The last time Motor Trend tested a Scion tC—2011—we came away less than impressed with its middling performance—and that the manual-equipped test car we got came with more than 7,000 tough miles on the odometer. In 2014 the tC received a refresh that gave it a new front fascia, new 18-inch alloy wheels, additional spot welds, a retuned electric power steering system, revised stabilizers and shock absorbers, a reprogrammed automatic transmission with downshift rev-matching and quicker shifts, and redesigned taillights. To see if these changes improved the tC, we spent some time with a 2016 model equipped with the optional automatic gearbox. Finally and unfortunately, this will be the last test for the tC, as the car will be discontinued in August 2016 and killed off along with the Scion brand.
Stepping inside the 2016 tC, the first thing you’ll find is a simple interior layout with a standard 7-inch infotainment touchscreen that’s new for 2016 but lacks a rearview camera. Build quality is a tC weak point; the plastics inside the cabin are hard and brittle. A number of areas in the cabin also have rattles, including the driver’s side A-pillar, the panoramic moonroof, and the dashboard.
The tC’s infotainment system, essentially the same unit found in the Scion iM, has controls that are simple and user-friendly, but the layout looks dated. One issue is the placement of the phone and voice command buttons next to the touchscreen, which can be distracting to use, instead of the steering wheel. Using the unit’s voice command, on the other hand, is intuitive because the system can easily understand your speech and the available prompts are not overly complicated. The graphics on the available navigation system are clear, uncluttered, and easy to read, and the standard eight-speaker Pioneer audio system sounds great when playing digital music via a flash drive or Bluetooth streaming.
The tC seats four passengers comfortably and five in a pinch. Those in the rear seats will also enjoy the reclining seat back and extra footroom afforded by the flat rear floor. Taller drivers might have a hard time finding an ideal seating position because the driver’s seat doesn’t adjust low enough and the steering wheel doesn’t tilt high enough to give enough room for people with long legs. Cargo space, on the other hand, is generous at 14.7 cubic feet with the split-folding rear seats up and, if you decide to go on a Costco or Ikea shopping spree, 34.5 cubic feet with them down.
Under the hood you’ll find a 2.5-liter I-4 with 179 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque. Whether you have the six-speed manual or the optional six-speed automatic transmission that was in our test vehicle, there’s plenty of power on tap for climbing steep grades, passing, and merging even with four passengers on board. Fuel economy, however, isn’t exceptional at an EPA-rated 23/31 mpg city/highway regardless of the transmission. The tC’s chief competitor, the 201-hp Hyundai Veloster Turbo, is rated at 25/33 mpg with the manual and 27/33 mpg with the automatic.
The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly when left to its own devices, but there are times when it gets confused and hunts for gears, especially at low speeds. In manual mode, there’s a noticeable delay between the time you hit the shift paddles and the car up- or downshifting. Additionally, if you don’t activated manual mode with the paddle shifters and simply move the gear selector to the manual gate, the car mysteriously defaults to fourth gear even when stopped. We also had a manual tC on hand during our testing of the automatic model (the manual is shown in blue below). Between the two, the stick offered a better driving experience but had a vague shifter with long throws that also felt overly light and flimsy when rowing through the gears. The clutch, on the other hand, was light and easy to engage, making it a breeze to drive in traffic.
At the track, our automatic-equipped tC performed decently with a 0-60 time of 7.6 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 15.9 seconds at 86.8 mph, which is 0.7 second slower to 60 mph and half a second slower in the quarter mile than the manual tC we tested in 2011. Braking performance was better in the 2016 model, stopping from 60 mph in 118 feet, 7 feet shorter than the 2011 tC we tested. The automatic finished the figure eight in 27.5 seconds while generating an average of 0.63 g, which is 0.2 second slower than the 2011 test car with a manual. In terms of lateral acceleration, both cars aren’t that far from each other, the 2016 model generating an average of 0.85 g and the 2011 manual 0.82 g.
The tC’s ride was poor on rough surfaces, and road and tire noise became excessive. At speeds faster than 40 mph, there’s plenty of wind buffeting in the C-pillar, making the cabin even louder. Ride comfort does improve on slightly smoother surfaces, but it still feels jittery, and plenty of exterior noises continue to enter the cabin. On twisty roads, the tC handles respectably and stays well planted thanks to its independent suspension and decently controlled body motions. Steering, however, is slow, numb, and artificially heavy, and it lacked feedback; there isn’t much communication between you and the front wheels, especially through tight, winding roads.
Improvements made to the tC in 2016 make it better than the car we tested in 2011 but weren’t enough to bring it back to form. The noisy cabin, mediocre driving dynamics, less than stellar build quality, and uncompetitive fuel economy brought the tC down. As an entire package, the tC was a good value proposition on paper, but it comes with too many compromises that make it less desirable than other cars in its price range. A final special edition tC will be released before the car and the Scion brand rides into the endless night into the automotive afterlife.
| 2016 Scion tC | |
| BASE PRICE | $21,330 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $23,673 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass, 2-door coupe |
| ENGINE | 2.5L/179-hp/172-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4 |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3,150 lb (63/37%) |
| WHEELBASE | 106.3 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 176.6 x 70.7 x 55.7 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 7.6 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 15.9 sec @ 86.8 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 118 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.85 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 27.5 sec @ 0.63 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 23/31/26 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 147/109 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 0.75 lb/mile |
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