Scion tC 2009

Scion tC

When Scion first introduced the tC sporty coupe, questions were raised about how it would fit into a range of vehicles aimed at younger urbanites. A low-slung sporty coupe seemed at odds with the boxy xA and xB that, along with a hefty marketing campaign, ushered Toyota’s youth brand into North America for the 2004 model year.

Scion was designed to inject a much-needed dose of youth into Toyota’s portfolio and, at least according to Toyota, the brand has by and large succeeded. Perhaps not quite as funky as their marketing campaigns have made them out to be, the xB and xD (which replaced the xA) have helped create a niche that other Japanese automakers – namely Honda, Nissan and now Kia – scrambled to fill.

Yet the two-door coupe tC shares nothing with its brothers – in fact, many an enthusiast has quipped that the other two Scions look like the boxes the tC should come in.