2008 Scion tC User Reviews

Pros

looks,design,price,quality,more&more

Cons

paint(easy to scratch)

Purchased As New

very good car for the price you pay,has almost everything you want in a car, i would say take the IPod option with it, cues its so much fun and easy to use and control.gas mileage is very good as long as you go easy on the gas pedal.

Pros

Room

Cons

Sunroof, locks, tires and electrical

This are is awful. Does not handle in the snow or rain. Locks do not work and sunroof has been broken since week 3. I am always in the shop. BTW I bought it new with 3 miles when I drove it home. Has 50K now. DO NOT BUY! Second toyota and nothing but problems. Overpriced. Save your money go guy a Jeep or even bike... you may even be better off just with a new pair of sneakers....read morehide

Pros

has a sporty look and feel and has plenty of pep. Great maneurvability, too

Cons

gas mileage is not that great

It is made by Toyota, so that says a lot about the quality of the car...which is good. I am very happy with it...low maintenance, also.

Pros

it's fast for what it is

Cons

bad gas economy, too expensive

it's a reliable car, and it's built very well, but it is not worth what you pay for it.

Pros

Amazing value for the price, great interior design

Cons

Road noise can be a little loud at high speeds

I have a 2006 tC and it's still going strong! I have had no problems with it. I would highly recommend getting the iPod option, I couldn't live without it. The only changes I would make are to have passenger seat position memory and adjustable height for the seat belts. Also, the doors seem to dent pretty easily. But other than that it's a great car. Very low price for how it looks and feels. I have a stick shift and it's super fun. It has a lot of energy and is able to accelerate pretty fast. It's such a treat after having old slow cars my whole life....read morehide

Pros

value, handling, good MPG, comfortable, quick, storage w/ seats down

Cons

soft breaks, paint scratches easily

It's going on six months now since I bought my 2008 tC and I'm so glad I did. I added several options and would definitely recommend the addition of the available 18" rims/tires with front strut bar. Both smooth out the ride greatly - though the standard equipment provides a smooth ride too - and makes handling and cornering fabulous (very close to the IS250 I also test drove). Plus the rims and wheels look great.

Acceleration at all speeds is very good. You'll really want to do some passing on the highway because of the combined handling and acceleration; very well balanced there.

I average somewhere around 27 MPG and do mostly local driving at 45/50 MPH. I've taken the car on a few 4+ hours trips and seen over 30 MPG. Also, I find the seats very comfortable.

One factor that led me to look into the tC was the rear hatch. I need to load music equipment in the car weekly and with the seats down I get a lot in the back. Suits me perfectly.

I added the mid-level stereo, which provides the same output as their top of the line, but without the GPS, and consider it a must. Sound is very good, near excellent. I hold back a little here because the standard subwoofer can be boomy at times and the head unit's sub controls don't seem to have much affect. The iPod connectivity is awesome. I do wish there was a faster way to scroll through long iPod menus, though.

The only cons I've found are the breaks and paint. I had heard about the paint issue before buying. The paint looks great (I have the crimson) but it does indeed scratch easily if banged moderately by something. As for the breaks, they seem too soft after 8K miles and I'm starting to hear some rotor noise. I'm planning on taking it to the dealer to get that looked at soon. Maybe an upgraded set of breaks would be a wise thing.

For the price, I'd be shocked to find a car with as many useful, as well as fun, features as the tC. Plus, it's in Toyota's line....read morehide

Pros

decent fuel economy when driven in the right manner, lots of features, has pep

Cons

ride is some what rough, sucks down gas if you drive it hard, noticable understeer

The fuel economy is all on the driver, so i won't really touch on that, but the performance is great for a small car like this. What a tC could REALLY use is some chassis stiffening, if you turn hard and fast, you really want to spend the extra cash to get a front strut bar and rear sway bar, maybe even some springs and/or struts. the handling is the main downfall to this car. Other than that, there's not much to complain about....read morehide

Pros

Pretty good bang for the buck; good fuel economy, good list of standard features

Cons

Transmission sometimes a little stubborn.

