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2014 Scion tC
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To say Toyota’s youth-oriented Scion brand
marches to the beat of its own drummer
is quite the understatement. I mean, since
when does an auto brand try to get away
with just offering a sub-subcompact micro
car, a subcompact hatch, compact wagoncum-boxy-crossover thingy and two
compact sports coupes?
Yes, two sports coupes. The fabulous FR-S
got all the glory last year. Now it’s time
for the tC to get a little attention, and the
changes are welcome.
The 2014 tC’s new LED headlight design
and the jagged edges give it an aggressive
new attitude, enhanced by a new longer
hood that extends down to a much larger,
more assertive grille that pulls styling
influence from the aforementioned FR-S.
Inside, the newest tC gets fewer updates,
with a new lighter grey fabric design on the
well-bolstered sport buckets.
My tester featured the optional six-speed
automatic which makes the exhaust note
drone on at low revs more than it otherwise
would have if I’d been given greater control
of shifting. The new automatic swaps
cogs twice as fast as the outgoing auto in
the 2013 model, especially in sport mode
where you also have the option of shifting
manually.
Mechanical motivation comes from
Toyota’s 16-valve, DOHC, 2.5-litre four
featuring variable valve timing for an
impressive 179 horsepower and 172 lb-ft
of torque. Slinging it up a steep section of
Highway 1 dubbed “The Cut” by locals left
me feeling pretty smug, this little coupe
passing surrounding traffic with ease.
While the tC is plenty of fun in the corners
and cruises highways and byways at speeds
that will get you pulled over by the local
constabulary if you’re not careful, it’s also a
comfortable place to while away the hours
if stuck in rush-hour traffic.