2011 Scion tC - High Speed Test Drive at New Hampshire Motor Speedway's Road Course

Akio Toyota challenged Toyota, Lexus, and Scion to make their vehicles more fun to drive. This is part of an internal initiative to add excitement back into each brand's product line and get back into making exciting products.

While this may sound like lip service to some enthusiasts, a lot of what's done internally never sees the light of day, and for good reason; the car industry is extremely competitive. Even more so after the rough times that the industry has gone through in recent years.

Industry segments, like the sports car segment, have gone through some pretty rough times as well. With a shrinking market for pure sports cars, comes practical cars like the all-new, second generation, Scion tC.

The 2011 Scion tC is the first sporty car to be released after this initiative, and marks the start of a new era for Toyota, Scion, and Lexus. The Scion tC is a practical five passenger coupe that makes no compromises in safety. 8 airbags, traction control, vehicle stability control, ABS brakes, brake assist, and electronic brake force distribution? All for under $20k in a sporty compact coupe? What a steal! And at speed, I was amazed how the TRAC would actually simulate a limited-slip differential and keep the inside tire from spinning. In my past experiences with racing the first-gen tC, on slower corners the 2.4L had enough torque to break traction with the inside tire that is unweighted when cornering.

And the fact that it has these systems means that it is a car that you can drive through winters with relative ease. The TRAC and VSC will make a night and day different in slippery conditions, and can be completely turned off if you're in a situation where you're completely stuck.

Six-speed manual tC's sprint from 0-60 in 7.6 seconds - not bad for a car that's priced under $20k.

It will remind you of all of the reasons you first got into cars; it just does so many things right. Rolling through the gears with it's close ratio 6 speed, many of us were reminded of the Celica GT-S. When the tC launched, the price point was so much lower than what the Celica could ever hope to achieve that tC pretty much killed the Celica.

The exhaust note reminded many of a built version of our late 80's FWD Corollas that utilized the 1.6L 7 rib 4age 4 cylinders. We drove for days with the radio off just listening to the music from under the hood.

But while we're on the topic of stereos, let's just say that the 2nd-generation tC has an AMAZING stereo. 300W standard? For those audiophiles, the 340W Apline stereo upgrade adds RCA's so you can add an external amp setup and subs. The one thing that's great about hatchbacks is that you aren't stuffing subs in a sealed trunk. As long as you're careful about sub placement with the glass, you'll end up with an amazing sounding system with relatively low power requirements.

The snappy handling of the 2nd-generation reminded many of us of some of the sportier cars Toyota produced over the years. Most of the testers have driven some pretty modified cars, so it was amazing to us the level of performance these newer sports cars can reach without the need for sacrificing your daily drive to and from where you're headed. After a day of testing, we developed a pretty thorough list of minor things we would do to develop the chassis, but we were really awestruck with the potential of this chassis; we're looking forward to seeing what the aftermarket will come up with!

Part of what Scion does different are as simple as the fundamentals that influence every decision that's made. At it's core, Scion marks Toyota's commitment to shaking things up, and trying something that others may think is a bit too different to dare try. Take this video for example; normally this kind of internal testing doesn't see the light of day publicly, but Scion's approach is totally different.

Enjoy!!!

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[pjconnor74]

Invalid review. Only personal opinions are expressed. No matched lap times or dyno figures. As an owner of the TC1 I'm extremely skeptical about this new TC. It costs almost 3k more than my TC for 20hp more with 100 extra lbs (which equates to around 0.1 extra seconds 0-60). If you want a performance TC buy first gen, swap suspension and you're on par with the new model plus you save yourself several thousand dollars plus none of the extra computer controlled driving (not for a real driver).

[4kbeast]

@pjconnor74 PJ: You're welcome to your opinion, but it was a fair appraisal of the tC's strengths/weaknesses. The goal is to give tuners a good starting point on modifications from seat time in the tC2. And if you buy a tC1 and swap over to TC2 suspension, you will end up spending way more than the initial price of the tC2. You'd have a hard time upgrading your tC1 to 18" wheels for the $2,200 price difference.

[4kbeast]

@pjconnor74 PJ: Enthusiasts frown on computer-controlled gadgetry, but the tC1 has enough torque to break traction on the inside wheel coming out of corners. The tC2 uses TRAC to maximize traction by using the 4-channel ABS and by cutting power if need be. Lap times are in the other 10-lap video that's posted.

[TcToshi]

@pjconnor74 hey have you driven a 2nd gen yet. Its ahhhh pretty much on point. the first mod id say though is clutch. That stock clutch feels retarded compared to my stage 2 in my 1st gen. the new tranny is great. the gears were a little longer. Squeezed 60 out of 2nd and 88 out of 3rd. suspensions tighter but if you modded the suspension, I/H/E, the basics im sure it would be fun. It pulls strong to redline and i actually bounced 2nd and it barked going in to 3rd. no DBW kick back

[4kbeast]

@TcToshi I can see your point about the clutch, especially if you're in high temps, are hard on clutches, or if you use sticky r-compound tires. There are often compromises made with pedal-pressure effort, softer clutch forks, and clutch springs when making a car; all which translate into a less sporty system (less bite). But to your point, the system had enough bite/efficiency to bark in 2nd/3rd. On a stock car, it's more than enough; but once you start modding, a stronger clutch is a must!

[wooMARVIN]

ohh my gosh i cant wait to get my hands on this car! 2 more months!!!!

[kev0001000]

@kenr79 It does though. So...

[kenr79]

no way the 2011 tc has 180whp or 200bhp. my 2008 GTI has 200bhp and with dsg transmission does 0-60 in 6.5 seconds or a few tenths less depending on conditions. I actually looked at the TC this weekend I want to get a cheaper car and the TC didn't seem too bad. I would only get the base model because if you add options it goes a bit over 20k and why bother getting rid of my GTI for that price when I could just get into a 2011 for a few k more. my 2008 GTI was 24k.

[unresolved777]

@trento728 No it has 180whp. It's already been dynoed on multiple dynos and consecutive passes show 180 HP to the wheels. A dyna pack dyno, measuring at the hubs, has shown around 200 HP. Calculations are at 200-210bhp. Toyota always under rates their engines. Past tCs showed 160whp with only intake and exhaust. We all know intake and exhaust don't add much too. So you go look this up, and you'll see wheel power is 180.

[4kbeast]

@trento728 The Scion tC has the youngest buyer in the industry @ 27 years old; being $6k more means you'd need to put extra money down, have a co-signer, and/or you will be limited spending power. $6k can make or break a buying decision (+6k is $167 more a month for 3 yr/0% financing). People don't buy a car just for airbags, but for co-signers of young buyers (AKA: parents, etc), that may be a consideration. Bottom line: Don't compare a $18k car to a $26k car, there's bound to be differences.