There are lots of convincing little touches indoors, like the mechanical seat position memory on the front bucket seats, the 60/40 split folding rear seat, the very decent amount of storage space with the seats down, the dead pedal for the driver's left foot, fully closing vents, and a cover for the stereo system's faceplate. A knee airbag is standard, the first US Toyota to have this feature.

Speaking of stereos, the base Pioneer/Scion single-CD system packs a user-customizable welcome screen, MP3 capability, four speakers and 160 watts, with a 10-inch subwoofer optional and a 6-CD slot changer and XM satellite radio also available at extra cost. The three-pod instrument panel is amber-illuminated, deeply tunneled and easy to use, day or night, as are the balance of the instruments and controls.

Driving Impressions

The engine in the Scion tC has been around in one form or another as a car and truck powerplant for many years, continuously improved for power, torque, and Toyota levels of quietness and reliability. It comes with electronic variable valve timing for good low end torque development, and twin balance shafts for smoothness. Tuned to 160 horsepower and 163 foot-pounds of torque for this application, the engine is quiet, smooth, and plenty powerful in a 2900-pound car, and at full throttle, it sounds powerful without being intrusive, because it has a valved muffler that opens up at high rpm and can be worth as much as 5 horsepower.

The transmission gearing in the automatic that we drove for this test is wholly unsuitable for bigtime acceleration, with an overall ratio of just over 10:1 (the first-gear ratio times the axle ratio), while the manual is almost 50 percent lower, almost 15:1, for maximum acceleration in first gear. However, the automatic does move out smartly, it's obviously much easier to live with in gooey traffic, and will get significantly better highway mileage than the manual, which is saddled with a very low 4.235 axle ratio. No complaints on the powertrain.

The steering, ride quality and overall handling of the Scion tC were commendable, in part due to its 106-inch wheelbase, longest in the class. It steers with a hefty touch, but accurate pointing, and transitions are easy and without drama. That's because the tC has low-cost MacPherson strut front suspension coupled with an expensive independent double-wishbone rear suspension not found on many cars in this price class. Bridgestone Potenza tires originally developed for the hot-rod Lexus IS 300 are standard.

Braking is accomplished with a combination of ventilated front and sold rear discs, 10.8 inches front and 10.6 inches rear, generously sized and quite powerful for a car this light, with both ABS and electronic brake force distribution built into the standard price. The pedal feel and travel is very much to our liking, with very little dead space at the top of the pedal travel.

One of the things that came through after our initial drive was the quietness of this small, inexpensive car, which turns out to have more sound insulation in it than any other Toyota product this side of a Lexus V8. The front suspension strut tower is connected to both the dashboard and to the A-pillar for extra strength and solidity, and the rear suspension has three steel subframe supports that also add quietness and rigidity.

Summary

If your physical size and family size can tolerate the tC, it can most certainly transport and entertain you for less than $17,000. With the killer 40-item option list and the TRD parts catalog, you can build a unique car. All it takes is money. There's nothing missing. It's all here.

For performance-minded youth, the option list and the TRD parts list will enable you to build a unique Scion tC hot rod without ever leaving the dealership, and the hot-rod parts carry the same warranty as the car itself.

Model Line Overview

Model lineup:Scion tC ($16,645, including freight)

Engines:160-hp 2.4-liter dohc 16-valve inline-4

Transmissions:5-speed manual; 4-speed automatic

Safety equipment (standard):ABS, front airbags, knee air bag

Safety equipment (optional):side-impact and roof airbags

Basic warranty:3 years/36,000 miles

Assembled in:Tasumi, Japan