Scion tC R.S. 3.0 dropping in Detroit
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Toyota announced today that the Scion tc Release Special 3.0 will be shown at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week. Scion has rolled out a Release Special tc every year now since 2005 (2005 model, 2006 model), each model representing the brand's own take on what the tuner wants. This year's edition sports a front and rear KenStyle ground effects kit with a "wide-intake" grille. Darkened headlights and clear LED taillights have also been added. Inside, the R.S. 3.0 gets black Alcantara seats with gray perforated seating surfaces and a Blizzard Pearl RAZO shift knob. Finally, a Pioneer audio system with a 35-watt woofer and 160-watt maximum output ensure its young demographic will be satisfied with their turn-key tuner.
Scion will only build 2,500 units of the tc R.S. 3.0 at a price of $2,580 over the base MSRP, which should put it around $19,000. Those interested should have their funds in order by February when the vehicle will go on sale. You'll find Toyota's full press release after the jump.
[Source: Toyota]
PRESS RELEASE:
tC Release Series 3.0 on Display at The 2007 North American International Auto Show
January 5, 2007 – Torrance, CA - Scion, of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., announced today that the tC Release Series 3.0 (tC R.S. 3.0) will be on display at the 2007 North American International Auto Show and hit dealer showrooms beginning in mid-February.
The 2007 tC Release Series 3.0 will come in a frosty Blizzard Pearl white and be decked out with a front and rear KenStyle® ground effects kit. Other tC R.S. 3.0 exterior features include darkened headlights, and a custom wide intake-style upper grille with a honeycomb insert that matches the lower grille. This package also has Scion Genuine Accessory clear LED taillights with unique gray trim.
The tC R.S. 3.0 has black Alcantara® seats detailed with a gray perforated center seating surface on a white background. Alcantara® is a suede-like material often found in luxury or performance vehicles and on aftermarket racing seats. A Blizzard Pearl RAZO® weighted shift knob with black leather insert is also standard.
A Pioneer six-inch subwoofer with 35-watt maximum power complements the standard 160-watt maximum output Pioneer audio system and is tuned specifically for the tC. This compact subwoofer is mounted in the under-floor storage area, keeping it out of sight and leaving the cargo floor clear. This unique vehicle is completed by an individually numbered brushed stainless steel badge.
Only 2,500 units of the tC Release Series 3.0 will be built. The tC R.S. 3.0 model will carry a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $2,580 over the base price. The base MSRP for the tC starts at $16,400 for the manual transmission model and $17,200 for the automatic transmission model.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ct 5:32PM (1/05/2007)
How about a RWD tuner option?
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Markos Prieto 4:54PM (1/05/2007)
Yumma-dum-dum. Very cool. Not much else to say. It's their job to make cool cars and they're doing it.
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Kevin 4:57PM (1/05/2007)
At least give a little power increase....
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Gale 4:57PM (1/05/2007)
They're "dropping" it, so that means (in America) they're discontinuing a new model. Please translate for us what the context of dropping is in John Neff land.
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Eric L. 5:04PM (1/05/2007)
Wow. 35 watts.
The power rating is probably deceiving since the sub is probably optimized for the space it operates in, so it will likely feel more powerful. Just a guess.
If I was Toyota's marketing dept though, I would not advertise it as 35W. Maybe just a mention of an included sub.
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UltraP 5:08PM (1/05/2007)
A Scion RS 3.0 ??? Cool, that means it has a high-output 3.0L engine under the hood, right? Oh, I forgot, it's a TOYota we're talking about...
My 2nd car actually is a Toyota but this is plain stupid. If there's no 3 liter engine, don't call it a 3.0 dam*it!
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Ken 5:12PM (1/05/2007)
So this is what a cool car looks like?
I guess I'll take an uncool car then.
Oh, and pull your pants back up you hooligans!
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Will 5:18PM (1/05/2007)
The only RS I am interested in is an Audi.
I guess the RS in this one stands for Ricer Special.
