas mileage (I've been averaging just under 27 miles per gallon since I bought it) thanks, in part, to the economical nature of the Camry sourced 2AZ-FE 2.4L power plant. The other benefit of this engine is that it is pretty much guaranteed to run forever. Speaking of maintenance, the tC has been perfect. I am still on the original rotors and pads as well as the OEM rolling stock (disclaimer: I use a set of winter wheels and tires for 4 months out of the year, which saves a few thousand miles on the stickier summer tires and I don't use the OEM pads for track events or autocross--see my Hawk HP+ review). Basically I change the oil every 5,000 miles with Redline synthetic fluids and drive the car. It is very easy to live with. |
 |
| Now the stuff you and your friends care about--no, not "How is the stereo?" (it's decent enough, I guess)--I'm talking about handling, performance and modifications. Out of the box the RS1 has some better components than the standard tC; namely the 18 inch Enkei wheels with Yokohama 320 tread wear rubber and the Hotchkis front strut tower brace. As an enthusiast I would prefer these wheels in a 17 inch diameter, but considering they are the same weight as the similar 17s from Scion, and they look really nice I don't mind them too much. The Yokohama rubber is actually very nice (supported by the fact that I have close to 27,XXX miles on them and they still held up very well just the other day at a track event [PDA HPDE on Pocono East for those in the know]). Beyond that the car is very stable at highway speed (see previous paragraph) and is even quite good at track speeds (including Watkins Glenn). Both of my previous HPDE instructors have assumed that the car was more modified than it was and one even thought it was better on track than his own Civic Si--now on an autocross course that is definitely not true. The 2.4L motor is plenty torquey and is easy to drive up to the red line. The stock shifter is decent, if not a little long, but it is accurate and easy to row through. Clutch take up is normal for a Toyota and easy to modulate even if you are just learning to shift like God (or at least Carroll Shelby) meant us to. My only performance gripe is the dull throttle response--it makes it more difficult to heel-toe, if you like/need to do that. |
 |
| Overall the Scion tC is a competent daily driver that will make you, your wife and or mother quite happy. It is safe (ABS and plenty of airbags), reliable and fun to drive. Did I mention it looks great too (I'm a Europhile when it comes to automobiles so I love the Teutonic lines). I have done very little to the tC but below are some of the products I use and heartily endorse you try on your tC. If you have any questions about any of these, or anything else JSC Speed sells for the tC, please send me an email or give me a call--unless its for neons, HIDs or subs....I know nothing about that stuff. If you want more information about autocrossing or where to find out about track events in your area I can help you with that too.
|
| Search By Part #: |
|
|
| Keyword Search: |
|
|
| Search By Brand |
|
|
|
