2005 Scion tC Review

At last the Scion tC is here. After reading countless reviews about this
coupe it's finally here in the Autoblog Garage. The dark blue coupe is quite
striking in person. I'm continually impressed with the Scion color palette
and the blue is a complimentary hue to the European body of the tC.

Taking a long walk around the tC there are a few things that are immediately
noticeable.

First is the snub nose and tear shaped headlights a la BMW. It
is quite a striking look and unlike anything else in the price range. The
rear end and its large taillights are a mixture of Euro and Japanese tastes.

Once you get inside the quality feel everyone talks about becomes evident.
First the door closes with a heavy thunk, perhaps too heavy. This is a far
heavier door than an economy coupe should have and feels more like the GTO?s. The test car?s driver side door also features a loud creak when opening and closing. Not a good first sign. More noises will pop up as we go on.

The brushed aluminum gauges are perhaps the nicest I?ve seen on any car
regardless of price. When lit up with a subtle amber glow they?re even more
attractive. This is the time when the multiple colors on the stereo make no
sense. I have mine set to matching amber so the clock, a/c, gauges and
stereo all match. The look is very nice, very elegant.

The rest of the interior is equally as nice, although not as striking as the
gauges. The seats are very supportive and the nice cloth fabric seems like
it will bear well over time. The plastic has a weird wood-like grain to it.
A little funky but not horrible. Then there?s the roof. When I first heard
there were dual sun roofs I assumed they both opened. Then I read only one
did and I couldn?t figure out what the point was. To give your friends
something to stare at when they?re crammed in the back seat? The roofs
definitely take away from much needed head room. I?m almost touching the
ceiling with the seat down as low as possible and I?m only 5? 10.5.

So I?m grumbling about the roof for a second and realize something. This is
pretty close to a targa top. You know, targa like a Porsche. Then I look a
bit more and realize it really is an amazing feature for a $17,000 car. Now
I?m really ready to drive it.