I got this car about 3 weeks ago, and I'm loving it! I had a Nissan Versa, but it just wasn't the right car for me, so I traded it for the tC. There's a review below this one where the guy just rants and raves; I have to wonder if he actually bought the car or not; I'm thinking not.

At any rate, the long list of standard features is welcome for this segment. After all, it's not every day you find a car under $20K that comes standard with 4-wheel discs and 4-wheel ABS. Most of the standard items on this car are extras for just about every other manufacturer, and after adding them all in, the price suddenly balloons to around $22-25K, depending on the maker.

The sticker indicates 20 mpg city and 27 mpg highway; so far, I'm averaging right around 30 mpg for mixed driving. The key is to resist the temptation to play with the available 162 bhp! This car is no harder on the wallet than the Versa was. However, having the extra horses and torque over the Versa makes getting on the highway a breeze rather than a dreaded chore. Throttle response is outstanding, and clutch operation has just the right amount of resistence, and you can actually FEEL where the pressure plate startes to engage.

I'm mildly surprised that the problem with the transmission being stubborn going into reverse is a known issue, yet Toyota hasn't fixed the problem. There's even a note in the owner's manual that if the transmission doesn't want to go straight into reverse, then the driver should release and depress the clutch again (in effect, double-clutching). Also, in "spirited" driving, watch your shifts from 2nd to 3rd; make sure the transmission shifts ALL THE WAY into 3rd!

The interior layout is actually pretty sensible, with all controls fairly easily reached from the dirver's seat. The only complaint I have there is the placement of the cruise system controls. They're on a stalk behind the steering wheel on the lower right. This makes for awkward operation, and may result in disengagement/cancellation if bumped with your knee. Not a hhuge concern, but it is a possibility. Initially, the iPod connector setup seemed a bit awkward, but once the iPod is plugged in, you don't need to mess with it any more, so no big deal.

As for conveniences and amenities, the tC suffices, bringing pretty much standard items to the table. There's one that's fairly unique from what I've seen: the handholds engineered into the inside of the hatch for pulling it to a point where you can more easily close it. The cup holders won't hold LARGE drinks, and don't adjust, but that's not a big deal. Also, people over 6-feet tall keep in mind: it's a small car, so getting in and out isn't as easy as getting into/out of a full-size pickup!!

Handling and ride: good and a little stiff, but that's what you want in a sport coupe, right? There's not a whole lot of body roll in turns/corners. The steering is nice, not too hard and not too soft, with just enough road feel to help and not be annoying. The car comes standard with Yokohama 205/45 ZR-17s, which so far are proving to be good tires. However, be warned: there is no sidewall bulge to protect the aluminum rims, so be extra cautious around curbs! Yeah, I learned that the hard way. (Smack's forehead.)

Overall, a good car, and I'm glad I got one!!...read morehide

Pros

Standard equip., acceleration, upgraded sound system, great looks, rims, sizzling crimson mica paint

Cons

Antenna, rough ride, noisy, disappointing mpg, jerky power windows. no leather

Got my 2008 tC in December 2007, and no regrets. This is my 13th car, my 4th Toyota. The no-haggle purchasing is great; traded a 2002 Solara, and got great trade-in. Considered another Solara but would have cost another $10k and 2008 is supposed to be the Solara's last year -- not great for future trade-in.

My tC is almost as fun to drive as my 1985 325e BMW was! Scion seems to have more room than my Solara thanks to folding back seats and hatchback. Wish it had a wiper on the back window, and a leather interior upgrade was available. Also, need color-keyed body side molding to protect from dings (only available from aftermarket). Hope Toyota replaces the silly antenna with built-in in the back window (it's just begging for some joker to break it).

I don't drive much so I've only put 1,600 miles on in 6 months. Gas mileage isn't very impressive (20 mpg in town), but I hope it will improve as the car gets broken in. Wish I'd sprung for the GPS navigation. I plan on making some moderate customization to my tC but it would be hard to improve it's looks -- get lots of admiring stares, but that may be because they see an old geezer driving such a hot car!...read morehide

Pros

Awesome looking car. I love my TC. Comfortable, good on gas, great stereo system.

I bought my car three weeks ago and I'am loving eveything about it. Buying the TC is one of the best things I've done this year.