2006 Scion TC Review

My thoughts on the 2006 Scion TC with the 2.4L inline 4 and 6 speed manual gear box: What I expected from the TC was a re-bodied Toyota Corolla with an economy-choked four banger under the hood connected to a gear box from the Toyota parts bin. While the drive train might be made from off the shelf Toyota parts, it feels in no way choked by todays emissions standards. The Corolla has a funky millennial brother, and it’s name is TC. The 2.4L inline four produces around 165 horsepower, but shocking to me, produces the same number in torque. With most engines (Diesels excluded) the torque is less than the horsepower, but not here. The TC pulls solidly through the rev range, reminding me of an E36 M3. Not nearly the power of the M3, but the M3 pulls consistently all the way up to the redline. There are no dead spots. The revs don’t “fall off” in a sense. I didn’t expect this out of a re-bodied Corolla, but I ended up loving it. It was really fun to bring up to redline, because it felt so right. The engine doesn’t hesitate or even stumble halfway up the rev range. The transmission was like any other Japanese transmission, meaning it worked properly and felt good. The problem with the TC actually has nothing to do with the car itself; It has to do with the brand. Scion was a division of Toyota and was marketed towards millennials. Scion was Toyota’s attempt at being “hip” and “cool”, in order to sell to the younger generations of America. (They were sold as Toyotas in Japan). The issue with that is that the younger generation doesn’t have money for a new car. The only young people that got Scions were those who convinced their parents to buy them one, and that’s a slim percentage. Scions ended up actually being bought by the elderly. They were easy to get in and out of, while having Toyota reliability. Not to mention they probably helped the old folks feel young and hip again. I was pleasantly surprise with how the re-bodied Corolla didn’t feel like a re-bodied corolla. I now understand they appeal they have in the car scene, and I can imagine one with a turbo would be a heck of a lot of fun.