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Vince 5:25PM (1/05/2007)
@5
If they put a 3.0L in a tC, it'd be more powerful than the IS250 and cost half as much! You think they'd want to cannibalize their sales that badly?
Why does BMW have a near monopoly on dropping a V6 into a small sedan? And they're able to charge up the a$$ for it. You'd think one of the other manufacturers would catch on and give some V6 power in a small package for a small price.
How about a 3.5L Yaris? GM used to have it straight - they had a V6 Cavalier Z24 back in the early '90's! The Civic has certainly grown, why not put a V6 in the Si?
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Eric 5:28PM (1/05/2007)
Okay, a few different body pieces, a shift knob, an underwhelming stereo and some new seats.
For 2600 that's ludicrous.
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laserwizard 5:33PM (1/05/2007)
Tuners. Another name for untalented children spending money on wimpy and worthless vehicles upgrading them to the point of the purchase price of a great car.
Canned Tuner. A tuner trapped in his upgraded tincan after wrapping it around a telephone pole.
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Saracen 6:12AM (1/09/2007)
"If they put a 3.0L in a tC, it'd be more powerful than the IS250 and cost half as much! You think they'd want to cannibalize their sales that badly?"
Yeah, because prospective IS buyer cross-shops it with a fwd subcompact...
"Why does BMW have a near monopoly on dropping a V6 into a small sedan? And they're able to charge up the a$$ for it."
1)Inline-6.
2)There's no such thing as a monopoly in the automotive industry. They just have the best driving car in its class. As such, they sell well even at a high price.
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5 Watt 5:35PM (1/05/2007)
This should compete well with the Element SC which also doesn’t have the engine its name would leave you to believe. It’s to bad Toyota didn’t stuff a V6 under the hood, that would be killer.
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MikeW 6:33PM (1/05/2007)
5 speed automatic (just lift it straight from the camry) yet?
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Caster 5:48PM (1/05/2007)
FUGLY!!!!!
This car needs new fascia fast..
I wanna puke!!!!!!!
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cpidgeon 5:52PM (1/05/2007)
Great another car for nerds and geeks LOL
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brian 11:55PM (1/05/2007)
Toyota does a better job with some of there scion RS than others. The XB RS 3.0 we got has a stereo/dvd + LCD's in both headrests that are an available option, costing more than the RS upcharge. It worked out as a nice deal. I guess those must be some really expensive seats. Plus our Xb is John Deere green, what's that worth?
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Jason 6:47PM (1/05/2007)
#12 is totally right. These tuners add very little to the car's bottom line, while costing a fortune. Also, tuning kills resale. But the children are not thinking about this. They are thinking about how to make their cars stand out from the crowd. It's basically a phase, which I think many of us enthusiasts go through when younger. I know I did too. When the brain matures and common sense starts kicking in, we realize we rather have the money spent on better things.
Lastly, pearl white paint and chrome rims are a luxury car treatment. NOT a sport's car thing. This package is all wrong. So is the name. When I saw 3.0 I immediately thought it was a V6. Scion has done everything right up until this point.
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PJ 6:29PM (1/05/2007)
Wait'll they get to the fifth "Release Series" of one of next year's redesigned Scions. 5.0 Mustang yahoos' heads will explode.
I'll be the last to defend a sport-compact that drives much like a Corolla, but let's be honest: the deuce coupes, Chevelles, Mustangs, and other "tuner" cars revered by previous generations weren't that different from today's tuner cars, relative to the larger automotive landscape. Kids took relatively unexceptional vehicles--compared with their higher-priced contemporaries--and loaded them with questionable modifications, the sum of which might have bought them something quicker and more sophisticated.
Everyone remembers the hi-po Hemis, Windsors, and 427s, but the reality was most often kids with 289 Mustangs, 318 'Cudas, or 327 Camaros festooned with flashy paint and not-necessarily-helpful aftermarket engine bits.
Oh, and the older folks thought your bellbottoms and long hair were stupid, too.
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STinfection 7:33PM (1/05/2007)
It's release version 3.0
Scion thinks it's something special.
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